Chairperson Page 1 of 2 B-4

A committee chairperson presides at member serves on a committee. coordinate and facilitate. You will be • Being sensitive to interpersonal committee meetings, directs and Occasionally a committee has two responsible for doing the following, relations within the committee, guides the committee and may people serving together, but generally or seeing that they are done: between committee members and represent the committee in other each committee has one chairperson. • Understanding the purpose of the other committees and between the settings. In some churches the governing committee. pastor and the committee members. board is made up of chairpersons • Presiding at each meeting, keeping • Clearly articulating your values from all committees. Even when that order and making certain that all and hopes for the committee and History and isn’t the case, there may be times members participate. church when a chairperson is asked to • Beginning and ending meetings at • Helping the committee set Background represent the committee at other agreed upon times. You may need achievable goals in keeping with its While the term chairperson is meetings. Perhaps chairpersons to know how to deal with people’s purpose. relatively new, the concept of gather to help set goals, work out the personal agendas as well as the • Preparing materials for meetings. A leadership for a small group appears year’s calendar or set budget requests. primary agenda of the committee. printed agenda, copies of to go back to ancient times. The Sometimes they work together in • Setting an agenda based on infor- correspondence and other Israelites had ruling elders who preparation for an annual meeting or mation provided by the committee background papers help the appointed individuals to do various budget report. members and others. committee act efficiently. You may tasks. The early church realized that How chairpersons are chosen • Calling meetings and sending be responsible for having resource everything couldn’t be done by a few depends on the type of committee and reminders of upcoming meetings to people or reading material people, so they divided up the work. the church’s constitution and bylaws. members. available, depending on the nature Paul’s message to the people in Sometimes they are appointed by and of your task. Corinth was to help them understand • Providing time and leadership at from the committee at its first • Setting up rooms for committee that each person had a place in the committee meetings for worship, meeting of the year. In other cases, activities and seeing that they are work of the church and that all were community building, changing the the chairperson is appointed or agenda and evaluation. left orderly. to use their gifts, whatever they were. elected by the congregation. • Knowing how to use the approp- • Delegating tasks. Other committee In the past the person who chaired Frequently the chairperson has served a committee was called a “chairman.” riate decision-making process. That members are there to work together on the committee for a year or more may mean understanding consensus and to take on specific delegated That may have once been fairly before being named chairperson. The accurate, for most committees in and when it’s reached; it may mean responsibilities. way people are recruited for being churches were led by men. Today, knowing Robert’s Rules of Order. • Monitoring and challenging chairpersons varies, as does their It’s not necessary to have formal committee members as they carry most churches have consciously training for the position. changed their terminology to reflect voting processes in a committee of out tasks and supporting them in their belief that gender is not a three, but it probably is for a their achievements. qualification for chairing a meeting of 300. • Working with other officers Responsibilities committee. • Finding ways to learn more about between meetings of the Some responsibilities depend on the the interests and abilities of committee. nature and size of the committee. The committee members so that you • Carrying out your assigned tasks Common Practices larger the committee, the more it is can help them maximize their between meetings and seeing that your responsibility for coordination. contributions. others do, too. Most churches have lots of Look at the card in this series for your • Knowing to whom you are committees because they have a lot of • Meeting deadlines and following specific committee to see what other accountable and making sure other through on decisions. work to be done to carry out their responsibilities may be yours. Your people know to whom they are • Providing information about the mission. In some churches every most important responsibilities are to accountable. committee’s work to the church Chairperson Page 2 of 2 B-4 newsletter, to newspapers, to other • Understanding of communication. parliamentary procedure, decision- • What other topic in this series will church members, to the governing • Commitment to grow and learn. making, assertiveness training, you read next? board and to the pastor. The purpose • Ability to deal with details, while public speaking or motivation. will vary: to ask for help, to seek not forgetting the whole. • Be part of a support group where approval or to keep others up-to-date. • Understanding of the church’s you can talk about your Be sure you are aware of the reason organization and how the experiences. for sharing the information. committee fits in it. • Have a friend role-play situations

• Providing budget requests and • Ability to delegate, providing with you that you expect to come accounting for expenditures. people with information, authority up during a committee meeting. • Setting a timeline for tasks to be and resources to do a job for which See what happens when you say completed. they are accountable. You’ll need different things. Try out the best • Coordinating the work of your to check in with them occasionally ones at the committee meeting. committee with other committees so they know you care about them • Keep a folder handy in which to in the church. and their assigned tasks. file any information you come • Using inclusive language and non- • Ability to organize, plan and set across related to your committee. stereotyped concepts. goals. Review this material periodically. • Orienting new members. • Making sure the committee grows in understanding and vision. Ways to Increase Issues Facing the

Skills, Knowledge and Church • Some people find it difficult to Skills and Attributes Effectiveness delegate responsibilities and want Needed • Observe others as chairpersons and to do it all themselves. Others • Understanding of what you do as see what seems to work. delegate all authority and • Ask someone to observe you ministry. responsibilities. What is the right • Sensitivity to people’s needs and during a meeting and give you amount to delegate? feelings. feedback about what you did.

• Flexibility. • Keep a learning journal.

• Openness. • Talk to people on other Questions committees, to the governing board • Confidentiality. • What is the purpose of your and to the pastor to understand your • Ability to build on people’s gifts committee? committee’s relationships and and strengths. • To whom is the committee responsibilities. • Commitment to the committee’s accountable? To whom are you • Pray and meditate. task. accountable? • Worship regularly. • Mutual respect of committee mem- • Is it appropriate to use • Attend a workshop for committee bers and others in the church. parliamentary procedure in your chairpersons sponsored by your • Understanding of how groups committee? If so, how might you association or conference. Ask for work. learn more about it? © 2005, Parish Life and Leadership Ministry one if none is scheduled. • Understanding of the decision- • What is one thing on which you Team of Local Church Ministries, a • Take a course at a local college or Covenanted Ministry of the United Church of making process. need to work? technical school on leadership, Christ