I know why they call it the board, Daddy," said an insightful 8-year-old. "It's because the meetings are so boring!" For people accustomed to an action-oriented society, a group that sits for hours to debate issues and takes months to make decisions does sound less than appealing. And it probably is if all it does is talk. We need to move from words to action.

Agendas that are effective

The traditional board agenda looks something like this:

1. Call to Order
2. Opening Prayer
3. Reading of the Minutes
4. Treasurer's Report
5. Pastor's Report
6. Correspondence
7. Old Business
8. New Business
9. Adjournment

In my experience, this agenda often hinders effective discussion and decision making. Two principles of group meetings offer an explanation of that failure:

The Principle of Available Energy. A well-known proverb describes the universal principle of energy in meetings: "Deacons debate from seven to eight."

When people come to a meeting, they want to dig into meaty issues. The energy level is high for about an hour before it ...