Many of us have horror stories of members’ meetings gone terribly wrong. But do they always have to end in bitterness and bickering? I don’t think so. Here are nine suggestions to help set members’ meetings on the right track.
1. Stop calling them “Business Meetings.”
First, stop calling them “business meetings,” which conjures up images of corporate leaders angling for personal gain. Instead, call them “members’” meetings, or “family” meetings, or something else that suggests that we come serving Christ’s agenda, and not our own.
2. Remember that a Members’ Meeting is for Members.
Second, remember that a members’ meeting is for members. A members’ meeting is not a public meeting, so kindly excuse any stray visitors at the start of the meeting, letting them know they are more than welcome to any of your public weekly gatherings. Visitors have no more right to participate in your church’s members’ meetings than citizens of one country have the right to vote in the elections of another.
3. Aim for Accurate Membership Roles.
Third, aim for accurate membership roles. Trying to conduct healthy members’ meetings without a healthy membership roll is like inviting the fox into the henhouse.
4. Pray!
Fourth, pray! We need
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