Tony Morgan, “Killing Cockroaches”

Be ruthless about creating new rules. Always ask: is there a way we can accomplish this without creating a policy?

Consider whether a new guideline will make life easier for your team. Good systems remove obstacles and free people to accomplish ministry without waiting for decisions.

Are people meeting to strategize and accomplish ministry, or are they meeting to allocate resources? Resource allocation involves power, and it’s easier than doing ministry or talking about the big picture. The fact is, systems and guidelines can easily be established to allocate money, time and space without committees having to gather for a vote.

Are people meeting to decide something because a leader hasn’t been empowered to make the decision? It doesn’t take a committee to select a paint color. Those are decisions that can be delegated to one volunteer or staff member.

Do you really need that committee? At NewSpring, we only have one lay board. Everyone else is serving on a team that’s doing ministry. Ask people if they really enjoy and have time for another meeting. I’m pretty confident you won’t find a groundswell of support for more meetings.

Empower staff and volunteers. Give people freedom to lead within a framework that provides appropriate accountability and identifies responsibility. That freedom will benefit your ministry by encouraging people to actively engage in ministry while allowing them to innovate and create. That’s why growing churches need to be as committed to effective systems as they are to embracing innovation.