Getting the right mix of people on decision-making committees is a science. It is NOT about getting people to agree to serve on a committee. Most churches have several key decision-making committees: finance, personnel, church council, and endowment. The people serving on these critical committees must be wise and patient among several other traits. Here is my list of things to consider when balancing a committee:
- Age & gender
- You must have a variety of ages and genders. Too much of one will make a committee lopsided in its thinking and unaware of other opportunities.
- Committees should be almost evenly divided by gender.
- The average age of a committee, from my experience, should be 45-55. That will mean you have as many people in their 20s & 30s as 60s & 70s giving the committee a nice balance.
- Institution Memory & New Ideas
- Committees must have a balance of people who are new to the committee while having others who remember how the church got started or did things a while ago.
- We all get caught up in our ruts of how we see and do things, even young people. Having a mix allows people to see the perspectives of others.
- Professional Training (lawyers, engineers, doctors, blue collar, accountants, military, stay home parents, etc.)
- Every profession teaches its members to think and act differently. Leverage that training to gain the maximum benefit for the church.
- Too many people from one industry will cause “group think” with little originality. Not including some “stay at home parents” may cause the committee to not remember some common sense items.
Be intentional about who is on your committee. Variety is the spice of life. A varied committee will mean more spice to your meetings but it will also mean a better result of their decisions.
Lead On!