Congregational Governance Survey

Have you ever wondered:

• What other congregations operate under Policy Governance® so you could network with them?
• What tools and best practices congregations have developed for effective implementation of Policy Governance®?
• What challenges and opportunities congregations have experienced in the transition to Policy Governance®?

Well, we did too, so we invited congregations in the Unitarian Universalist Association to tell about their experiences. The Excel file you can download below contains responses from 74 congregations. You can also download a PDF below that shows each individual response.

Some themes that emerged as we reviewed the data:

This transition takes time and commitment. Some common challenges:

• Transitioning the Board away from means, figuring out what their new role looks like, and enabling them in their role
• Coming to a new understanding of the minister's role in this model
• Managing and communicating the change with the congregation
• Figuring out how to manage the realigned workload for the Executive, and how to involve and align the congregation in working with the Executive to further the Ends.

There are a number of best practices offered by congregations in this survey to address these challenges. Some highlights:

• Board listening and education sessions with the congregation, both during and after the transitio
• Board self-education sessions
• Board member recruitment processes tied to the knowledge, skills and attitudes that make Policy Governance ® board members, and thus boards, successful
• Connecting everything back to the Ends, including budgets, meeting agendas, and reports
• Seeking out as many experienced resources as they possibly can to aid with the transition

Many, many thanks to the congregational leaders who took the time to complete the survey and share their knowledge with others! Please contact us if we can be helpful to you in your transition. 

Congregational Governance Survey 2010.xls
Congregational Governance Survey by Response 2010. pdf

(Policy Governance is the registered service mark of John Carver; the authoritative website for the Policy Governance model can be found at www.carvergovernance.com.)