Our Board Managers serve under the leadership of the Session of Elders, by managing our facilities and finances.
Every year, around this time of year, our Session of the Elders conducts the election of managers for the Board. It’s at this time of year that we have an opportunity to explain the why and how, as well as the who, of the BoM.
Who are the Board Managers?
You can see who are our current Managers on Our Team page. These are the people the congregation have elected to lead in this ministry of the trellis, in managing the congregation’s facilities and finances.
Why a Board of Management?
The Lord has given the church one great task: to make disciples through the ministry of the gospel word preached, the administration of the sacraments, and the care of his people. Everything else exists to serve that vital work of ministry through what could be called “administry”.
This means that money has to be counted and banked, and facilities have to be maintained so that ministry is facilitated. People have to be paid and kept safe through making sure things like WorkCover are kept up to date and in order. None of that is glamorous, but all of it matters, and if nobody does it well, then ministry gets hindered.
Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church of Victoria (PCV), has in its Code Book of rules and regulations that congregations like ours have Elders who shepherd the flock of God they are among (1 Peter 5:1-5), Deacons who serve in ministries of mercy (Acts 6:1-7), and Managers, who are like Deacons but serve particularly by managing the facilities and finances of the congregation.
The Board looks after the temporal affairs of the congregation so that the Pastor and Elders and Pastoral Assistants can give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:2-4).
The Board is not a second church government, it is not an upper house or legislative assembly that vetos what the Elders wish to undertake for the ministry of the church. Rather, the Board of Management is a team of people serving the congregation in practical ways, under the oversight of the Session and within any competent directions the congregation gives.
How does the Board serve?
The Managers are elected members of the congregation who serve by leading in what we might call a trellis ministry. If a church is like a trellis and a vine, the Elders ultimately lead the vine work as they equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:16). They are enabled to do so because the trellis of the church, in all her structures and administration, is cared for by the Board Managers.
Who is on the Board?
The Code (rule 2.33) says the Board is made up of:
• the minister,
• the elders who are members of both the congregation and the Session, and
• managers, in the number the congregation determines (or the Session, if the congregation has delegated that decision).
Managers are communicants members or adherent members of the congregation, elected by the congregation in an election the Session conducts. They serve for two years, and half retire each year in rotation, though they can stand again (rule 2.35.1). Every manager must hold a current Working With Children Check; if it lapses or is refused, the Session must suspend them from the Board until it is sorted (rule 2.35A).
You can see who our current Managers are here on Our Team page here. These are the people the congregation has elected to lead in this ministry of the trellis. The Elders are members of the Board of Management too, but the day-to-day weight of the work is carried by the managers. We rely on them, and we are grateful for them.
Who does what?
The Chairman
In the Presbyterian Church the Board meeting is chaired by the Pastor, who is not one of the elected Managers and who himself submits to the Board and its decisions. The Minister (Pastor) has the right to preside and normally does (rule 2.39.1). He may authorise someone else to chair in his absence. When the minister chairs, he has only a casting vote and not a deliberative vote (so his vote, if needed, keeps the status quo).
The Secretary
Each year the Board elects a secretary from among its members (rule 2.36). The secretary keeps the minutes, looks after the Board's documents, handles correspondence, and passes on any extracts of minutes from the Session or a congregational meeting so they can be recorded.
The Treasurer
The treasurer is also elected annually. The treasurer receives, distributes and accounts for all the money under the Board's care, as the Board directs, and must be ready to produce all accounts and documents for inspection. The treasurer also leads on the annual budget preparation process which usually runs from February through to June.
The team of managers
Those without an office usually carry particular responsibilities or projects, such as property, hiring of the buildings, or particular policies, and report on them to the Board.
What is the Board responsible for?
The work falls into three areas: finances, property, and the people-matters that flow from them.
Finances
• Gathering the congregation's offerings and distributing them for the purposes for which they were given, always through bank accounts in the name of the congregation (rule 2.43).
• Banking money promptly.
• Keeping the offering book, with each week's entries certified by two people authorised by the Board (rule 2.43.3). Two sets of eyes protects everyone, including the people counting - and at Reforming this counting is carried out under our church’s security cameras.
• Keeping proper financial records that show clearly what came in and what went out (rule 2.44).
• Drafting the budget as we budget for what we value as a church, applying for grants, and making sure our minister and pastoral assistant staff are paid.
• Preparing financial statements each year for audit, and presenting the audited accounts to the annual congregational meeting (rules 2.45 and 2.46).
• Submitting the Annual Information Statement to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
• Contributing to the annual report on the congregation's life and the terms of settlement of those who serve us.
Facilities
• Keeping the congregation's property in good condition and raising the funds to do so (rule 2.20).
• Appointing a property committee that inspects the property before and after winter each year and reports back.
• Managing the hire and use of buildings, and who holds keys.
• Seeking the right approvals. Buying, selling, leasing, mortgaging, or structurally altering property needs a two-thirds majority of communicants and adherents present at a congregational meeting called for that purpose, and approval from Presbytery and other bodies as the Code requires (rules 2.20 and 2.21). The Board does not do these things alone.
People and compliance
• Employment obligations toward staff.
• Occupational health and safety.
• Making sure our practices keep us above reproach, in the sight of the Lord and of the community.
How does the Board relate to the Session?
The Session has the spiritual oversight of the congregation, and the Board sits under it. As the Managers serve, they are also shepherded by the Elders. The Elders lead in the pastoral ministry of the church so that the Board always remembers the church is first and foremost the flock of God, and that facilities and finances need to be managed in a Christ-like and Christ-focused way. The church is primarily a discipleship community, a learning community as we learn Christ together, and all we do works towards that end.
Use of the buildings, for example, is at the disposal of the minister and the Session for the proper work of the church, though the Board must be involved where there is substantial financial outlay or a secular interest (rule 2.23).
The Session maps out the plans and prayers of Reforming, and the Board helps work out whether and how we can resource our plans and prayers. A new ministry, for instance, will almost always have a cost and a location, and that is where the Board gets to serve.
The Weekly Work of the Board
The Board works with diligence and godliness as they love our church and one another. They know they have received grace, and at every meeting they ask the Lord for grace and wisdom for their meetings and leadership.
The Board are also the Team Leaders of our church cleaning roster. They do what Jesus models for us to do in going low to serve. The Board leads our church working bees and gives direction on how we serve safely on the day.
The Board meets monthly for ordinary meetings (the Code requires a fixed day at regular intervals, at least quarterly, rule 2.38.1), usually at Reforming House. Meetings make things happen and operate in the following way:
Prayer: Every meeting opens and closes with prayer (rule 2.39.4). We are doing the Lord's work, so we begin by asking for his help.
Quorum: Four members, at least two of whom are managers (rule 2.39.3).
Agenda and minutes: The minutes of the last meeting are confirmed first, signed by the chairman. Managers are expected to attend, and to send in reports on their projects ahead of time so the meeting can be used for decisions and not just updates.
Decision making resolutions and meeting minutes: Decisions are made by moving motions to form resolutions. This happens by asking questions, discussion, debate and voting, after asking the Lord for grace and wisdom. Motions need a seconder. Beyond that, the chairman has latitude over procedure, but can apply the General Assembly's standing orders if things become contested. All of this is done with gentleness and Christlikeness. It is a beautiful thing to be part of.
Meeting by other means: The Board can meet by phone or Zoom, and can pass a resolution by email, provided every member has had at least four days, all replies go to everyone, and any member can veto that method and require the matter to wait for the next meeting (rules 2.38.6 to 2.38.9). Often Reforming Board meetings operate in a hybrid format, with Managers who live out of town joining in the meeting on Zoom.
Confidentiality: The Board meets in private unless it decides otherwise, and anything it declares confidential must not be shared without its permission (rule 2.39.5).
What about conflicts of interest?
Boards handle money, contracts and information, so conflicts of interest are a real possibility, whether in counting offerings or awarding a repair job. The PCV's Conflict of Interest Policy says a manager must not misuse information they gain, must not share Board business outside the Board, and must not let personal or family interests compete with the interests of the congregation. Where it is appropriate, we invite declarations before the meeting or pause at the start of the meeting to ask whether anyone needs to declare one.
What happens when we disagree?
Good people will sometimes see things differently, and that is fine. Our aim is to talk things through humbly and aim for unity, remembering we are brothers and sisters before we are colleagues.
The Code provides some safeguards. A member who voted against a resolution and had their dissent recorded at the time may bring the matter to Presbytery by petition, in the same way as for a congregational meeting decision (rule 2.42). A resolution can also be rescinded, but only after someone has given notice of that motion at a previous meeting (rule 2.41).
Serving Together for the Sake of the Gospel
While much of the Board’s work happens quietly behind the scenes, its impact is felt every time we gather to worship, open God’s Word, and welcome newcomers into our community. By faithfully caring for the "trellis" of our facilities and finances, our Managers free up our Elders and church family to focus on the vital work of growing the "vine" of discipleship.
As we approach our annual elections, please pray for our current Board members with thankfulness for their diligent, Christ-like service. Please also prayerfully consider whether the Lord might be equipping you—or someone you could encourage to stand—to serve our church family in this practical and deeply valuable ministry.
