If Not Robert’s Rules, Then Whose Rules?

In a recent blog, Three reasons to kick Robert out of your church, I wrote about the problems involved in using Henry Martyn Robert’s famous Rules of Order in churches.

• They’re not consistent with the New Testament leadership pattern,
• They’re not consistent with a Biblical philosophy of leadership, and
• They open the door for ungodly, rebellious behaviors.

I was not surprised when I was quickly asked by a reader to suggest an alternative. If not Robert’s, then whose rules should rule? Here are some suggestions which many churches have found to be conducive to good, God-honoring decision making:

Get your meetings out of your worship space, or at least re-configure your worship space. For some reason, people can worship God in their favorite pew (or chair), return to it for a business meeting after a ten minute break, and forget all about the fact that they are “in church.” In a nanosecond their behavior shifts from that of worshipping members of the family of God to angry Democrats (or Republicans) at a Republican-led (or Democrat-led) town hall meeting.

Instead, get your congregation around round (preferably) tables, with your board members disbursed among the congregation. Eat a good meal together. Get the folks at each table talking about dreams and proposals, led by the board member whom the folks just ate apple pie with. At some point in the meeting, engage the folks at each table in serious prayer. This format change alone transforms business meetings in many churches!

 Have your congregational meetings led by the board member who does it best. It may not be the pastor or the board chair. Some people are great at fielding questions, thinking on their feet, and not getting defensive. I’m not one of them, so I greatly value this ability.

Share some Scripture about unity and then share a few simple, common sense guidelines. This is a good job for the pastor.   Explain that “In our church, we don’t follow Robert’s Rules of Order; we conduct our meetings like a loving and healthy family, the way Scripture says we should.”

You may need to say this at every meeting you ever have. If you’re growing, you’ll have people at each meeting who’ve never been to one like this before.

Ask those present to make sure their comments are made with respect and honor for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Hold people to this. If someone is disrespectful, point it out. Bullies and ungodly people posing as church pillars need to be exposed for what they are. You will be respected for this. One timely rebuke might change the culture of your meetings forever.

Hold people to the pattern of Matthew eighteen. In other words, business meetings are not the place for the initial confrontation of sin. “Grandstanders” love to by-pass Jesus’ words and rebuke their leaders in public. Church leaders do not need to tolerate this.

Let people know that “In our church, all motions come from the leadership, not from the floor.” Tell them that their suggestions will be taken seriously by the leaders in their subsequent board meetings but don’t let anyone introduce a new proposal that is voted on at the meeting.

Give people a written agenda, so they know what’s coming. Churches are like horses, they don’t like to be spooked. If you stray from your agenda, its value will be lost and trust will be eroded.

Open and close the meeting with prayers, not motions. Motions tell people that you’re following Robert’s Rules, which you’re not.

Tell people that time will be given during the meeting for questions and comments, but ask that all comments be addressed to “the chair.” This may have come from Robert’s Rules. If it did, my kudos to Robert.