Leadership & Governance 2025 – Part 1
The Importance of Governance in Church Leadership
I was so encouraged to gather together with trustees and elders from across the Commission family on May 17th this year. Governance can be seen as the 'legal bit' or the 'boring part' of church leadership, and it was so good to explore why it is so important. It's key that elders and trustees work together for the sake of the gospel. As Tim reminded us in the first session, governance is spiritual warfare. Running our churches well provides a firm foundation from which we can see the gospel of Jesus advanced.
In many of the sessions, we looked at the sorts of problems that can occur when governance and leadership are not robust so we can learn from when things go wrong. There have been many high-profile examples of leadership failure in churches in recent years. Many people have been damaged by these failures, and the church has been brought into disrepute. I'm grieved by these reports, as I want the church to be known for the Good News: a place where people are safe, cared for, loved, and can come to know Jesus—not as a place where they might be harmed. Surely, the church should be leading in running our organisations well. We exist to demonstrate Jesus to the world, to show his love, to be his hands and feet, and to outwork the good news of his gospel. Surely, part of this involves using resources wisely, not for our own gain, caring for others effectively, and not turning a blind eye to where harm can occur.
Distinct but Complementary Roles of Trustees and Elders
There is a lot of great training available for charity trustees, including plenty that the Charity Commission provides. Trustees have a legal responsibility to ensure that their church's resources are used for the charitable purposes for which the church was established. Trustees have to make sure that the resources are managed well and that the church is run safely and lawfully. However, in Commission churches, it is the Elders who run the church; the Elders have the spiritual authority and are the ones who set the direction and care for the church flock. As I said, there is plenty of training available for charity trustees, but there is much less available for church trustees, which is why days like this one are so important. We work best when trustees and elders understand each other's roles well.
It is significant for Elders and Trustees to take time to be together, to understand each other's roles, and to share vision and expectations. Trustees are not there to 'put the breaks on' to say 'No, we can't afford it'. They are not there to be people who put unnecessary rules and red tape in place. The role is to receive the vision of the trustees and then plan how the resources will be used towards that vision and how the activities can be run safely, effectively, and lawfully.
Looking Ahead with Vision and Prayer
It was great to see such a good turn out to this year's event, I'm praying that many more trustees and elders will come next year, and I'm praying that Commission will be known as a movement where we run our activities well, so that we can see the gospel of Jesus advanced.
