Why the Nominating Committee Matters
Dan Holloway, Pinnacle Associate
Many congregations use a Nominating Committee to identify and nominate lay leadership for a variety of roles in the life of the congregation. In many ways, this makes the Nominating Committee the most important committee in the church. Such committees can have as much impact on the life of the congregation as the leadership teams that will eventually be formed from those nominated for leadership. Yet in my experience, relatively little attention is paid to the composition and work of the Nominating Committee, sometimes to the detriment to the long-term health of a congregation. In fact, in my work as a conflict consultant, I often find that the original seeds of division were sown in the Nominating Committee process. Church leaders would thus be wise to give special attention to the ways in which this process is structured.
What follows are some of my observations of what can make this committee and its work more effective. While they certainly are not foolproof, experience suggests that they can strengthen the ministry of the congregation in significant and transformative ways.
Choose members for the Nominating Committee who are concerned for the health of the whole congregation. Too often people with an agenda see the Nominating Committee as their way to “stack the deck” with people who think like them and are likely to lead the church only in their preferred direction. There is little expectation of attention to the work of the Holy Spirit or to the voices of others within the congregation. Yet the truly inclusive and welcoming church is sensitive to the needs of all within its membership and most of all is attentive to what the Spirit may be saying through the voices within that membership. The Nominating Committee is called to lead with awareness of all who have been led into the life of that congregation and that begins by having committee members who are first concerned for the health of the whole congregation.
The Nominating Committee needs to understand the work it is elected to do. Its task is not simply to find people willing to fill slots on the ballot. It is rather to identify individuals who have been equipped by God to provide spiritual leadership at a particular time in the history of their group. It is better to leave a position unfilled for a while than to nominate someone who is unqualified or unenthusiastic about serving. It is a seldom a good idea, for example, to nominate someone to leadership in hopes that he or she will become active in the church life again.
The Nominating Committee needs to understand the requirements for leadership within their own tradition but also the needs for leadership in our changing religious culture. Every faith tradition has certain things that it expects of its faith leaders and these are usually expressed clearly within the written documents that guide church ministry. Yet church leadership today also requires lay leadership from people who understand not just what church leaders have done in the past but also what may be required of church leaders in the future. Business as usual is less and less effective in most congregations as the culture around us continues to shift and the ways in which congregations flourish continue to change. Effective leaders are those who recognize the shifting times in which we live and can respond in ways that are both positive and transformative. They operate not out of fear but out of hope, not in a reactionary way but in way that is both imaginative and creative. Simply put, effective church leaders are willing to dream new dreams and engage in holy experiments.
The Nominating Committee needs to identify persons who demonstrate both spiritual maturity and a willingness to continue to grow in their spiritual development. A key gift for effective church leadership is a commitment to continually growing in the walk of faith. We are called continually to strengthen our relationship with God through spiritual practices that deepen and enrich our own relationships with God and one another. This means the emphasis is on discipleship and not membership. A sign on a church billboard near my home said it this way: “Don’t confuse religion with relationships.” This is good advice for all of us but especially for church leaders.
When individuals are identified within the committee as being good candidates for service, a good process for approaching them and asking them to serve should be devised and implemented. A personal meeting in a time and place where there is time for conversations and questions is very important. Grabbing someone in the hallway at church as they prepare to hurry on to something else says, “This office and your decision about serving is not very significant.” How much better to communicate both the significance of the decision and the requirements for service by the way in which the candidate is approached.
The committee should not only start and end all meetings with prayer but make an agreement to make the work of this group a top priority for their prayer life during their days of service. At its best, the work of the Nominating Committee is not so much our effort to find people for particular positions within a congregation or governing body but rather to seek God’s purposes for our congregations and to identify people who can help us pursue those purposes. The work of the Nominating Committee is at its heart a spiritual responsibility, something that can only be fulfilled if we are paying attention to what God is doing around us at any given time. Yet the rewards of doing so are great both for those called to service and those who nominate them.