Leveraging Work Teams: A Smarter Approach to Church Leadership and Decision-Making
In churches practicing Simplified, Accountable Structure (SAS), leadership boards cannot (and should not) do it all alone. That’s where work teams come in — a small, focused group assigned to tackle specific tasks or projects outside the full board. When used correctly, work teams increase efficiency, widen engagement, and strengthen leadership culture.
Work teams handle the preliminary or detailed work for the Leadership Board. Examples include drafting a budget, updating personnel policies, exploring a new multi-site campus, or preparing materials for a stewardship campaign. The key principle: work teams do legwork, not decision-making. They complete a task, then bring their work to the board for review and approval.
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Creating effective work teams:
- Assign at least one Leadership Board member to provide continuity, alignment, and communication with the full board.
- Include non-board members from the congregation or community to expand the pool of skills, experience, historical relevance, and gifts.
- Keep teams short-term and task-specific — once the project is complete, the work team disbands.
Benefits of work teams:
- Maximizes meeting efficiency: Drafts and detailed work are completed outside the board meeting, freeing the board to focus on strategic and generative discussions and decisions.
- Engages more leaders: Members of the congregation who may not be ready for full board service can still contribute meaningfully.
- Utilizes expertise wisely: Work teams can include professionals or community members with specialized skills without a long-tenured commitment or providing decision-making authority.
- Supports leadership development: Former board members or emerging leaders can mentor, collaborate, and grow through short-term, hands-on projects.
- Maintains accountability: Work teams report back to the board, ensuring that the board retains oversight and decision-making authority.
By leveraging work teams, churches can get more done, involve more people, and focus the full Leadership Board on mission-critical work. Done well, work teams create a culture of collaboration, efficiency, and sustainable leadership growth.
