Planning and Running Effective Committee Meetings
One of the factors that will influence the health of the local Committee is the way that Committee meetings are planned and run. If meetings are fun, productive, encouraging and efficient, there will be vitality in the Committee and people will want to join and remain a part of the team. If meetings are tedious, unproductive and long, that will have a huge effect on Committee morale and participation.
So what are some principles that help to make Committee meetings more positive? Here are one Regional Director’s Top Ten:
1) There must be effective, frequent and honest communication between the Area Director and the Committee Chair. These two people are the key. And they must work as hard on planning and running Committee meetings as the staff and leaders do on club.
2) Agendas should be sent in advance, and that agenda should be “stuck to”. Only in emergencies should new business be introduced that is not on the agenda.
3) The meeting should be no more than 90 minutes, and should begin and end on time.
4) The following elements should be included in every meeting, if possible:
Devotional – focus on Christ
Fellowship – coffee time before and/or after the meeting
Prayer – briefly share personal concerns, and be sure to pray for the ministry
Ministry report – area staff should give a succinct update on local ministry and plans
Reports from sub-committees on current projects
Assignment of new tasks with specific time frames and accountability
5) Be creative and don’t forget to have fun! We know that it’s a sin to bore a kid, but we forget that it’s also a sin to bore an adult. Committee meetings should occasionally include visits from leaders or kids, a skit or funny letter, meeting in a creative or fun venue (bowling alley, Taco Bell, etc.), or other things to break the routine.
6) Meetings must have strong leadership. The Chair and AD should decide who will run the meeting, and the meeting must actually be run, not simply facilitated.
7) The majority of the Committee’s business should take place outside of the meeting! Committee meetings are much more effective when they are used to assign tasks, report on tasks, get information and receive vision and encouragement. Long discussions on topics that could or should be discussed by a smaller sub-group will kill the dynamic of a meeting.
8) Care should be taken to ensure that relationships are build and community is formed outside of the meeting. Attending clubs, camps, doing fun projects, dinner with no YL business discussed, etc. are all good ways to build the team. And a cohesive team makes for better meetings.
9) Minutes should be taken, distributed for approval at the next meeting, and filed for future reference.
10) The dates for Committee meetings and area events should be agreed upon and published well in advance. Having a year’s calendar planned out is a huge help.