What does the new governance structure mean for the Conference?

The issue of governance and restructuring was front and centre at this year’s convention. It was not a matter of bigger and better, but rather smaller and more effective. There was a desire within the Executive Board to be able to move from responding to reports, to visioning for the future.

With just a little bit of research, I found that we have done at least three restructures and numerous rewrites of the constitution during the last 20 years. In 1986, a recommendation was brought forward to create an executive board to work with the three-person executive. The additional members would be the moderators of the six provincial conferences as well as a to-be-appointed executive minister. There was to be a personnel committee appointed, the Board of Publications was to be merged with the Board of Spiritual and Social Concerns, and the Board of Christian Education with the Board of Evangelism.

Upon reading some of the discussion from that convention, I discovered that the concerns raised at that convention were basically the same as those raised at Gathering 2004 – “You must not only do right, you must also appear to do right”; “Move ahead, but not without regard to due process.” One provincial conference moderator, however, affirmed the basic principle of the proposal, suggesting that this kind of governance was already happening in his province. The recommendation was then referred to the Board of Spiritual and Social Concerns, the keeper of the constitution (now BFL), and was again discussed at the 1987 convention, at which time it passed with revisions – the Executive Board now would number 17 (the board chairs were to be included). The recommendation to merge boards was dropped. Subsequent restructurings were not as drastic as that 1987 decision.

Did the previous restructurings do what they were meant to do? Apparently they did. The board chairs had a venue in which to discuss their concerns and in which to plan in harmony with each other. The council of boards, composed of all the boards, meeting twice a year, was an opportunity to share plans on a wider scale and, functioning as the conference–in-interim, to make decisions which could not wait for a full delegate convention. In other words, the system worked.

This system too will work. It will continue to be refined over the next decades because the world in which we live will demand it. The changing face of our churches will also encourage continued modification of the system.

What does this 2004 governance structure mean for the future of the Conference?

Our world wants immediate answers and having only one board, and a CEO with defined responsibilities to initiate new visions, will allow initiatives to be acted upon more quickly. The Executive Board will find ways to engage the constituency in decision-making in a new and more immediate way. Plans are already underway for this to happen with a national survey this fall.

The Executive Board will need to find ways to communicate its thinking and planning to the constituency. The Board will also need to be open and willing to let the constituency speak into their plans at any stage in the process. Other Conference leaders can be invited to give counsel. The Executive Board will need to be willing to meet with church leaders in their provinces to discuss issues of concern.

On the other side, the constituency will need to take initiative to engage the Executive Board. If there are issues that are perceived as being neglected, members of our churches can let the Executive Board know (either directly, or through letters to the editors of our denominational periodicals).

Every church and member of the Conference should take personal responsibility for making the process work. The comment was made in one of the discussion groups that individuals will vote support of the structure with their wallets. That is probably the way it should be. Each member can ensure that adequate funds are available to carry on the programs that we as a Conference have been called to embrace. Together with financial support should come prayer support. Because, “unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). And, “always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).