- How does your church board function?
- How should your church board function?
- Do people respond positively when recruited for the board?
- Are your meetings well-organized and run?
- Are responsibilities well-defined and honored?
On Saturday, February 18 from 9:30-11:30 am, Rev. Fred Oaks facilitated a workshop on Church Boards and Leadership for any interested ABC of Wisconsin constituency. Rev. Oaks shared from his experience as a pastor of churches of various sizes as well as in organizations involved with leadership training. We discussed the ways that the necessary responsibility of governance can best serve the mission of the church.
“Boards and committees can, admittedly, be control-oriented naysayers, ineffective time-wasters, or worse. But they can also be dynamic and effective tools for leadership development and mission fulfillment!” ~ Rev. Fred Oaks
A recording of the workshop session is now available: SESSION
Rev. Fred Oaks is past-president of the ABC of Wisconsin Board of Managers. He was ordained ABC in 1987 and served as a pastor in rural, urban, and suburban contexts, first as a solo pastor and then as a senior pastor of multiple-staff congregations. While a pastor he was a consultant to the Indianapolis Center for Congregations (www.centerforcongregations.org) and an independent consultant/facilitator on church revitalization. From 2005 until his retirement in 2021 Fred was a program director at the Kern Family Foundation (Waukesha, WI). He focused on helping seminaries strengthen student recruitment while improving the accessibility and affordability of education for ministry. He was also involved in the Foundation’s support of www.MadetoFlourish.org, a ministry helping pastors connect biblical wisdom and sound theology to work and the economy. He has led governance boards at the local church and regional levels and served on the board of the Green Lake Conference Center.
He and Judy live in Indianapolis. They have three grown children and a pandemic puppy named Bennie.