Never assume the Spirit’s presence!

I heard in seminary that Calvin once said “Don’t assume the Holy Spirit’s presence unless you sigh, cry, and die for that to become a reality.” AI tells me the quote comes from Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932), a preacher of English Methodism. So I can’t be sure.

I frequently encounter the opposite assumption: Christian communities who make the bold assumption that the Holy Spirit is entirely present in their meetings and thus decisions are treated seemingly as the divine work of God!

Now it may be that ten Christian adults gather and open the meeting with a five-minute scripted devotional picked up one hour before the meeting. But really? Was the Holy Spirit truly present? Are the decisions arising from the meeting godly?

The Council: A Biblical Perspective on Board Governance

Gary G. Hoag et al.
ECFAPress
2019

A new model

I do not want to have a theological squabble. God’s omnipresence is theology enough to infer the Holy Spirit’s presence at a meeting. But I would argue that his presence is not fully experienced, realized or benefited from unless something like Calvin’s supposed quote is practiced.

Let me point you to a book entitled The Council: A Biblical Perspective on Board Governance by Gary G. Hoag et al. This book provides a companion in addition to our professional and administrative practices by answering the question, “Doesn’t our engagement with the Living God matter to how we govern our organizations?”

After a fulsome interaction with scripture the authors present their “4-Discipline Model” which I summarize in the next four paragraphs.

Scripture and silence

Using scripture to open and close meetings is the bare minimum. What about using scripture to frame board training, to speak as prayer during difficult conversations, to inform key topics printed on the agenda, to invite board members to memorize a common passage, and more?

Allow your leadership meetings to have places of silence and listening. “Silence frees us from the need to control others,” wrote Richard Foster. “It makes us feel helpless.” In the most difficult of discussions when there are no easy answers, silence is critical because it creates a reliance on God instead of ourselves. Perhaps develop a practice called “Listening Prayer.”

Sharing and supplication

Every person at the governing table should share their voice. There is no room for dominant voices or an environment that makes people feel like they don’t have the space to add to or challenge an idea. If you are taking time to be silent, coming out of that silence by engaging the voices on the margins becomes not only possible, but critical.

Every process of decision-making should also have a matching supplication plea. Who needs to hear about the decisions? What do we wish for them to know or address? Sometimes only God will hear this supplication, but often members of the community need to hear it too. So, pass the material on to the congregation, prayer teams or other stakeholders to allow them to join the chorus around these challenging topics.

Get serious

Given the “norm” that I see in Christian governing boards, I can almost guarantee you that such behaviours, once adopted, will flame out quickly. So my last suggestion is this: assign someone on your board to monitor and encourage these disciplines. Perhaps write up a task description for such a position. Place it in the Board Manual and vote on who should serve in this role. Recruit leaders who would do the job exceptionally. Get serious about assuring the Holy Spirit’s engagement.