LEAVENING YOUR CHURCH MEETINGS-Part 1

1. Administrative/Business Meetings
Many meetings in a church focus on institutional concerns—building maintenance and improvement, job descriptions and hiring decisions, budget line items and stewardship campaigns, recruiting teachers and leaders. Wherever two or three gather in Christ’s name, Christ is present. In the midst of conducting business we can have our eyes open to see the Spirit at work through bricks and mortar, dollar signs and newsprint agendas.

Though opening meetings with prayer can become perfunctory, the opening time can become an opportunity for spiritual nurture. questions can be asked instead of or in addition to prayer. What is the will of God for this group? What gift of today do you bring to this meeting? What people will feel the tender grace of God by our actions in this committee? A time of extended silence is a good way to settle in and make the transition from being scattered to being gathered. Leaders who open the meeting with prayer might try writing their prayers instead praying spontaneously; those who write out their prayers ahead of time might try spontaneous prayers.

Think of other ways you might transform the opening time into a moment of experiencing God’s tender and supporting grace. You could invite members of the committee to prepare a short reflection on scripture. Find a song or chorus that ushers the committee into God’s presence and into a spirit of openness. Look with fresh eyes at the opening.

During the meeting, time for silence or prayer may be appropriate—not to squelch discussions or disagreements but to open group members to the ways of God, who is always working for love in any situation. I can still recall the profound silence and prayer before important votes at many General Conferences. Especially when we seem at a “stuck” point in a committee, silence and prayer can give space for a new-dawning insight.

The close of the meeting is also a time for nurture. You might ask, “How has God been present in our decisions? What signs of joy and hope did you experience?” The close of a meeting is a good time for gratitude-thanking the members for their faithful contributions. When meetings are held in the evening, the closing can be a time for blessing prayer. “Blessed are you, Loving God, for you hold us with tender care and watch over us as we rest.” Again, singing can be a way of closing and sending forth into the world.

Heart and Soul: a guide for Spiritual Formation in the Local Church
Larry J. Peacock Upper Room Books