“What meeting?”

1. “What meeting?”

2. Chairing a meeting: Some First Steps

3. Purpose: Why are you meeting? • Clarity about the aim of the meeting • Consult with Secretary • Stay on course

5. Stay on course

6. Purpose: • Clarity about the aim of the meeting • Consult with Secretary • Stay on course • Focus on decisions needed

7. Focus on decisions

8. Preparation

9. Prayer

10. Preparation • Prayer • Venue, layout, equipment (back up?) • Agenda lead time, theme/structure, and timing of items. Deemed items.

11. The Structure of a Meeting

12. Preparation • Prayer • Venue, layout, equipment (back up?) • Agenda lead time, theme/structure, and timing of items • How do items get onto the agenda?

13. Cover Paper for Agenda Items

14. Preparation • Prayer • Venue, layout, equipment (back up?) • Agenda lead time, theme/structure, and timing of items • How do items get onto the agenda? • AOB • Matters arising

15. Preparation • Prayer • Venue, layout, equipment (back up?) • Agenda lead time, theme/structure, and timing of items • How do items get onto the agenda?/AOB/Matters arising • Start on time, agree other ground rules • Summarise, action points, and who? • Finish on time

16. Pilot

17. Skills needed……

18. Skills • Understand topic(s) • Know the members, involve them all

19. Getting to know colleagues

20. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole. 1 Corinithians 12

21. Skills (2) • Understand topic(s) • Know the members, involve them all • Incubation time for thinking • Appropriate use of authority • Active listening • Reaching decisions

22. Taking difficult decisions

23. When things get heated….

24. Listening?

25. Skills (3) • Understand topic(s) • Know the members, involve them all • Incubation time for thinking • Appropriate use of authority • Active listening • Reaching decisions • Impartiality • Summing up • Follow up, including working outside the meeting

26. Follow up • Approve minutes swiftly • Chairperson’s Action Points arising? • Holding file for next meeting • Any 1-2-1 meetings needed? • Agree dates for the next year

27. Evaluating Options and Priorities

28. So! What have we learnt?

29. Questions?

30. Confidentiality • Agenda item: To hear a report from the local ministry team. • Claire and Simon are trained in bereavement visiting and have been authorised in this pastoral work. Their ministry is greatly appreciated. • Colin, eager to help, has also visited the recently bereaved announcing he is ‘from the church’. But Colin hasn’t been trained and has upset some of the people he has visited causing ill-will towards the church. • The discussion is heated. Some think a quiet apology should suffice with Colin receiving training as quickly as possible. Others feel that Colin is not right for this ministry and should be told to stop. During the discussion names and personal details are mentioned. • As chair how would you handle this discussion? • As secretary how would you minute it?

31. Emergency meetings • A motorcyclist has written to the PCC about a large branch from a tree in the churchyard is hanging dangerously low over the road and he had to swerve across the oncoming traffic to avoid it. • He is concerned that it may cause an accident unless it was removed. • The next PCC meeting is 6 weeks away. • As secretary how would you go about convening an emergency meeting? • How should you proceed if less than 50% of the PCC is available to attend the meeting?

32. Attendance and Membership • The PCC has the maximum 15 lay members. One member however, Nigel, seldom attends meetings and contributes little to the activities and mission of the church. He insists he will remain on the PCC for the 18 months remaining of his term. • This is causing bad feeling among other PCC members especially as Tom and Nicola who moved to the parish 18 months ago, are already active members of the church, and are keen to join the PCC. However, there are no vacancies. • Can Nigel be removed from the PCC? • As secretary how would you go about ensuring regular attendance of members? • How could Tom & Nicola join the PCC?

33. Discussing items not on the agenda • Agenda item: AOB • Historically your PCC has always had ‘AOB’ as a standing agenda item. This is usually used to pass on small pieces of information that have come in recently. • However, there is one person who tends to use this as an opportunity to spring surprise items on to the rest of the PCC, including the chair. This prolongs the meeting and allows this person to dominate the discussion. • As chair how would you approach this issue? • As secretary what can you do to prevent this happening?