Boards at Calvary Chapels
Calvary Chapels have a Board of Directors. For the most telling insight into the views of Calvary Chapel about Boards of Directors, read the booklet, The Philosophy of Ministry of Calvary Chapel (PMCC), ©1992 Logos Media Group, All Rights Reserved, by Chuck Smith. Most of the quotes in this section are from the booklet.
Why Does Calvary Chapel Have A Board At All?
Most states have laws that require non-profit organizations (including churches) to have boards. These boards are intended by the state to provide oversight over the ministry since the state incorporates the ministry as a non-profit corporation for tax purposes. Most Calvary Chapel's have Boards of Directors only because the law requires it.
Does Chuck Smith Recommend That All CC's Have a Board?
Yes, in PMCC, page 27, Smith wrote:
It has a very important function, and every church, I believe, as soon as they have qualified men, need to appoint a board to oversee the operations and spending and to make the decisions that must be made.
Note the gender - men. In Calvary Chapel women have no place in leadership.
How Are Board Members Picked?
Initially, they are hand picked by the pastor. From the PMCC booklet, page 25:
Whenever we are looking for new board members, I always look in the Saturday night prayer meeting for men who have prayed with me for years. I can trust them.
How Long Do The Board Members Serve?
It is recommended that they be appointed for a limited term of time. This way they can be replaced in the future if they "don't work out".
Who Is In Charge, the Board or the Pastor?
Ultimately, the Pastor is over the Board of Directors. The pastor is the head of the Board. The following story is from PMCC, page 25-26, Smith illustrates our point extremely well:
The man who was in charge of the Korean fellowship at our church is a medical doctor. He did not get any salary for his ministry to the Koreans. He makes his living as a pediatrician and an allergist. The Korean fellowship was growing quite large, so they said "We really need to get a board established for the Korean fellowship." So, the man appointed board members and asked me to come to the service that I might lay hands on these men that he had chosen for his board, and I did, The very same week that we laid hands on these men and prayed for them and appointed them as board members, they had a meeting and asked the pastor to resign. They said, "Either give up your medical practice or resign as the pastor. We feel that we need a full-time pastor and your medical practice is taking you from your ministry here." The man was devastated; he didn't know what to do. So he asked me what I thought. I said, "Fire the board. God has called you to pastor that fellowship; the board didn't call you to pastor it. Let them go." So we ordained them in one week and defrocked them the next.
This creates a dangerous precedence. Subsequent boards have this sword hanging over their heads. If they go too far, they can be terminated. The person with the power to fire is the boss. The person without power is the one that gets fired.
What Purpose Does The Board Serve?
The Board serves the purpose of "spiritual scapegoat." This is illustrated in the PMCC booklet on page 26.
On the other hand you need a board of dependable men for your protection because there are decisions that must be made that are not going to be accepted by everyone, decisions that will create divisions among the body if you make them yourself.
And from PMCC page 27:
So, the board is there as a protection for the pastor, a buffer to stand between you and the people when difficult decisions are made that are not always acceptable or agreeable to the entire body.
The pastor at will can fire the board of directors. Further, from these quotes we can see that the board is used as a scapegoat by the pastor to implement unpopular decisions. The pastor can then blame the board members for his decision. He can say that the board made the decision and put off any blame from him.
Do Board Run Churches Result in Pastors being hirelings?
In Calvary Chapel the pastor is not a hireling. There are many churches in which the pastor is a hireling. He is hired by the board and can be fired by the board. He becomes a hireling and he’s totally responsible to the wishes of the board as they govern the church.
Chuck is wrong here because he does not understand the board structure of a typical congregational polity church. Boards do not fire pastors in most churches. Boards may recommend that pastors be fired and most people probably go along with the boards but boards are not the ones who fire pastors. It’s usually a congregational vote that fires pastors.
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