Moral Governance

Professor:  Sarah Sumner, Ph.D., MBA 

Course Duration:  Friday, February 28 – Friday, April 5, 2020

Weekend Intensive:  Friday, February 28 @ 2:00 – 5:00 pm PST and Saturday, February 29 @ 6:30 am – 2:30 pm PST

Online Discussions (Sundays, 3:45 - 5:30 pm PST):  March 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5

EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT ENDS - $25 OFF TUITION: Friday, February 21 at 12 pm PST (Students who pay after February 21 must pay the full course tuition, $350) 

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This course is designed to train board members to govern Christian organizations,  including local churches and nonprofits.  To govern an organization is to shape that organization by encoding the DNA of how that organization gets things done.  Although many board members are sacrificial givers who seek to help the ministry succeed,  few understand how much power and influence they have to make a vital difference on the board.  While most seem to see their board position as high ranked, they do not ordinarily see what they, as directors, can do to make the organization great.  To govern is to oversee by keeping the organization on mission.  To govern Christianly is to call the organization upwards to Christ so that every worker in it is personally empowered and institutionally guarded by life-giving policies that protect individuals and glorify God.   Whether you are a current board member, an emerging board member, a church elder, or a consultant for faith-based entities that profess to be Christian, this course has valuable content and practicums for you.  

Guiding Questions:

• What is godly governance?   Do you have to be a Christian to be a good board member? 
• How much “skin in the game” should Christian board members have in their capacity as directors? 
• What does a good policy look like?  How do policies shape the culture of organizations?
• What are the common pitfalls that church elders and Christian board members get caught in? 
• What are the best ways to hold board members accountable in Christian organizations and churches?