Developing the Confidence and Competencies of Church Board Chairs: Designing, Facilitating and Evaluating a Training Course to Develop Church Board Chairs for Effective Leadership in Their Local Churches

Abstract

Comparatively little focus has been placed on the leadership development of church board chairpersons. This thesis reports the findings from a six-month training course delivered to a group of church board chairpersons in the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada (EMCC). The course was designed to increase participant awareness of the Chair's responsibilities and the skills necessary to effectively fulfill the role. The course was delivered in such a way to foster peer interaction and build Chair self-confidence. The helpfulness of the course, as well as the perceived effect the course had on participants, was evaluated by the participants themselves and their fellow board members. Two board governance experts reviewed the course curriculum and provided an evaluation. This thesis includes a theological foundation for Chair leadership in the church as well as a review of the precedent literature on the role of the Chair. The project was designed utilizing the concepts of action research. Data was collected through personal interviews, self-assessments, peer assessments from board members, participant journals and an expert panel curriculum review. The data was evaluated and findings are presented in this thesis, with reflections for further research in this area. The course curriculum and the pedagogy were both found to be effective in building self confidence and in increasing self-awareness in the participants.