Why Your Church Meetings Aren’t Working—And How to Fix Them in 30 Days

How did your last Leadership Team or Church Board meeting go?

Did you sit around a table listening to reports about things that already happened—budgets spent, projects completed, money that’s no longer in the account? How was your stress level before the meeting… and how much worse was it afterward?

Now picture something different.

Imagine every report—financial, trustees, ministry teams—was written, emailed, and read before anyone stepped into the room. Instead of spending half the meeting reviewing old business, your leaders came prepared to discuss one central question:

“How does what we’re planning help our church live out our One Excellent Mission of making disciples?”

Suddenly, the meeting sounds different:

• The Trustees Report isn’t just about concrete and carpet—it’s about how the new entrance ramp now allows seniors and people with mobility challenges to worship with the congregation. The team is exploring a partnership with a nearby senior living center to bus residents to church each Sunday.

• The Hospitality Team shares excitement about an upcoming community tailgate in the fellowship hall. Signs are posted around town, free hot dogs and hamburgers are being donated, and they’re praying this opens the door for families who might never walk into a traditional church service.

• The Mission Team celebrates that their project to build a bathroom for a widowed neighbor is on schedule—and that a local lumberyard donated most of the materials. They talk about how this act of love is already opening doors for Gospel conversations.

• The Youth Pastor shares that a new college small group has launched in a student’s apartment, and eight young adults now gather weekly to study Scripture and grow together.

Feel the difference?

That kind of meeting is energizing. It builds faith. It keeps the church’s eyes fixed on mission, not maintenance. It reminds your leaders why they serve in the first place.

Take a look at the minutes from your last few meetings. Were they truly focused on making disciples—or were you simply keeping the organizational machinery running?

If you want to shift your meetings from stress-filled to Christ-filled, here are three things you can do this month.

Three Ways to Transform Your Meetings This Month

1. Require Written Reports Before the Meeting

Ask every ministry leader to submit a written report at least 48 hours before the meeting. This frees the gathering from endless updates and allows leaders to come prepared to ask questions and focus on forward-looking discussion.

Win: More time for discipleship-driven conversation.

2. Start Every Meeting With a “Mission Story”

Begin with a five-minute testimony from a ministry leader about where they’ve seen God at work—someone served, a prayer answered, a new relationship formed, a next step taken.

Win: Sets the tone, raises faith, and reminds everyone why you exist.

3. Make the Mission the Filter for Every Agenda Item

Rewrite your agenda so each item must answer the question:

“How does this help us fulfill our One Excellent Mission?”

If something doesn’t pass the test, it gets reframed, postponed, or removed entirely.

Win: Meetings become alignment conversations, not maintenance reviews.

If you begin practicing these three steps this month, your meetings will shift from draining to inspiring—because they will once again serve the purpose they were always meant to serve: equipping your leaders to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

If this article encouraged you or gave you a fresh way to think about leading your church, I’d love to stay connected. You can follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ItsTimeSam, join my Facebook group Leadership Edge for Smaller Churches, or connect with me on X at @ItsTimeSam. You can also find more free resources, weekly articles, and information about my coaching and consulting work at smallchurchcoaching.com.

If you found this helpful, would you take a moment to share it on your social feeds? Your share might be exactly the encouragement another pastor or church leader needs today. Let’s keep helping churches live out their One Excellent Mission—together.