John Carver on Governance

The concept of policy governance was developed as a model for non-profit management by John Carver. He is considered the expert and has an active consultancy assisting non-profits in realigning their governance structures to alignment with the principles he has developed. Carver's framework has been a touchstone for the SGT as we considered the organizational challenges that First Parish faces in effectively managing its membership growth over the next several years.

The following is from his presentation at the UU General Assembly in 2000.

Ends and means: Nurturing the relationship between a congregation and its governing body

All congregations have some kind of governing body. In some denominations, it is called a board, in some a council, in some a session... The relationship between a church congregation and its board may be the most unexplored relationship in church life. At the same time, it is one bursting with possibilities for enrichment...

Some years ago I developed a radically new framework for any board's job, an approach I call the Policy Governance model. The model calls upon boards to make a simple but unaccustomed distinction between two kinds of decisions, ones I refer to as "ends" and "means."

Ends decisions address what benefit will come to pass for whom, and the worth or cost of that benefit. For example, an ends issue might be the relative cost or value of shelter for the homeless, reduction in teen pregnancy, or effects on the religious life of the community. Ends relate not to what we will be doing, but to the difference we intend to make in people's lives. Ends get right to the heart of why a congregation exists. Their broadest expression might be in a mission statement. Means, on the other hand, include practices, methods, conduct, and other activities done as people pursue those all-important ends. Just as the congregation entrusts an important task to the board, so the board then delegates to the minister and perhaps to others.

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