The advisory board of a church sets policies, oversee the church’s finances, reviews and approves the church’s annual operating budget and weighs in on church activities, such as youth group activities and member outings. As the secretary of the church advisory board, you may have several duties, depending on the church and the advisory board’s needs.

Advisory Board

The advisory board of a church is voted into place by the congregation, has no legal authority over the church and can consist of members from inside and outside of the church. The advisory board of the Compassion Coalition in Knoxville, Tennessee for example is comprised of religious leaders from other denominations in the city. The advisory board usually works in concert with church officials. The pastor of a church is usually not a member of the advisory board, since the board usually decides how much compensation to offer the pastor and evaluations.

Minutes

As the church advisory board’s secretary, you are primarily responsible for taking minutes at meetings, reading these minutes at subsequent advisory board meetings and making sure that members of the advisory board get copies of the minutes from each meeting. Meeting minutes include a list of business that the advisory board discussed and information about any decisions the board made.

Voting Privileges

As the board secretary, you may or may not be able to vote on church business, depending on the church. If you do not have voting privileges, you may be able to offer an opinion during meetings, if the advisory board chairperson lets you do so. For example ,an advisory board may vote on how to direct church monies or how much to pay its religious leaders.

Other Duties

In addition to your minute-taking and participation duties, you may be responsible for arranging meetings and letting advisory board members know when and where to meet. In this role, you may also act as a liaison between the advisory board and other church boards and committees. You may also be responsible for other administrative duties related to the board or to the church. The advisory board secretary of the Alabama South District Church of the Nazarene for example works closely with the church pastor, which is separate from her board responsibilities.