Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

I braved the question: How was the meeting?

I feared the typical forlorn answer. Frustrating. Long. Circular. Without direction.
This particular committee was causing consternation, and I knew he was starting to dread the meetings.

This time, his answer surprised me. We laughed.

This church committee didn’t agree on everything. They circled back on some decisions, as they’d done before. Fear of change kept the group from being bold in some places.

But they laughed together. And that was huge progress.

I remembered again how laughter can be a bridge. Sharing a light moment can transform a meeting. When we’re to laugh together, we can’t help but feel more like a team united around a common cause instead of enemy combatants, each with our own objective. 

There’s an important caveat here, one that I admittedly have trouble with. Sometimes serious matters need serious discussion. Sometimes a meeting or group needs the tension so people can weigh actions and consequences. Sometimes laughter can be an easy out. And we need to consider if our jokes are a way to avoid significant issues. 

But aside from those rare occasions, I’m a believer in the power of laughter to make our meetings more productive and our committees into a team. 

In your church meetings, how often do you laugh? Are vestry meetings the equivalent of a root canal? Do you feel the need to don a bulletproof vest before the finance committee? Do you fake a cold to skip out on an Episcopal Church Women gathering? 

Try adding some laughter to the gathering. If humor isn’t your forte, bring a funny meme from Facebook, talk about the hilarious interview from Jon Stewart, or go old-school and recount Letterman’s Top Ten. 

I’m not suggesting making joke-telling an agenda item, but if it’s not a part of any of your church meetings, then that’s no laughing matter.