Overview: Decision-Making Framework
Status
Implementation status: Approved by Servants Council
Date: 2026-05-30
What’s in this book
- Decision-Making Framework — April 2026 — the full document. Purpose, guiding principles, authority map, four domain threshold tables (financial / personnel / ministry / facility), eight escalation triggers, and day-to-day use.
- Quick Reference Card — April 2026 — one-page companion for staff, board members, and trustees. The four-question check, financial tiers, domain summaries, and escalation triggers on one screen.
- Overview (this page) — status, principle, Mayflower’s practice, references, open questions.
Principle (from Streamline)
Lukaszewski’s principle: decisions should be made at the lowest appropriate level, with clear thresholds that escalate to boards only when warranted. Clarity about who decides what removes bottlenecks and prevents overreach. At Mayflower, this is shaped further by our bylaws’ plural-governance commitments — the boards of Elders, Deacons, Trustees, and Finance each carry real authority within their domain, coordinated by the Servants Council.
Mayflower’s Current Practice
The Framework document above is Mayflower’s practice as of April 2026. It does not create new authority: every line either restates a bylaw provision or proposes a working policy (marked PROPOSED) for the Servants Council to adopt under its coordinating authority. Where the framework conflicts with the bylaws, the bylaws govern. The Servants Council reviews the framework annually at its January meeting and whenever any bylaw is amended.
Governance & Document References
- Mayflower Constitution and Bylaws (Article II.A and II.B)
- Streamline: Healthy Church Systems — Lukaszewski (ch. 6–8, 10–13)
- The Guide to Healthy Church Operations — Ministry Brands
- Non-Pastoral Staff Hiring SOP (April 2026) — the hiring process referenced in tier P-3
- Event Evaluation Process and Event Debrief Template — supporting tiers M-2 and M-3
Open Questions
- Should tier F-2 (‘$250–1,500’) require two signatures at a lower threshold than $750? Board chairs to weigh in at the May Servants Council.
- Who holds the “house decision” when more than one board is equally affected and no obvious lead emerges (M-5 cross-board initiatives)? The framework defaults to Servants Council; that may need revisiting after a year of practice.
- Does the quick-card version need a printed copy in each board’s meeting binder? Recommended yes; confirm at May Servants Council.
Page template: Principle + Mayflower Practice. Part of The Streamline Admin System, adapted from Michael Lukaszewski’s Streamline: How To Create Healthy Church Systems.