days before the meeting, to be read and digested. If questions arise, an elder often phones the report writer to get clarification. Once the group assembles, it doesn’t have to spend time informing and describing—it can get right to deciding. For example, a multi-page report on an upcoming vacation Bible school outlined many specifics: staffing, dates and times, materials needed, budget. The actual board meeting time required for a decision was “about 45 seconds,” Martin says. If the group had tried