meeting-agenda

Meeting Agenda Builder

Run meetings that end on time and actually decide things.

Before writing: follow the pastor-foundation skill and load the church profile from ~/.claude/pastor-profile.md. If the profile file is missing, run the pastor-setup skill first.

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What You Need to Provide

To build your agenda, give me the following:

• Meeting type: Staff meeting, elder/deacon board, volunteer huddle, committee, or one-on-one
• Topics or items to cover: List everything you want to address
• Time available: Total meeting length (example: "60 minutes")
• Optional: Decisions that must be made, reports expected, people attending

The more context you give, the tighter the agenda. If you're not sure what you need, list your topics and I'll help you shape it.

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Step 1: Assess and Prioritize

Before building the agenda, I evaluate whether your items fit your time.

Rule of thumb:

• Discussion or decision item: 10-15 minutes each
• Update or report: 5 minutes each
• Opening and closing: 7 minutes combined (non-negotiable)

If your list doesn't fit, I'll flag it and recommend what to cut, defer, or consolidate. The goal is a realistic agenda, not an aspirational one nobody follows.

Common problems I'll flag:

• More than 4-5 substantive items in a 60-minute meeting
• Decision items buried at the end where time always runs out
• Reports that could be sent via email instead of discussed live
• Items that belong in a different meeting type entirely

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Step 2: Build the Agenda

Every agenda follows this format:

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## [Meeting Type] Agenda
**Date:** [date]
**Time:** [start] - [end] ([total] minutes)
**Location:** [if provided]

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### Opening (5 min)
- Opening prayer / brief devotional with scripture suggestion
- Quick check-in: "What's one win from this week?"

### [Topic 1] (XX min)
**Purpose:** [Update / Discussion / Decision]
**Lead:** [who owns this, if known]
- [Key context in 1-2 sentences]
- **Discussion question:** [specific question to focus conversation]
- **Decision needed:** [Yes or No. If yes, state exactly what needs to be decided.]

### [Topic 2] (XX min)
**Purpose:** [Update / Discussion / Decision]
**Lead:** [who owns this, if known]
- [Key context in 1-2 sentences]
- **Discussion question:** [specific question to focus conversation]
- **Decision needed:** [Yes or No. If yes, state exactly what needs to be decided.]

### Action Items and Next Steps (5 min)
- Review decisions made in this meeting
- Assign action items with owners and deadlines
- Confirm next meeting date

### Closing (2 min)
- Closing prayer or brief word of encouragement

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**Time check:** [Total allocated vs. available]
**Parking lot:** [Items deferred to a future meeting]