Video Transcript: Skills of a Productive Board Member
Welcome back to the mini course how to be a productive board member. In this session, we're going to talk about the skills of a productive board member. Board members bring to the board their individual strengths and abilities that they contribute to the board and to the ministry. In addition to those innate skills and the knowledge that they bring, there are ministry skills that productive board members develop, that the Lord uses to bring fruit to the board and to their organizational relationships. And in this session, we're going to examine some of these skills. The Ministry skills that we'll discuss here are just really there are portions of two more in depth courses at CLI one titled people smart in ministry, and the other peace smart relationships. And in those courses, these skills that we're going to talk about are covered in greater depth, along with other skills that are helpful in being a productive board member. President Reyenga teaches the people smart course, and of the two, if there's one you can take, take that one as a board member, it will introduce you to some people skills that will enhance your capacity as a board leader, to relate to people, to communicate with people, and to be use a useful Kingdom minister on any board in which you serve. So let's talk about these skills. There are four people smart skills that I'm going to reference, and then four areas from the Peace smart course. The first people smart skill is listening, becoming a better listener helps us as a board member. The temptation as a board member is to want to contribute. It's why you're there. You're on the board because you have something to give, and we want to give it. But the first role for a board member is that of a listener. We want to listen to the president or the CEO of the ministry or the senior pastor. We want to listen to their heart, hear what's going on before we can bring our skills and resources to bear on the situation. It's important for us to understand the situation, and understanding the situation begins with listening. The second skill is knowledge. As we grow in our board experience, we'll recognize that there are areas of knowledge that are essential to be a productive board member on this on this team or on this board, and so seeking out that knowledge is extremely helpful in becoming a productive and contributing board member. Something President Reyenga has always impressed me with is his ability and his thirst for knowledge in areas where he sees the Lord taking the ministry when it began. I remember him taking community college courses to learn HTML coding, how to build websites and all with the vision of creating this ministry, of providing free online ministry training. Now he didn't develop that knowledge with the intent to become a highly skilled programmer, but he took those courses to get a base knowledge of what's required, so that, yes, he could do it if he needed to, but he would be able to talk with those who would eventually do that work with some level of knowledge and competence. Likewise, you and I, whatever those areas of knowledge might be that will enhance our usefulness to the board, the Lord will reveal those to us. But knowledge is the second, people smart skill that helps us to contribute as a
productive board member. The third area is handling disagreement. Every board is going to experience disagreement. You have, usually on most boards, you're going to have highly intelligent people, influential people. These are people that are used to maybe running their own businesses and telling people what to do. And when they come to these board meetings, they bring that with them. And so
from time to time, you'll have disagreements over issues and as a productive board member, being able to channel those disagreements into growth opportunities, both for the organization and in relationships on the board, is a skill that is highly useful on every board, to have that one person, at least one person, on the board, who when disagreements occur, everyone's glad they're on the team, because they are able to shepherd those disagreements in a direction of peace. And the fourth people's people smart skill that I want to mention, is how to run a meeting as the chair, chairperson at Christian leaders, I have learned from President Reyenga how to run meetings. In my previous board experience with other organizations, I've observed others run meetings. I don't consider myself expert at running meetings, but I recognize that it's an area of expertise that can contribute significantly to the health of a board. When you have someone who is running meetings efficiently, who is doing what they laid out in the agenda, they're following the agenda, and all the board members know that what is on the agenda. We're going to get that covered in this meeting, and we're going to cover it efficiently. We're not going to get sidetracked, and I'm going to be this leader is going to be able to keep us on the agenda. It's one of the roles I've learned here at Christian leaders in working with President Reyenga. If you know President Reyenga, he is a man with many gifts, and one of those gifts is new ideas and the ability to see things that other people don't see yet. And so we'll often be in a board meeting and we'll be running through an agenda item, and if that agenda item is a report on ministry activities, it could generate some of these ideas in President Reyenga's mind, and we might start down that rabbit trail of talking about a new ministry opportunity, and at some point, you know, we'll let that conversation go for so long, and then I'll respectfully say, let's get back to the agenda. And President Reyenga, because of our long term relationship, doesn't take that personally. He knows I'm not trying to shut him down. He knows I'm trying to run an efficient meeting. And so we have a healthy relationship in that way. And so recognizing the skills and abilities of the of the management leader and their contributions to they're very central to the to the board and keeping the board cohesive. And so knowing how to run those meetings and interact with that leader in a way that keeps the meeting on agenda and run efficiently, so that when, again, when people are leaving the meeting, they are inspired. Those are the four people, smart skills, listening, knowledge, handling disagreement and running a meeting effectively, the peace smart skills that I want to cover in this session. The first is that the Lord is always at work. Remembering that the Lord is always at work
helps a board member. He keeps them from discouragement, can keep them from disagreement, can keep them in a productive mindset. But the word of God tells us in Psalm 1:21, My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. And in John 5:17, Jesus said, My father has been working until now, and I have been working whatever situation you find yourself in as a board member to remember that the Lord is at work in the situation. Helps us stay focused on the mission. It keeps us from being distracted or getting caught up in things that are crying out for our attention to distract us from mission. So the Lord is always at work. The second thing that a productive board member. Can remember, in the middle of times of conflict, is to is the Lord's calling to pursue peace. In Hebrews 12:14, we read, Pursue peace with all people and holiness without which no one will see the Lord in Romans 14:19, therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. And Romans 12:18, if it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men. The calling to pursue peace is. Is helpful to remember in being a productive board member, every board experiences disagreements. Every board experiences conflict, whether it's internal conflict on the board or whether it's a conflict between management and the board, or whether it's a conflict between the organization and outside audiences, conflict will occur, and pursuing peace is part of the Lord's call on our lives as His people and as a board member, having the gift and of remembering too that the Lord is at work and that he calls us to pursue peace will serve us well in those moments, because rather than pursuing who is right in the moment and arguing and creating division, we pursue the things that make for peace within the context of further discussion about the situation. It's not that we don't care about the truth, and not that we don't pursue the truth and examine the truth and speak the truth in love, but that we, at the same time, are pursuing peace as much as it lies within us. The third peace smart skill, is giving thanks. In I Thessalonians 5:16-19, we read, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ, Jesus, for you do not quench the Spirit. When conflict occurs, the temptation is to look at what's happening in that conflict and focus on that and our attention goes there, and our prayers go there. But when we give thanks in that moment, we take the time to get our eyes off of that conflict and put our eyes on Jesus Christ. By giving thanks, giving thanks causes us to pay attention to the Lord, and we can give thanks that he's at work. We can give thanks that he's called us to pursue peace, and we can ask him, What does he want us to do as his ambassador, as his servant? So remembering that the Lord is at work, that he's called us to pursue peace, and the opportunity to give thanks positions us as a productive board member, to influence the board in a spirit led way the final, peace fire point peace smart point is to stay on mission that when conflict
occurs, the temptation exists to make things personal or take sides. And so every board needs that board member who can keep the board on mission and recognize when a conversation that although it might be a productive conversation, on some level, it's taking the conversation off of the mission of the organization, off of the mission of the board. And so having that skill to bring the conversation back to Mission and to remind the board, Hey, are we getting off mission here? Right? These are the skills of a productive board member. Then there's one other skill that I want to mention, and this one probably more important than all of the others, and that is the skill of being a board member who prays, praying for the ministry, praying for the organization, praying for other board members, praying for the staff of the ministry, praying for the work of the ministry, praying for the donors of the ministry, at Christian leaders. I pray weekly for the for the board, by name for the staff, by name, for our donors, for our students. And we have student groups that I'm familiar with, many of the students at Christian leaders, and I will remember them and give thanks for them by name before the Lord, just remembering them before the Lord, and giving thanks for them, asking for the Lord's blessing on their lives, that his will be accomplished in their lives, that they'd be transformed more and more into His image. What happens when we pray for a ministry? What happens when we pray for the leaders of that ministry? What happens when we pray for the people that we serve together with on a board? Well, when I pray for people, my attitude toward them changes when I see them, I can. Tell them how I'm praying for them, and I want to know how they're doing, because I've been praying for them, and I want to hear what the Lord is doing in their life, what he's doing in their marriage, what he's doing in their work, what's he doing, and those conversations enhance our relationship, and the Lord is at work through those prayers, changing me and influencing the board and the staff and the work of the ministry and the people that We serve. Power of a praying board member cannot be underestimated. Let's review the key points from this session. The skills of a productive board member include the following, stewarding our inherent gifts, knowledge and talents, people, skills like listening and knowledge, handling disagreement and running meetings peace. Skills, remembering that the Lord is always at work that he's called us to pursue peace in the secret of giving thanks and staying on mission and the power of a praying board member, skills of a productive board member that the Lord will use for His glory and for the blessing of his people. Thanks for watching this session. God bless you. We'll see you next time.