Video Transcript: Launching a Board

Hi everybody. Welcome back. This is Dr, Hunt again, and we're still in the midst  of learning how to develop a ministry board. Last time we looked at phase one  of how to develop a ministry board, that was creation in terms of defining what  your vision, your mission, your goals, your values are talking about doing a  needs assessment, talking about how to create a staff or create excitement,  getting the right people on board that have the same enthusiasm for this work,  this ministry that you have. So that is phase one. Phase one was creation.  That's a phase that you'll probably go back to as you adjust. You make some  adjustments to that, but that leads us into today's topic of how to develop a  ministry board. We're in phase two, and in phase two we're going to be looking  at launch launch. Sounds like I said lunch, but it's launch launch. So you're lifting off, so to speak. And this is the period when you begin to implement those, those action steps, the things that you talked about in phase one, in the creation  stage, you begin to make those concrete and tangible and real. And so those  are things about hiring the staff, or the CEO, the executive director, or the  ministry director. So you're beginning to go forward in the work. That's the  launch. You have to have that. And then you look at the programs that you're  going to offer, the programs you're going to offer, or the products that you're  going to offer, and make sure that these are the things that you gather and that  you gain from the intelligence that you have, from doing assessment of the  community, of the stakeholders, to make sure that you're going in the right  direction, that you're not aiming for something that is out of bounds. So again,  that's the creation that the launch is really articulating. It's really acting upon  those steps that you talked about in phase one. So hiring staff, making sure you  have the right programs, and this is a time when we are iron out those  operational details and look at some issues, because there's going to be hiccups along the way as you develop your ministry and develop your ministry board.  And so this is a time to work those things out, and this is also the time when you continue to network with the stakeholders and with the communities to make  sure that they know that you're coming out with this ministry, and that is to serve  them, and that you're going to need their help to be successful. Additionally, this  is the time when the board develops policies. See, the board is responsible for  governance. In other words, it develops the policies under which the ministry  operates. But the staff, the operational body of the organization or the ministry,  they are responsible for the procedure. So they work together. The Board does  the policies and the staff, or those who are working out in the field. They develop the procedures, and those things work together. But the policies are the overall  body of how we're going to do things, not so much how we're going to do things, the rules under which we exist, so to speak, the guidelines and the boundaries,  but the procedures are how we're going to accomplish our mission. So that's  what we want to do. So that's a that's a key part of Phase Two in the launch.  And then lastly is establishing the tone or culture, the atmosphere. How are you 

going to communicate with one another? Is, how is the board chair and how are  the executive director or the ministry director going to communicate? How do  you communicate with staff? What is the flavor, what is the environment, and is  there a two way communication environment for this organization, for this  ministry? So you establish the tone, how you're going to communicate, what  you're going to communicate, when you're going to communicate in the  atmosphere, the tone, the spirit, I should say, of how you communicate. So  that's board development phase two, the launch. The launch is that period when you begin to take action on those things you talked about in the first phase, you  begin to document what it is that you're trying to do. You hire the staff, you make sure that you have the right programs and products. You make sure that you  have addressed any issues or problems that come up, and you make sure that  you're also engaging and networking with stakeholders and with the community  about what you're getting ready to introduce into the community. And this is also  the time when you develop the organizational policies and the procedures.  Remember, policies are really the purview of the board and the procedures are  the purview of the staff. And then lastly, how are you going to communicate  organizationally or ministerially? How are you going to communicate the way  that respects and supports one another while we're achieving the goal? So  that's board development phase two. That's the launch. So I hope that this has  been helpful, and I hope you'll join me for board development phase three, so  until we meet again, God bless.