I live in the non-profit space. As a pastor in the Baptist tribe, boards are an essential part of our means of organizational accountability. Over more than two decades, I have served on innumerable boards in different contexts. Each one of them important.
In church life (since that is my primary space) boards can have a couple of different compositions. I knew a post-secondary educational institution once where the President told me that he liked to hand select his Board. Over decades of leading his institution, he had learned that if he could shape the Board, then he had “more fun” at meetings and met limited resistance. I have also served on Boards that had “that guy” (or perhaps two of them) who made the experience feel like the Salem witch trials or testifying before Congress! These zealous Board members would dig into the most minute details like forensic investigators…or just use their allotted time to “set up” their question, giving their leader only moments to reply with a Yes or No answer. Can I just say…the world needs less speeches.
I am also painfully aware and a bit embarrassed when news breaks about some failure in an institution and the public cries foul and demands that “someone” do something! The implication is almost always that the Board system has failed so there needs to be some higher accountability to appeal to. In some cases, the Board has failed; however, this does not mean the system is bad, only that the Board did not do its job. Boards work…when they do.
Being an effective Board is work. No one serves a greater purpose by rubber stamping their executive or principal leader. When Boards work, they are a source of confidence for the general people, a source of accountability for the organization, and a source of encouragement for the principal.
The Board as a Source of Confidence
One of the most profound leadership stories in the Scriptures is of Nehemiah. He had a moment of enlightenment and inspiration from the Lord. He had authority from the king to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Even with these things, he had a task to accomplish and would need to lead people to undertake it. The people did not know him and, I believe, would have been less than excited to hear that this stranger would not lead them astray in his call to rebuild a wall in an occupied nation (tantamount to a declaration of rebellion). However, when Nehemiah had developed the plan, he sought out leaders that the people did know, that the already trusted and led them, that they might lead their people.
Nehemiah 2:17–18 (NASB95)
17Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.”
18I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work.
In a contemporary application, the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) is structured with its entities functioning as independent and autonomous organizations. They are only accountable to their Boards which are selected by the representatives (Messengers) of the Convention churches in a two-day meeting every year. Individual churches and church members have no direct controlling interest in these entities. They cannot demand policies or processes reflect some novel, even if amazing idea. However, Boards absolutely can and must. The “people” place their trust in these Boards to oversee the people’s interests. This provides confidence for the people, knowing that the Board is overseeing the work. Boards work…when they do. It should also probably be said that Boards can be a source of consternation for some people, those vested and otherwise in the organization. Our culture has become accustomed to populist thinking and protest influenced. If you have a big enough megaphone or can motivate a crowd you can accomplish a lot in our current cultural context. You SHOULD NOT be able to redirect a working Board. The Board is the source of confidence, and a good Board can only be that source when it has the resolve to lead. It should listen to voices, but they are not a constituency. Boards are often not representative democracies. They are leaders, with judgment, that will make decisions in the best interest of the organization and greater community and influence principal leaders to carry out that task. Boards work…when they do.
The Board as a Source of Accountability
Boards provide necessary accountability to an organization. Lord Acton reminds, “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”[i] Every leader needs accountability to keep from going “off the rails.” A rubber-stamping board is more akin to a group of friends at a barbecue or a doctor that fills requested prescriptions without ever taking a patient’s vitals. If my doctor gave me what I often wanted, I would have a prescription in hand for steak three meals a day and a note exempting me from exercise. He or she would also not be a very good doctor. A working Board asks important questions in the right spirit. It does not get into the weedy details of purchase requests for office supplies. That’s the work of the principal leader. If the Board is required to micromanage each minute detail of the operation, the executive is unnecessary. However, the Board should not just see itself as the nodding and smiling affirmer of everything the executive introduces. The Board discerns if the initiatives lead toward accomplishing organizational objectives or represent sideways energy. The Board looks at potential hotspots of contention such as financial propriety. This gives accountability to the people and offers protection for the principal leader, guarding both. The Board is the failsafe of the organization.
The principal of accountability can be seen throughout Scripture, but none so clear as the interactions of the Apostle Paul with the church at Antioch and Jerusalem. In matters of doctrine, we see Paul pleading his case before the church elders (think Board) in Acts 15:1-29. We also see a demonstrated accountability to the church that sent Paul on his missionary endeavors as he returned to report all that had occurred during his mission.
Acts 14:26–28 (NASB95)
26From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished.
27When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
28And they spent a long time with the disciples.
Great leaders recognize the siren song of unchecked power. They seek to guard their own reputation and effectiveness in such a way that they invite appropriate accountability. Great leaders need working Boards because Boards work…when they do.
Leading is not for wimps. Leadership requires building relationships and making decisions that may place those relationships in jeopardy. Still, an executive has a fiduciary responsibility to fulfill the task of leading an organization to accomplish its stated mission. Any other accomplishment, no matter how lofty, is a poor substitute for fidelity to mission. This is HARD WORK. There are times as a principal leader (the Senior Pastor of a dynamic pastoral team) that I must throttle back on the creativity of my fellow pastors. These are my brothers. They are my equals in calling and value and often are more gifted in many of the functions of shepherding a church than I am. Still, I must disappoint them at times to faithfully discharge my duties. I also must “coach up” members of the team from time to time. They may have gotten trapped in the rough, giving undue attention to sideways energy. They may be fatigued or be sensing a calling to a new field of ministry. They may not be getting it done. Confronting and calling for change in their areas of ministry in one of my responsibilities. To faithfully fulfill my ministry, I must do this. And it is hard. This is only dealing with the relational dynamic which is one of many pressures on an executive. There is financial pressure, cultural perspective, spiritual health, internal desires- good and bad, and a plethora of other tensions to leading. But this is what leadership is…leading! If a leader grows weary or loses his passion to lead in these things, he should “hang up his spurs” and go sell ice cream. Everyone loves the ice cream guy!
One other pressure is that of a desire to avoid failure. In more than twenty years of pastoring people, and over thirty years of leading in varying contexts, it seems that the margin for error has grown increasingly thin. With public criticism of social media alone, it only takes one missed step on an initiative to feel like you were just lost the world series on a bad pitch. Competition has always been tough in every industry, but it seems that the increased rate of change and increased noise levels of keyboard critics can end a career or stifle effectiveness like never before. This can cause, among many leaders, a paralysis of analysis. The leader doesn’t want to make a bad decision, so he withholds making good ones also. This abdication of responsibility is unacceptable even if increasingly common.
Under these pressures a Board can be a great source of encouragement. First, they can be a source of affirmation. Sometimes you just need people to tell you that you did well even if it was a wild pitch that cost a single game. One game is often not the entire season. Additionally, a qualified and working Board can help check initiatives in their own hearts. The writer of Proverbs says this about wise counselors:
Proverbs 15:22 (NASB95)
22Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.
Principal leaders should rightly see a Board as an asset to help them execute at a higher level. God said it works that way. Put qualified and called people on a Board and let them be the source of help to execute better. Many of them have led at high levels, even if in other industries. Leadership has many common characteristics. If they fulfill their task, these Board members will be an invaluable source of encourage to the executive. Good leaders know that they are not the absolute best at all areas. In fact, a great Army General who prosecuted our nation’s agenda in war once said to a group of junior leaders that I was in, “You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. Just surround yourself with them.” This level of self-awareness and fidelity to mission is what made this General legendary in his leadership. Boards are often that source of wisdom. Trust them as a help and do not view them as a hindrance. Boards work…when they do.
Concluding thoughts
If you are a member of a Board…do your job. People count on you. You are what gives confidence to the system. Sometimes I will return from a long Board meeting and my wife will ask if we did anything great. Often it is hard to say yes when it seems I only listened to an abundance of presentations and reviewed a plethora of spreadsheets. But, when properly understood, the answer is always yes! I often reply, “We made a difference in the sense that if we were not there, the system would fall apart because the people (or for you: shareholders, stakeholders, and participants) count on us to make sure the organization is progressing.
If you are responsible for selecting a Board, do not simply look for a pulse and consider filling a spot to be a victory. Boards are not primarily about identity representation. They are not about prestige. They are not quarterly junk-its and resume bullets. Boards are confidence builders, accountability providers, and sources of encouragement. Fill spots with these people. Then trust the people you placed in those spots.
If you are an executive, do not miss the opportunity to become better. Don’t try to stack the Board with your people. You are cutting off your own feet. Embrace the accountability. Everyone flosses their teeth better when you have an upcoming dental appointment. Everyone checks the scales when they know summer bathing suit weather is coming. Every leader leads better when he knows that the Board will ask.
Finally, trust the Board and ignore the clamor for popular accountability. The masses of people will always be curious. They will always have opinions. Boards are leaders. They are not the primary leader by design; however, they must lead. So, lead. And encourage. Have your executive’s back. Call him to account in private and leave it there or make a summary statement to the public that encourages confidence and encourages the executive that every missed pitch doesn’t make the five o’clock news. That kind of pressure can rattle even the best leaders.
Hey Pastor! I was reading something online the other day and did you know that…
Probably every week I hear some version of this. I don’t think it is going to stop. The fact is, we live in an information saturated world where anyone and seemingly everyone has something to say. So, how do I know what is reliable?
Even as it relates to media that has generally been held to be reliable in the past, how can we be cautious and discerning Bible Studies, Preacher’s Sermons, Commentaries, Books and other resources?
The truth is, the “old ways” of vetting information are no longer reliable. You once could look at a store, or a publisher, or a video broadcast as somewhat reliable or at least you could identify a stream of thought by who they were. Certain stores avoided the sale of some material; certain publishers only focused on a particular set of guiding principles etc. The very public nature of a church’s ministry spoke into the credibility of the speaker because of the attention given to it by others.
Today, with the rise of self-publishing, the ubiquitous access to platforms like YouTube and other social media sites (including the one you are viewing this article on), and with the affordability of recording and publishing equipment, nearly anyone can have a broadcast, publish a book, or gather a following. A relatively unknown person somewhere in small-town America may never have been heard of before, but today can reach thousands in an essentially limitless number of places.
To further complicate the process, messages can easily be clipped and shared by millions of people that in years past, would have been inherently more difficult. So, how can we have confidence in what we are reading, and what cautions should we consider in our diet of information in the present era? Great questions and the answers are more based in principle and the wisdom of practice than in some concrete formula.
Principle #1- Just because you read it first, does not make it authoritative.
The first to speak in court sounds right— until the cross-examination begins.
Proverbs 18:17 (NLT)
There is almost always a passionate opposing view to whatever you read, so take time to listen to contrary voices.
Principle #2- Hold claims lightly until you verify them.
And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
Acts 17:11 (NLT)
Of course, the weightiness of the subject determines the amount of homework you put into the fact-checking. You likely would not just start a new and emerging medical treatment without a little research. How much more important is it to vet the information we put into our minds?
So, here are a few practices I use when vetting information.
Read the Introduction. Authors often tell you what they plan to say and why they think it is important in their introduction. When I know where they are coming from, I can prepare myself for the information.
Research the author on the Internet. I’m skeptical about medical advice from professional athletes, relationship advice from people too young to marry, financial guidance from people who do not work for a living, and theological advice from people who have not demonstrated some level of mastery of the subject. A quick google search can often give you a resume or a CV from a potential source.
Take time to assess doctrine. Our spiritual beliefs affect everything. Everything. Everything. So, I like to know where someone is coming from. Who are you reading? Where did you study? Where do you attend church? What does your church believe…both confessionally and practically?
Hold what you hear loosely until you verify it. This doesn’t mean you interrogate every person and react skeptically about every fact; however, if you don’t know the author well or are not well-versed in the subject, it is important to double check what was said before you adjust your life to it. (See Deuteronomy 17:6 and 2 Corinthians 13:1)
Pray. God wants you to get it right too. So ask Him. (James 1:5)
Listen to the little voice inside. This is not in itself authoritative, but if you have questions in your mind, don’t discount them. Listen and look more diligently.
Look for outcomes when discerning motives. Ask: “If the author is right, does his assertion lead me to a better understanding and reliance on orthodox beliefs? Does the thesis or outcome strengthen faith in and reliance on orthodoxy?
Consider how this affects God’s glory. Does this assertion glorify God as He is revealed?
Consider claims in light of Scripture. Does the claim conflict with the Scriptures? If you’re reading something that clearly conflicts with the Scripture or seems to explain away the Scriptures by some theological gymnastics, you should probably just move on to some other source.
Two other practices that prove helpful to others in light of your own sharing of information.
Beware of lending your credibility to an unknown entity. (I’ve been embarrassed or burned many times in recommending resources (Books, Podcasts, forwarded internet article) without thoroughly vetting them. Just know that you will be painted with the brush that others paint the source with.
Take responsibility for teaching your tribe to do this as well. Teaching and modeling for our families how to discern is important. Helping those we influence develop a filter to examine information is even more essential that filling their heads with right information. After all, if we wrestle with discernment, given our age and wisdom, how will our children and grandchildren navigate the world they are experiencing and will lie ahead?
Hope it is useful in some ways as we navigate the forest of information together.
22The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22–23 (NASB95)
I have been thinking on this word translated lovingkindness for several days. It is translated elsewhere as God’s great love, or faithful love and speaks of the immovable commitment of God to His own promises toward us as His people. Whereas compassions (mercies) is responsive and forgiving in nature, His lovingkindnessesare assertive. He asserts His great and faithful love toward us.
The Hebrew word (transliterated he-sed) appears in its various forms 286 times in the Hebrew scriptures. A constant reminder that our standing, our relationship, our benefit of relationship to God results from His unceasing and great love, not our faithfulness to it.
Now, here is where my heart was stirred in my morning quiet time and it connected uncoincidentally with this last line from a Puritan Prayer entitled “Caring Love” from The Valley of Vision: “May thy goodness always lead me to repentance, and thy longsuffering prove my salvation.”
God’s loyal love toward us is a gift, not a right or entitlement. It should provoke wonder, not apathy. It fosters confidence but not arrogance. It promotes harmony rather than haughtiness.
As with the Puritans, we ought to consider the he-sed of God and be moved—not to some libertine expression of life without restraint, but with a commitment to holiness…to a life of ongoing, intentional, willful repentance before God as He (Holy Spirit) exposes with the gracious floodlights of God’s vision, the rebellion of our hearts. May we not ever take for granted the loyal love, the he-sed of God and treat it as less than it is. May it provoke us toward greater affection, more intentional service, and more grounded confidence in God…to His glory.
…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
Ephesians 1:11 (NASB95)
How big and how in control is God? Is there anything that occurs apart from His knowledge? His wisdom? His purpose?
The very thought causes my heart to race. The implications of the obvious answer cause my mind to race to the four corners of the earth! After all, God certainly causes the good things in life to happen (James 1:17). But His disciples were amazed that He even controlled the wind which ceased at His command (Mark 4:41). In these twin truths of God’s sovereignty over both good and bad we find security. God works everything according to His plan. But does He?
God works all things according to plan…His plan…for His glory.
True rest and genuine security are faithfully grounded in the firm reliance on the truth that God is never surprised. He is never overwhelmed. Not even an earthquake, or a pop-up storm, or cancer, or tragic incident of civil unrest exceeds His knowledge or ability. In fact, the Scripture says that each of these things are part of the all things that God uses to bring about His predetermined end of our Salvation and Sanctification according to the counsel of His own will/purpose.
So, what will you face today that God is not Lord over?
What will you face that He is unaware of or overwhelmed by?
What will you face that exceeds his purpose and that He will not use to bring about your inheritance?
Nothing! He works all things according to His purpose.
The position of faith and the foundation of peace is driving our anchor of faith deeply into the ground of this truth and then lashing our lives to it as we praise God for working the all things of this day in such a way that He brings about His good purpose which includes our inheritance in Him…having conformed us to the image of His Son so that His Son would be preeminent in all creation (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:18).
Father, train my wandering heart to trust in your providence and rest in You today…not in circumstance, comfort, or condition, but You. Amen.
21“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 (NASB95)
In my morning reading, I was drawn into this verse and how this prophetic announcement to Joseph must have sounded. Here is a guy who just discovered that His fiancée is pregnant and he knows that it is not his. Everything about that seemed wrong and costly. If he dismissed her, everyone would still know that he was the guy that “Mary stepped out on.” If he moved forward with the marriage, everyone would think him a fool who Mary cheated on. What a choice for him!
But then the angel appeared and gave a good word. It would never be believed by others but for Joseph it was compelling (something we know since he changed the course of his decision about ending the engagement and chose to not only marry Mary but to keep her a virgin until Jesus was born.)
As amazing as these facts are, I want us to see the substance of the prophetic word regarding Jesus’ purpose… “He will save His people from their sins.” Yes, Jesus came to save. The Scriptures are unambiguous about this…but notice the cost (to us) of Salvation. Possession. He saves His people.
Growing up in the church culture that I did, salvation was often spoken of in terms of asking Jesus into my heart. He will be your Savior! He will forgive you. He will give you new life. He will start you over. All of this is true…but who does He save? Those who are His. Now, while some see this verse and others like it and discern that God capriciously (they might say sovereignly and according to His own wisdom and counsel) picks winners and losers, I see something different. Christ came to save those who would yield their lives to His total possession. [NOTE: Time and space won’t allow me to unpack all the theological implications here but let me affirm that from God’s perspective, there are no unknowns. He is not waiting to see who will act a certain way to determine how He will act. After all, He knows tomorrow, so today cannot be a surprise to Him in any regard. And, at the same time, Jesus invites people to follow Him, and they either choose to accept or reject that invitation. The Scriptures consistently record experiences of people choosing to follow Him…yielding control of their lives to Christ as their Lord! They are His, and He saves them.]
There is no salvation apart from Christ’s absolute possession of those He saves. And therein lies what I called the “stumbling block” of the Gospel. The loss of autonomy for the Christian. We may have agency (the ability to act according to our own will) but not autonomy (ownership and authority over our own lives).
20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:20 (NASB95)
1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Romans 12:1 (NLT)
14who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2:14 (NASB95)
18“The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;
Deuteronomy 26:18 (NASB95)
Lord, today remind me and teach me to live as one who does not belong to myself but You. Amen.
I want to acknowledge up front that this thought on my heart today would not and will not make sense apart from a relationship with Jesus. For a person who denies the presence and providence of a Sovereign King, or a person with only religious practice to lean on, this will sound like a fairy tale (at worse) or some pop-motivational psychology (at best). For me, it is neither. It is, I believe, a precious gift of God’s grace.
41So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Acts 5:41 (NASB95)
This verse was on my heart today. It is part of the resolution of an act of injustice where Peter and John were arrested on orders of the ruling religious council and the high priest for the terrible crime of healing sickness and preaching Jesus (Acts 5:16-21). Peter’s popularity among the people was increasing at an alarming and exponential rate. The religious establishment, now only months after the crucifixion of Jesus at their order, is dealing with His followers the best way they know how.
When found in the Temple once again (rather than in the jail where they were supposed to be held), they were brought before their persecutors. Peter and John respond to their threats and beating (Acts 5:40) by rejoicing and praising the Lord that they (too) had been considered worthy by God to suffer shame for the Name of Jesus (Acts 5:41).
They are experiencing injustice.
For doing good and merciful acts.
For preaching hope in Jesus.
If this had taken place in modern times, I wonder if they would have praised God for counting them worthy to suffer injustice and shame. Why was their focus there?
I believe that this early band of followers who, like every follower of Jesus today, had been sovereignly saved by the work of Christ, were indwelt by the Person of the Holy Spirit Himself, and who wrestled with the same limits of human flesh in body and mind, CHOSE to focus on Jesus.
They saw their lives in light of Jesus. His work. His love. His Grace.
They considered their suffering in light of Jesus. His beating, mocking, and ultimate crucifixion.
They considered their honor in light of His honor.
They considered their life purpose in light of God’s ultimate purpose.
They considered their hope in light of His hope.
And they praised the Lord that they were considered worthy to suffer injustice for His name.
I wonder if our focus on our sufferings can veil God’s intent for our focus on His sovereignty. When we turn our gaze upon our trials, we lose sight of His triumph.
Jesus was being faithful. In Acts 4:29-31, God granted their request for boldness and courage. Now in the light of another beating, rather than focus on how hard it was, they gazed intently on an emblazoned image in their mind of their Messiah hanging on a cross suspended between heaven and earth and while writing in pain, praying for God’s mercy toward those who had nailed Him there. Then they praised God that they were considered worthy to suffer for His name.
Father, free us from the endless pursuit of our flesh for comfort and kindness among a world who lives in enmity with You. Attune our gaze to the suffering Savior that we might see our trials in light of His gracious gift of substitution. Graciously remind us that it is an honor to serve the Living God and those who would suffer for doing good according to your providence are blessed indeed. Amen.
Recent Comments