The Unity Factor (Larry Osborne)

This was one of the books that I read over the past few months which was discussed with our pastor and group of young adults at church. Titled "The Unity Factor" the book has a picture of a 4 man bobsled team on the cover. The book talks about the importance of a united leadership team. I praise God for the 4 years I had the privilege of serving on the Servant Team at Mac. As I read this book I reflected and a lot on these years.

"The outlook that meetings exist for business and business only is one of the main reasons why prayer and devotions are often viewed as preliminaries to the "real meeting", and why few agendas include time for cultivating relationships." - pg 26

Thanks to Ian and Allan who set the bar high, the purpose of our Mac Servant Team meetings was never just business alone. The first hour (of our two hour meeting) was devoted to catching up with one another, prayer and Bible Study.

"Some boards eat together before each meeting. Others regularly schedule social events." - pg 26

Do you guys remember our Servant Team socials? (i.e. TCBY ice cream in Westdale, Kelly and MCs for breakfasts, Webster's Falls hikes)

"Allowing board members to serve indefinitely hasn't resulted in an ingrown board. It's resulted in a stable board." - pg 30

We kind of had this at Mac... The Servant Team had very little change over year after year.

"The nominating committee may be the most important committee in our church, because it serves like the headwaters of a river." - pg 43

Good point. The nominating committee is key!

"When an entire board tries to design, create, or generate new programs, it's headed for failure or frustration." - pg 53

And that's why for the big outreach events like I Agree With Dave or Does God Exist we put a single person in charge (Anton and Rony, respectively) and they took it and ran with it. We as a Servant Team didn't get bogged down.

"We hold Q&A sessions a few weeks before the annual general meeting, so everyone can make suggestions, register complaints, or clarify issues... The result? Boring congregational meetings." - pg 57

Sounds very very familiar to "Town Hall Meetings" we have a Philpott before our AGM.

"I keep no secrets from the board... The elders and I jointly shepherd the flock, and we can't do our job if we keep secrets from one another." - pg 70

Good advice.

Then Osborne states the difference between a typically Board Business Meeting and a less regular Shepherding Meeting. Shepherding Meetings sound like fun to me. It's like a mini Men's Breakfast!

"Usually on a Saturday morning... we begin with breakfast, usually in a home. While we eat, we swap stories, catch up on news, and renew our friendship. Then we move into our training time. For about an hour, we'll discuss some aspect of ministry or church leadership... Lastly, in our role as shepherds of the flock, we pray for the sheep." - pg 91

Finally, he makes a great point to invest time and money in volunteers, cause it's worth it!

"Board members need to understand that it costs money to run an effective volunteer organization. Volunteers aren't cheap... Purchase, as soon as possible, the equipment volunteers need... Cover the personal costs that volunteers incur" - pg 115