Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Mark 3:13-19

I asked a friend, Nancy, what surprisingly took the most time of her new role as CEO. She didn’t pause and said, “board recruitment.” While most nonprofit CEOs or Presidents know that fundraising is generally a third of the job, it can be a surprise to find out how much time is spent on considering, vetting, onboarding, and maintaining relationships with board members.

Jesus took time to find his “board.” He had watched them (Bartholomew under the fig tree, see John 1:48), got to know them, and asked them. One of my pet peeves is when someone asks me to be on their board without knowing who I am, or where I spend my time. I understand how difficult it can be to find a board member, and it’s easy to get desperate and ask any new acquaintance. However, with a bit of relationship building, there’s a chance you’ll have to do less recruitment because you’ll find people who truly believe in the same passions and will be with your board for a long time.

After finding his “board” of disciples, Jesus trained them. Take a look at your board manual (assuming you have one!). Does it help someone get acquainted with the expectations and culture/rules that govern the organization? Do they know what they are signing up for? Sometimes, rotating board members is a sign of unclear expectations.

Jesus then delegated responsibilities to his “board.” Even as a more mature governing board, some tasks remain better handled by the board without CEO or staff influence. Let the board be a board, and partner well with the chair to accomplish the mission.

Eventually, Jesus’ “board” of disciples went out on their own to follow what they learned. It doesn’t mean your board will leave you, but they may leave the board to implement what they learned elsewhere. Raising leaders isn’t a bad thing; It means you may be building more relationships that could become board members more often.

Generally, great board members are former staff, who are former volunteers or donors, who are former participants. Sometimes that happens, and those situations are rare and valuable. So, while you might want to nab the closest billionaire, take the time to follow Jesus’ model of watching, training, and delegating.

Order Hopelessly Hopeful During Separation, a 28-day devotional for people who are separated from their spouse because of marital struggles.

© 2024, Mollie Bond. All rights reserved. Originally published at www.molliebond.org.