As I work with the boards of faith-based organizations across the nation and talk to CEOs of leading ministries, I have the opportunity to learn from what they are doing right. Here are seven of the hottest ideas I've seen lately. These are all emerging best practices that your board can immediately implement to get more done in less time, hold down costs, stay informed, make better decisions, and be more effective as a board of directors.

#7... Build a Caring Community

A board meeting of any Christian ministry should not be a business-only affair. The board will function more effectively if you take time to build a caring community. Board members should get to know each other including family, occupations, and hobbies. Board meetings should start and end in prayer and include a devotional thought or Bible study. No board engaged in Christ's work on earth should be too busy to pray. Every board should have occasional social activities or a chance to share recreational time together.

I was invited to lead a planning session of a national organization with board members dispersed across the country. As we gathered for the meeting and I met board members for the first time, I quickly realized that many of the board members could not remember each others' name. The previous board meetings had been all business and tightly scheduled. The staff assumed board members did not want to waste time on personal sharing or prayer for one another.

Mike Gibson, a pastor in Milpitas, California, often arrives early to board meetings of his church to start up the popcorn machine normally used for VBS and other church events. He told me, "The smell of fresh popcorn when they arrive does something special to remind board members that we are a community and we should care for each other as well as the business of the church."

A highly effective leadership training ministry, Pastoral Leadership Institute, Santa Ana, CA (www.pli-leader.org), has an official board policy to build in an afternoon of golf or some other form of group recreation at every annual board retreat. They want to make sure they are recreating together and getting to know each other deeply.

Building a caring community requires time in the board meetings for prayer, personal sharing, and occasionally social activities or retreats. Better coffee also helps.

Leveraging Technology to Get More Done

Hopefully, one or more of these seven hot ideas will be immediately useful for you and your board. However, some boards will not be able to implement any of these specific suggestions. If this is the case for you, the larger principle behind these promising practices is leveraging technology to help your board get more done in less time, hold down costs, stay informed, make better decisions, and be more effective as a board of directors.

James C. Galvin, president of Galvin & Associates in Winfield, IL, is an organizational consultant specializing in releasing the potential of faith-based nonprofits. Visit his website at www.galvinandassociates.com or contact him directly at jim@galvinandassociates.com.

Reprinted with permission from the Engstrom Institute; © 2009 Christian Leadership Alliance - (949) 487-0900. Visit CLA's website to see what they offer your organization to help build leaders and enhance organizational effectiveness!