Jim Wall, D. Min.  Executive Director,  Acts 2 Network

The number one thing I dreaded in my early days as a local church pastor was the monthly board meeting. I still remember—vividly—the night I cancelled a meeting because I was sick (OK, I was puking my guts out!). Strangely, I stopped throwing up and started feeling better within minutes of canceling the meeting.

It’s no wonder I was sick. Every meeting was a battleground. We disagreed about where we were going. When we did agree on a direction, we argued about how to get there. Conflict was the order of the day. Tension was the accepted atmosphere. The result? We led a church that struggled to make any positive difference in anyone’s life!

Every meeting was a battle ground.

That stands in stark contrast to the board meetings I lead these days. I look forward to every meeting. We get together for golf between meetings. We actually like each other. We disagree sometimes, but when we do, we attack issues, not each other. The result? God is helping us to empower existing churches and start new ones in several corners of the globe!

What’s the difference between today and those early days? I’d like to say I have nicer board members now. Unfortunately, the buck stops here. In the early days, I was entirely mission focused. I was determined to push the church forward. Anyone who disagreed with anything I said, was considered an obstacle to overcome. All I could think was, “This guy has got to get in line or get out of the way!” I knew Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:19-20 “Where two or three agree…”. I didn’t understand them.

 I’d like to say I have nicer board members now. Unfortunately, the buck stops here.

For the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about the power of agreement. I’ll try to candidly share my mistakes and life lessons on the subject. I’d love to have your insights.

If you aren’t already getting these blog posts sent to your inbox, email us at connect@acts2network.org. We’ll get you added to the subscription list.  I’d also encourage you to forward these to your fellow leaders to join us on this journey.

Let’s get a dialogue going. It may just transform your most dreaded meeting of the month!