Around January 1, there is an awful lot written about the new year.

New resolutions

New weight goals

New reading goals

New projects

But what about those things that are tried and true? You know, the basics. The “block and tackling” kinds of things that keep you strong in your ministry leadership. Not everything new is worth starting. Some of the best things you can do for yourself and your ministry leadership is to simply keep on keeping on. Things like,

Reading the Bible for yourself every day

Meditating on His Word

Taking breaks every once in a while

Being present in the moment when someone needs you

So this new year, what are you going to KEEP doing to stay strong?

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Well, here we are. It’s now December. My, how 2012 has flown by!

I know December is a very busy time for pastors. I’ve been part of the cantata rehearsals, children’s programs, school events, parties, parties, parties. December is a time when a lot of ministry leaders burnout. Then they sit in guilt because they are struggling amid one of Christianity’s greatest celebrations: the birth of the Messiah.

Don’t give up. In fact, let’s start thinking Christmas 2013 (NOTE: Don’t take this as a task to start doing over the holidays. Just think about it. You can start any sort of implementation in January.)

How will you conduct yourself next year?

What can you do to ensure that next year is a tremendously successful and insightful year for you as a ministry leader?

One way is to employ a Board of Directors.

Board of Directors

There are a lot of resources on how and why to set up your very own personal Board of Directors. I’ll share a couple helpful links at the end of this post. But I want to share with you some of my initial thoughts as I set up my own Board. One of the questions you need to ask is, “What are the skill sets I want in a Board member?” Below are my thoughts. I encourage you to think through your own strategy as you read an excerpt from my journal:

What do I want in a Board Member?

• Someone who will be completely honest, ruthlessly, brutal with their insight, holding nothing back.
• Someone who is deeply intimate with Jesus Christ. Someone who has reached the point of total desperation and remains in touch with that state of being in Christ.
• Someone who has good business acumen. Been around the block a few times and has experienced a level of personal and professional growth that I have not yet reached. Someone who can tell me what that level looks like and the pitfalls and traps to avoid in getting there.
• Someone who is compassionate, but who keeps Christ at the center of that compassion, not letting it turn into avoidance of the hard issues that I need to face.
• Someone who has failed many times.

Helpful Links for you:

http://www.fastcompany.com/62556/create-personal-board-directors

http://www.scienceofpeople.org/2011/12/why-you-need-a-personal-board-of-directors/

http://excelle.monster.com/benefits/articles/1726-dont-go-it-alone-create-a-personal-board-of-directors

http://www.theglasshammer.com/news/2012/10/03/five-steps-to-your-personal-board-of-directors/

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