When Tim entered the ministry, he honestly looked forward to working with his board members. Even though he'd heard his share of war stories, he figured his case would be different. If good people were elected and he discipled them carefully, he saw no reason why he and the board couldn't work as close partners in ministry.

Now, five years later, Tim isn't so sure. Instead of partners, they seem like adversaries. He's come to expect resistance as a normal part of the process. Many of his best ideas have been rejected. Sometimes he wonders if these people understand church ministry at all.

Odds are, they don't. Not that they can't. They just don't.

If Tim's board is typical, no one has ever taught them how to be leaders in the church, how to think strategically, or how to make certain key decisions that affect everyone else. That's been left for Tim and his fellow professionals to study and learn. As a result, he and his board suffer from "educational separation." With every book he reads ...