As the elected leaders of the congregation, and indeed the elected leaders of Unitarian Universalism in a local community, the congregational board has a practice and a responsibility to build and maintain relationships within and beyond the congregation. Often, this can be through living the other practices of board leadership. Once a congregational board becomes good at doing mission and vision discernment through tools like open questions, they can take that same practice out to the members and friends of the congregation and invite them to the same kind of open question conversations that the board has been experiencing. This -- not only allows the congregational board to learn from members and friends of the congregation, but it builds relationship by showing that the board is listening to them.

In assessing if the resources and assets of the congregation are being used for the fulfillment of the congregation's mission and vision, the board will be building relationship with the standing Finance Committee, the stewardship team and many other parts of the operations of the congregation. Capturing institutional wisdom through building a good policy base will require the board to go to those who do the work and the ministries of the congregation, and explore with them the wisdom that needs to be captured in policy.

Assessing where the congregation is, in ministries, operations and administration will mean more relationship building and listening. And planning for the congregation's future means engaging with the members and friends of the congregation hopes and dreams for how to fulfill the congregation's vision and mission.

Relationship is at the center of the work of the congregational board. And this practice is intended to remind the board of that relationship as a practice adds to an intentionality that makes all the other work of the congregational board possible. And not just relationship building within the congregation. This means building relationship with other congregations in the area, both Unitarian Universalist congregations and those of other faith traditions. It means building and maintaining relationships with your regional and national Unitarian Universalist Association staff. It means building relationship with nonprofits and other organizations that share the values of our faith and with whom you can do good work.

Now once again, the congregational board does not have to do all of this themselves. Your congregational staff will be helping to build and maintain these relationships, committees and teams will be doing so as well, and so will some individual members and friends of the congregation but it is the congregational board that holds the responsibility of ensuring the vitality and boundaries of these relationships and thinking through who the congregation is not yet in relationship with but could be the purpose of a board practice of relationship building is to make building those relationships intentional and finding ways to do it well.