When a congregational board has become well practiced at the first six congregational board practices, then a seventh practice of transformation becomes possible. This is the hardest of the board practices to define, because it really depends on how a congregational board develops through learning to do all of the first six board practices.

When a congregational board has developed a regular practice of discerning what their congregation's vision and mission is, they then begin to ask how the vision and mission could change; how it could be more than it currently is. They began to ask how the congregation could be more bold, how they could take more faithful risks, and transform the world and their communities in ways they could not have imagined before.

When a congregational board is doing the practice of fiduciary responsibility well, when they are ensuring that the resources the assets of the congregation are used for the fulfillment of the mission, then they can question the assumptions about how those resources and assets are protected, and explore ways to take more faithful risks to support the vision and mission of the congregation even more fully.

When a congregational board has captured the institutional wisdom of a congregation into a good set of policies, then they are freed from having the same conversations over and over and from having to respond to every situation or crisis, as if it was brand new. And they're able to begin imagining new wisdom that the congregation could create, not just uncover wisdom that had been created before.

When a congregational board has a good practice of congregational assessment, then they begin to see the connections and the harmonies between all the different parts of the congregation and begin to see new ways that programs and assets of the church can work together to support one another. And they can discover all the ways that our assumptions, often based in systemic oppression and supremacy culture, are keeping us from fully living the vision and mission of our congregations and our faith and begin to transform those assumptions.

When a congregational board has a dynamic and adaptive practice of planning for the future, they can look towards futures for the congregation that meet the changing needs of the moment, while also ensuring the congregation has the resources and assets to assure the future of our faith.

When a congregational board has an active and intentional practice of relationship building, they in the congregation begin to encounter others who have different wisdom to share. New ideas, new conceptions of what the congregation and its vision and mission could be.

All of these practices together create the ability for a congregational board, to live the seventh practice of transformation, to see from the foundation of the first six practices, how the congregation could be different, and then lead the congregation towards that transformational change. It is in the seventh practice of transformation, that all of the other practices come to their fulfillment. And the congregational board is able to fully live their callings as the elected leaders of our faith and of their congregation. Together, these seven congregational board practices create boards that not only lead the congregations we have today, but create the congregations the world needs from us tomorrow. Congregations that are radically inclusive, transformative, and living to build the beloved community and the world made whole. That is the kind of board I want to be a part of. How about you?