Though most universities, hospitals, and service agencies have learned the value of a deliberate program of board development, the Orthodox Church continues to lag in this area. The difference between governance and management is not always easy to discern. Yet it is precisely this blurring that causes so much misunderstanding in a church institution.

Board development brings the best of leadership to the fore, maximizing the talents, gifts and strengths of the leadership team.

The most important asset of any church institution is a fully developed governing board or parish council. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. An undeveloped board can easily become an adversarial or intrusive board. For a board to be active and effective the staff must understand the theory and methodology of board development. Governing boards constantly evolve and devolve. Therefore, a conscientious, ongoing program of board development is required.

Boards are complex organisms. Beyond the full board assembly there are committees that may also benefit from the involvement of a consultant. It is difficult to disassociate board development from the tasks of board work. These include governance, strategic planning, the recruitment and nomination of future board members, board self-assessment, determining mission and purposes, participating in the selection and monitoring of the performance of the institution's leader, preserving and expanding capital assets, fiduciary oversight, ensuring legal and ethical integrity, and the embodiment of Orthodox faith.

A board development process might include an independent review of board documentation, a board self-assessment (sometimes called a "self-evaluation"), observation of board meetings by the consultant followed by a written report to the priest and parish council chairman or the CEO and the board chair. Other strategies may include teaching seminars on board development, service and organization; a study of how information is presented to the board, at what level, and in how much detail; the compilation of key strategic indicators for board reporting; leadership retreats and the distribution of board development materials.