By about AD500, the distorted idea that faith and work don't fit together was taking hold.

The period produced a flawed argument that work had less value in God's Kingdom than contemplation.

It is the German mystics who first push beyond the monastic understanding of vocation.

Luther elevated the status of everyday discipleship, including work.

Calvin constructively redefined Christian calling and vocation. But we have much to do.

The Church lagged behind industrialism's huge changes to work patterns and work environment.

Relevant modern vocation is the call to follow Jesus in work and in all else.

Without a simply expressed clear source document, Policy Governance is not reliably grounded and not transferable as a paradigm of governance. It is left vulnerable to interpretation, adaptation and impotence. This document has been produced by the International Policy Governance Association and approved by John and Miriam Carver as being true to source.

John Carver introduced the concept of ownership to the non-profit sector. In my experience, the significance of this concept is often not fully appreciated for what it is -- the fundamental starting point for good governance under any model. It is also my belief that lack of an appreciation of the importance of ownership is at the root of many non-profit board's governance problems, and, certainly, without such an appreciation, the full value of Policy Governance can never be grasped. Nonprofits that do not embrace the concept of "ownership" often think instead of "stakeholders". Let us uncover what lies behind these two concepts.

In the past five hundred years or so, authentic Christians have perfected the art of separating themselves from other authentic Christians for countless self-justifying reasons. The formula is easy to remember and easy to follow: If we disagree, we part!