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Board chair sees business-church link
October, 2000
Hooks Johnston is a senior vice president of a $350 million medical supply company. He is also chair of the Massachusetts Conference’s Board of Directors. He believes the two positions are not unalike.
“A lot of the practices behind each are very similar,” he said.
Johnston said he sees three things any organization needs to be effective and to reach people: A vision; the leadership to carry out that vision; and the ability to keep the organization functioning while working on the vision.
Johnston said the Conference has the first thing — the Vision for Renewal and Growth. And for the second, it has needed leadership in place or is conducting searches for new leaders.
The Board’s role, he said, is to oversee those searches and to address the third necessity: to make sure the Conference continues to function during this time of change.
“That means continuing to develop programs, managing 47 trust funds and making sure the budget balances,” he said.
Johnston, a member of South Church in Andover, first became actively involved in the Conference during The Gift and The Promise Campaign.
“When I heard Bennie (Whiten, former Conference Minister and President) talk about The Gift and The Promise, I thought ‘this is the first proactive activity I have heard aimed at revitalizing the UCC in the Commonwealth in a long time,’” he said. “I was energized by its programs and ideas.”
Johnston — who at his local church served on mission and education committees, as moderator and as co-chair of a steeple restoration project — then got involved with the Conference’s strategic planning process which produced the Vision for Renewal and Growth.
“It’s like a ski jump. You get on and you can’t get off,” he said with a laugh.
A listing of the members of the Board of Directors is available by clicking here.