SIM International, which works through 53 entities in 80 countries, brought its global Board to Highgate House for one of its two in-person meetings each year. With accommodation, meals, and meeting spaces in one place, members had more opportunities to build trust and understand different perspectives before making decisions together.
SIM International is a global Christian mission organisation with a clear purpose: to make disciples of Jesus Christ in communities where He is least known.
With 53 entities in 80 countries comes the challenge of staying united and aligned with SIM’s mission. The organisation’s Board of Governors meets in person only twice a year, so its recent week at Highgate House was a valuable opportunity to give important decisions the time, trust, and shared understanding they require.
We spoke with Phil Bauman, SIM’s International Director, about leading a global organisation, the responsibility of stewarding its people and resources well, and why being together in one place has become essential to the way its Board works.
Keeping a global organisation focused
Every time we meet, there is that sense of, ‘What a privilege, and what a responsibility.’
SIM works through 53 local leadership teams around the world. Its global Board helps keep them connected, listen to different perspectives, and remain focused on the same purpose.
Meeting together also reminds Board members of the responsibility they share. “Every time we meet, there is that sense of, ‘What a privilege, and what a responsibility.’ We have to ask how we can best work with our local entities to accomplish the purpose God has given us.”
Why being together matters
Virtual meetings are useful when an urgent matter needs attention between gatherings, but Phil sees in-person meetings as vital. They give members time to understand the people behind different points of view before reaching decisions that affect the wider organisation.
“To have a meal together, sit down and have a conversation, learn about one another’s families, churches, countries, and cultures is extremely important,” he said. “It helps us listen well, understand different points of view, and make wise decisions together.”
These in-person times are invaluable.
SIM’s experience during the pandemic made the difference especially clear. “We were able to function,” Phil said, “but I would not say the Board flourished or thrived in that time. These in-person times are invaluable.”
For a diverse global Board, good relationships make honest discussions easier and help members interpret one another better. This just simply cannot be achieved virtually.
The value of the spaces in between
SIM has previously held Board meetings in places where the meeting venue and accommodation were in different locations. The agenda could still happen, but many of the natural opportunities to spend time together were not there.
Those in-between spaces may not be part of the formal meeting, but they help us build the connections that allow us to work well together.
At Highgate House, the Board could meet, eat, stay, walk, and spend its evenings in one place.
“Being at Highgate House, with our accommodation, meals, and meetings all in one place, adds immense value to our time together,” he said. “Those in-between spaces may not be part of the formal meeting, but they help us build the connections that allow us to work well together.”
It is something he had already seen several years earlier when SIM gathered at High Leigh. Watching relationships develop during the time between sessions convinced him that future Board meetings needed to take place somewhere that allowed the whole gathering to happen under one roof.
For SIM, those informal moments are not simply a pleasant addition to the programme. They help people build the trust and understanding needed when the formal conversations begin again.
Returning with privilege and responsibility
As the gathering came to an end, Phil hoped Board members would carry home a renewed sense of both privilege and responsibility: gratitude for the people and resources entrusted to SIM, and a determination to steward them faithfully.
“There are many wonderful things God is doing across His Kingdom, and SIM is only one part of that,” he said. “We need to remain focused on what we believe God is calling us to and stay faithful to it.”
That focus is strengthened by time around a table, conversations between sessions, and the chance to understand colleagues whose lives and perspectives have been shaped in very different places. At Highgate House, those moments became part of what made the work possible.
Highgate House is one of three exclusively Christian manor house venues run by Christian Conference Trust. To find out more about Highgate House, The Hayes, or High Leigh, call our friendly sales team on 0300 111 4444.
