Myrland on the chamber, church

Thereâ??s nothing like a little time away from a job to refine oneâ??s perspective. Which makes John Myrlandâ??s distance from the
Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce all the more interesting.

Myrland, 58, resigned as president of the chamber at the end of 2005 and by July 2006 was pastor of McCordsville United Methodist
Church, where he remains the only paid staff.

You might think Myrland would brim with new insights on life and the business community. But he says that isnâ??t the case.
The jobs, and the experiences they bring, are more alike than different.

The biggest difference is not having his trusty assistant to lean on or his successor, Roland Dorson, to bounce ideas off
of, Myrland says.

Myrland doesnâ??t miss the political flavor of his old job. Now, he doesnâ??t have to worry about one side winning at the expense
of another. â??I donâ??t think I was ever very good at it,â?? he says, speaking of lobbying. â??I donâ??t consider myself to be political.â??

Otherwise, he says, thereâ??s a great deal of similarity between running an advocacy group and a church.

Both involve lots of meetings and committees. Both involve raising money, speaking to groups and organizing people to get
things done.

People even treat him pretty much the same, save for the occasional joke about his new occupation. â??They havenâ??t changed,â??
Myrland says of the chamber crowd. â??Theyâ??re still the same good people theyâ??ve always been.â??

What are your thoughts?