If I were not so clueless maybe I wouldn't be so confused... It seems to me that the mission statement should be the very first thing to define. Once that is in place, it would become the golden standard against which every other rule and guideline should be measured.
In a way, I see this happening already, when decisions are checked against the guiding values of member-governance and honest communication. IMO, a mission statement that formalizes those values is about 60% of what this board needs before it opens.
P.S.: If there IS a flood of new people, I would also be willing to volunteer to help with assimilation. I'm a n00bie, but I'm also a techie.