Paul was one of the greatest writers in history. In his letters to the churches in Corinth, he shows us how to light a fire underneath those in our care. Now Paul established several churches, and made these letters a habit, making sure to connect with them and encourage them along the way. If we look at how Paul opens in 1 Corinthians 1:4 - 9, we see that he is just showering the church with hope and with blessings.
I absolutely love this about Paul. He finds ways to encourage the church and build them up to show how much he loves them before letting them have it. A lesson can be taken from this. We will all face times when a team member under our care needs a good talking to. I have found that it is better to encourage them, as Paul did, to let them know how much you appreciate them, and how grateful you are to have them on your staff before addressing any issues that need to be fixed. This will cut down the odds of that person feeling attacked, and increase the odds that they will feel appreciated and loved by you, their leader.
In this letter, Paul continues by warning them about divisions in the church, and how very dangerous of a path that they were heading down. He then goes on to give a little of his own testimony from the time that he spent with Jesus. Not just in prayer and worship, but physically WITH him. Again, this man is a great role model to take after. He got it! He knew not only what they needed to hear, but how to tell them in a way that would build them up and encourage them to keep moving forward.
Brothers and sisters, we as leaders are held to a higher standard than most. We have been blessed with the task of growing the businesses that God has entrusted to us, and with growing up our team in Him, and to equip them to do the same for others. Instead of ripping into our team time and time again for not getting the bathrooms clean, or not being fast enough, or not this or that, lets just take a moment to realize that they are only capable of accomplishing to the level that WE have equipped them to. If something isn't right, ask yourself why that might be. What steps have been missed? How can I help them get better? We made them a part of ou team for a reason, and that reason was probably because we saw some great potential within them. Lets give them the chance to reach that potential.
I hope that this is both encouraging and helpful to you. Please feel free to investigate further into Paul's ministry for yourself. You can find his work through most of the New Testament in the Bible. Don't own one? Check this out...
http://www.biblegateway.com/
That is all for now. God bless!
