The Grace Staff Culture (Part 5)

The final "C" we look for in our staff at Grace is COURAGE. Webster's defines courage as "the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty." Now I recognize that many may think that working in the church is rather benign and static. But, allow me a moment to outline why I believe courage is essential within every team member at Grace.

First, it is imperative to understand that the Body of Christ is currently at war. Daily, we as Christ followers are called to engage in spiritual battle with our enemy. (Ephesians 6:10-20) I can assure you that there are days and seasons we as either individuals or a team sense the reality of this ongoing battle. Please don't misunderstand my thoughts here as I know and believe with all my heart that the battle has been won in Christ Jesus, but every warrior must have courage in the face of an enemy who doesn't just want to wound but destroy.

Secondly, team members must be ready to disappoint people. In a ministry our size with the number of opinions and ideas on how to do things, there will come a day when every single team member upsets and disappoints someone because of the direction they are looking to take their ministry area. Sadly, the response of those who are disappointed can at times be harsh and critical which can cause team members to question decisions and direction. Courage is needed to move forward in what they believe God has called them to in spite of the critics.

Finally, it takes courage to pursue change. We as people like predictability and grow comfortable in what it is we are most familiar with. The problem is that the church cannot remain static in an ever changing culture. It is imperative that we as a ministry are always willing to investigate and pursue opportunities that will increase our effectiveness for Christ. This at times means pursuing changes in the "way we've always done something". Some see that as bad, but I see it as something that is necessary to create a culture and organization that is willing to take a risk for God when He opens the door. As well organized as we try to be, there is the element of walking by faith we must never forget and walking by faith requires courage to venture into what one cannot see when one believes God is in it.

There is no room for cowards or those content with the status quo. The Lord Jesus has called us to battle and we press on with tremendous courage in Him so as to accomplish great things for Him. The Grace team members must have courage!