A month or so ago I attended Hillsong Conference in Sydney with twenty of my friends and colleagues from Newlife Uniting, as well as twenty thousand or so others! It was a wonderful week, marred only by the lingering man-cold I suffered with. I made sure everyone knew I was stricken, as one of the defining symptoms of a man-cold is the necessity for the sufferer to tell everyone of its miserable, death-dealing horror. Anyway, back to Hillsong.
Hillsong conference is a packed week of worship, speakers, electives and getting to and from each. It’s a four day spiritual marathon. This being my fourth conference, I was able to stand back a little and observe some of culture that informs and shapes the event. More than anything else, one thing stood out – Hillsong has a keenly developed culture of honor.
From the main stage recognition and affirmation of speakers and leaders (never over the top), to the warmth of greeting offered at doors by the hundreds of volunteers, to the very moving and very public recognition of otherwise anonymous leaders – Hillsong seeks to value and affirm every contribution of every volunteer, leader and staff member as critical. Watching on keenly, it never felt fake, it never seemed forced and it always appeared to be from the heart. Alongside some of the speaker input - and of course the refreshment in worship - it was one of the biggest ‘take-homes’ of the week for me.
In Romans Paul says this: Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. (Romans 12:9-10) A mark of Christian community is the loving honour we offer one another as sisters and brothers in Christ. To honour another is to see with God’s eyes their worth and recognise Christ within them. It is t to acknowledge and affirm their God-given giftedness and critical role within the proper functioning of a healthy, Christ-exalting community. Honouring one another paradoxically elevates us over and above the trenchant demands of our own insecure egos, knowing that our worth is always found in Christ alone. When we honour others we remind them of that worth. Finally, when we honour one another appropriately, indirectly but very surely we are honouring Christ.
Seeing such a healthy culture of honour got me thinking. What are the practical, day to day disciplines that lay the foundation for such a culture to develop? Good intentions won’t do it; disciplined action will. In our ministry team context at Newlife, here are some ideas that, as carried through consistently by all members, will continue to shape our life:
A culture of honour will develop as we:
- Follow through on commitments made to other team members. Where a commitment may not be able to be kept, in an honouring culture, we will inform those affected as soon as possible.
- Commit to always being on time for meetings, knowing that not just our time is precious, but so is the time of others.
- Submit to God-placed and Godly leadership.
- Develop means by which people can lead ‘up’ – that is appropriately and lovingly challenge their leaders where necessary.
- Where possible, leaving rooms we use, facilities we utilise and equipment we borrow in a better state than when we received them.
- Take every opportunity to both personally and publically recognise the contribution of others to any success we enjoy.
- Take every opportunity to both personally and publically celebrate the success that another team member experiences.
- Develop a culture of expressed gratitude – expressed in genuine and creative ways.
- Are transparent and timely in all communication.
- Honour other team members publically, but always and only challenge privately. A culture of honour will never air dirty laundry outside the boundaries of the team.
There is plenty more that could be said about developing a culture of honour. What practical disciplines would you suggest?
In the end, as we honour one another, we honour and serve Jesus – the one who embraced the shame of the Cross so that we might receive eternal honour.
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