DE PONDERINGS by Kevin Kessler

The best way to boost the morale at the office is to tell the boss when someone is doing a good job.
–The Complete Book of Zingers by Croft M. Pentz

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
–I Thessalonians 5:15 (NIV)

The path of least resistance most frequently followed in social and organizational settings is finding fault. If we can discover what is wrong, then we know what it is that needs to be fixed. A culture of fault-finding, though, rarely leads to a better environment. Consequently, such a culture begets a continued search for problems. The common denominator of the culture is problem solving. The mission devolves into always finding corrective solutions rather than building a culture of sustainability.

What if we used a different approach? Consider what social and organizational cultures could be if we gave attention to what is done well.

Imagine yourself as the boss and being constantly bombarded with complaints about employees. The natural inclination is to find foundational causes for existing problems leading to you, the boss, setting up a culture of problem solving. Likely, there is precious little time to be visionary because of all the time used for putting out fires.

Imagine yourself as an employee in such a setting. Anytime you saw the boss approaching, your initial response is to assume something is wrong. The boss is always trying to “fix” things so why would this visit be any different.

Now imagine the boss entering the workplace with a commendation rather than a condemnation. The boss received information about an employee’s good effort and is making this known among the rest of the workers. Now the boss’ presence is viewed differently. Workers begin to look forward to a visit from the boss. A cultural shift emerges.

Change the environment from the workplace to the church, specifically the Church of the Brethren, the IL/WI District, your congregation. Imagine the denominational general secretary, the district executive, the pastor of the congregation sharing among constituents and congregants good news of outstanding efforts being carried out by individuals and groups within the church.

Stories of this nature abound among us. I have heard General Secretary Stan Noffsinger share about his experiences where the light of Jesus Christ has shown brilliantly. I’ve heard pastors speak glowingly about members in their congregations who have done great things. As district executive, I want to share stories about congregations and ministry teams who are actively engaged in effective ministry opportunities.

I’m not so naive to think that problems will magically disappear if we shift our focus toward accentuating the positive. However, I do believe that hearing about the good among us will better equip us to navigate the problems we encounter. Additionally, a shift takes place to focus more on determining how we can get involved in doing good things. If district A or congregation B or denomination C are doing good things, well, then, we should be able to, also.

My goal is to be more attentive to the “good” I hear and witness, and to share those stories more frequently and more broadly. Do you have a story to share? Are you seeing the good that someone or a group or a congregation is doing? I’d love to hear about it. I’d love to share about it.

We can inspire one another to do not just good things, but great things. We can count on God to equip us to carry out all we have been called to do. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.