The One Another’s

How does a church act when they treat one another as family? “One another” phrases are used fifty-eight times in the New Testament. They describe a caring and respectful family ethos. They help us live together as a Christlike community, applicable in mixed gender relationships. Today, and in future blogs, I’d like to examine several examples of the one another’s in the Bible.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. (Rom. 12:10)

How does a church act when they treat one another as family? “One another” phrases are used fifty-eight times in the New Testament. They describe a caring and respectful family ethos. They help us live together as a Christlike community, applicable in mixed gender relationships. Today, and in future blogs, I’d like to examine several examples of the one another’s in the Bible.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. (Rom. 12:10)

My kids squabbled constantly, but let someone outside the family lay a hand on one of them—and watch out! That’s devotion. How does that look in ministry?

Steve is a great example of a leader who is devoted to his team. When I worked for him, I knew he had my back. He supported me, even when I had blown it. That did not mean that he never confronted me. But never in public— and always for my good. He was a loving friend and brother. If you were not a good fit for his team, he would not leave you there. But, if you were willing to work with him, he would work to help you find the right place.

When leaders are devoted to their teams, they set them up for success. They foster devotion in return, and, again, that attitude trickles down to the whole ministry.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. (1 Thess. 5:11)

My two daughters are natural encouragers. They are gifted with the right words and actions, helping others see what God sees in them. I am not. Instead my natural bent is to be a focused, hard-driving, get-it-done leader. It’s easy with that temperament to be on to the next project forgetting to thank and encourage the people who made it happen. It’s easy to put programs over people—a tendency I have to fight. I love to accomplish tasks—but I love people more. So I have learned to encourage and build others up. As a leader, it’s not optional. It’s required if you want to create family ethos that changes lives.

My first semester as a seminary professor, I had not yet taught my butterflies to fly in formation. A note from a younger brother, one of my students, soothed my apprehension and gave me courage to believe that God really had called me to this position.

I wanted to share with you how much I enjoyed our class today. I want to encourage you and let you know that the interaction was great! Not only did the class time just seem to enjoyably fly by, but we were learning some good practical info! Thank you for taking the time to ask good open-ended questions and encouraging the small group interaction. Integrating those two elements made the presentation of your material quite vibrant. —Jeremy

His note contained specific examples rather than just nice platitudes. As a ministry leader, your words have amazing impact—probably much more than you realize. For many people, your words are like words from God. Years ago I asked God to enable me to see people’s gifts and abilities and then remember to express what I saw. God has done that and it’s enabled me to honestly praise people who needed it, whether a sister or a brother.

Are you devoted to those you serve with? Are you an encourager, whether or not that characteristic comes naturally? Devotion and encouragement are not optional in ministry and will impact the ethos you create.