Assignment Title: Being a People Person
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
2022
Professor: Dr. Mary Smith
Liberty University
Read Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34:1-31, John 10:7–18, Ephesians 4:7–12, and other important
verses.
Pastors and other church leaders work with people more than anything else. Working with
people is one of a pastor's finest and most important skills. It is essential to the pastor's
effectiveness.
The ability of the pastor and leaders to lead by example, build up and release leaders,
collaborate with an eldership, and ultimately fulfill the call of God on their lives in relation to
God's eternal purpose will all be directly impacted by their people skills.
No one is required to visit our churches.
According to A.H. Smith, a former president of the New York Central Railroad, "A railroad is
95% personnel and 5% iron." If a railroad could be claimed to fit this description, imagine how
much more the church could fit this description. People make up the church. The church would
not exist without individuals. God takes care of people in the church and uses people to carry
out His purposes. We are in the people business as pastors.
Think about this for a minute:
Most church finances are dominated by people, and the majority of planning and ministry
is focused on meeting people's needs and developing their potential. Any church's greatest and
most precious asset is its membership, who occupy at least three-quarters of the pastor's time.
Do you think I'm a people person? "Are you good with people?"
The solution to this query ought to be simple, right? Can a pastor be a person who dislikes
people? Can a shepherd be a person who dislikes sheep? Is it possible that people find it
difficult to like us? Sadly, "YES" is the response to each of these queries. Pastors can have
extremely poor interpersonal skills.
• It is conceivable to be powerful in the pulpit but feeble in the pew; to be strong in one's
understanding of God but lacking in one's knowledge of other people. It is possible to minister
to and motivate a crowd while failing to minister to and inspire a single person.
It is simple for leaders to have the wrong priorities at times.
We can easily minister as though the people exist for our sakes, rather than the pastor
existing for the sake of the people. The sheep are frequently asked to lay down their lives for
the pastor rather than the other way around.
For example, God gave me these people to help me attain my objectives or God gave me to
these people so that I could help them reach their goals. It is incredibly simple for leaders to
perceive the people as God's gift to the leadership rather than the leadership as God's gift to
the people. Instead of realizing that pastors are given to the people so that they might fulfill
their destiny and ministry, it is simple to act as if the people are given to the pastor so that he
or she can fulfill their destiny and ministry.
There are far too many pastors and leaders who lack true human love. They cherish who
they are. They enjoy making calls. They enjoy being helped by others. People are too often seen
as stepping stones by pastors and other leaders in their ministries. A person's worth is
determined by their ability to tithe, their political influence, or both. Leaders have a tendency
to favor those who can help them succeed personally.
People are seen as problems by far too many pastors and leaders. They frequently refer to
particular people in ways that reveal their feelings in this regard. It's the way parents talk about
their kids when they don't actually like them. We talk about them in terms of their issues.
Unfortunately, this can occasionally be heard in our preaching and teaching. It sometimes
seems as though many pastors and leaders would find life lot simpler if they didn't have to deal
with people.
I adore the church, but I detest the people that attend it.
Sometimes as leaders, we ponder why we don't receive more adoration and admiration.
But the truth is that, frequently, how other people treat us just reflects how we have treated
them (much like a husband and wife relationship).
The role of the pastor is to set the tone. The ties between those in leadership and those
who are beneath them in the Lord will serve as the foundation for all interactions in the local
church. In front of the public, leaders must demonstrate affection.
In this regard, the apostle Paul served as a wonderful example. Paul was a wonderful
people person who understood his duty as a leader, as you can see from reading his writings.
Four main examples illustrate this:
A. Paul had a sincere affection for other people and didn't view them as difficulties (Phil.
1:3–8; 2:26–27).
1. Paul consistently used the term "beloved" to describe other people (Eph. 6:21; Phil. 4:1;
Col. 4:9, 14; Phm. 2, 16).
Having a good sense of humor Bill Scheidler 3
2. Paul didn't hesitate to approach people and develop a personal relationship with them
(Phm. 12-13). Onesimus is described as "his very heart" by him.
B. Paul acknowledged his reliance on others and was aware of his lack of independence
(Phil 2:25; Col. 1:7; 4:7, 10-11; Phm. 2, 11, 17, 24).
1. Paul was positive about people all the time. He made sure to acknowledge their positive
qualities (Eph. 1:2; 6:21; Col. 1:2, 4, 7; 2:5; 4:12–13; Phm. 5, 7).
2. Despite the modest role these support ministries may have played, Paul never ceased to
laud and acknowledge them (Phil. 1:1; 2:25, 29-30; Col. 1:1).
3. Paul relied on others' prayers (Phil. 1:19; Eph. 6:19).
4. Paul was constantly appreciative of others' contributions to his ministry and diligent in
telling them so. He never took this for granted (Phil. 4:14, 18).
C. Paul dedicated his life to serving others (Phil 2:17).
Paul took some time to pray for other people (Phil 1:4, 9; Col. 1:3, 9; Phm. 4).
2. Paul was prepared to forego financial gain in order to benefit others (Phm. 18-19).
3. The majority of the choices Paul made in his life were based on how they would effect
other people (Phil. 1:24–26; 4:17; Phm. 13–14).
D. Paul cared deeply about people reaching their best potential in God (Phil. 4:3; Col. 4:17).
1. Paul had faith in other people. He gave them significant missions to complete (Eph. 6:22;
Ps. 21).
2. Paul was not hesitant to be direct with people if doing so would benefit them (Phil. 4:2).
Paul exhorts us to approach people in the spirit of Christ as we service to them (Phil. 2:1-8).
2:8 Philippians
"Therefore, if there is any comfort in Christ, if there is any solace in love, if there is any
fellowship in the Spirit, and if there is any tenderness and mercy, fulfill with delight by being
like-minded, sharing the same love, being in agreement, of one mind. Nothing should be done
out of self-centered desire or vanity, but rather, each person should think of others as being
superior to themselves. Let each of you consider others' interests as well as your own, in
addition to your own. Let this mindset permeate you as it did Christ Jesus, who, despite existing
in the form of God, did not think it was theft to be on a par with God. Instead, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even the death on a cross—by taking the
form of a bondservant and appearing in human form. The three "lets" are visible. We can
establish three ways of responding to other members of the body and our leadership team
using these three cautions.
1. Let each person value others more than themselves. You should be able to look
someone in the eye and say, "You are more important than I am." No member of the body of
Christ has greater significance than any other member. However, we frequently act as though
they are. How do you behave toward someone you consider to be more significant than
yourself? Everyone will be treated in this manner.
2. Let everyone of you watch out for both his or her own interests as well as those of
others. To put it another way, you want to be able to say to someone, "I am interested in what
you are interested in."
It's not just about myself and my department or ministry. We ought to have the capacity to
consider things from the viewpoint of others.
3. Allow the same mindset to exist in you as it did in Christ Jesus. In other words, you want
to be able to convey to someone, "I am here to assist you," when you look at them. In this
church, there is no hierarchy; there are simply servants. We are all here to support one other in
growing and fulfilling our potential. We should always treat individuals with the following in
mind: "You are loved! You are needed! You are appreciated!" The Lord clearly loves His people,
and it is an honor to be asked to serve them, as shown in the first verses I read. It is also
obvious that He will hold shepherds responsible for our treatment of His flock. Were we like the
good shepherd Psalm 23 speaks of? Or did we act like a hired hand who just cared about
himself? Do the sheep get fed by us? Or did we eat on our own? Did we abuse our power by
exploiting others? Or did we bless others using our power?
