Every organization has a culture. In other words, every group of people teamed up to fulfill a common purpose creates a context within which they work. That context is shaped by the values or working principles which the group accepts as foundational to how they will live and work together.
World Team has a culture. World Team has a clear set of working principles or values.
Where problems arise is when the values we espouse are not the values by which we actually live. This can happen because past history exercises an undue influence. Or this can happen because we enjoy theological word jousting more than soul exercising discussion. Or this can happen because we’re just tired of trying.
To overcome these problems, it is important to rehearse often with one another what we hold as ‘self-evident truths’ that guide how we minister together.
So, here goes. As a World Team community, we centre our entire lives and work around one foundational value: the Gospel. The Gospel is so simple a child can understand it, but so rich and deep that we as adults can never plum its depths. The Gospel is first of all the message that we can do nothing to either merit or earn our salvation. It has all been done for us in Christ. From there, the Gospel ripples out to ‘touch’ every aspect and area of who we are as His child.
Let’s just look at one element which should characterize the WT community if the Gospel is truly our central and foundational value. As we work together, we should be thinking more about our co-worker, our teammate than ourselves. TJ Addington put it this way: our relationships, our work environment should be “life giving rather than life taking”. Rather than pulling out of others what can serve oneself, one will look for ways to build into the other person.
Wasn’t this Christ’s model, His value? “For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Filed under: Core Values, Gospel | 2 Comments »
