Value-Adding Spiritual People

Galatians 6:1 

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore that person gently.”

Spiritual people can add significant value to a business or a sporting club. Being “spiritual” will not necessarily help someone achieve more billable hours or kick more goals, but there is a task spiritual people are uniquely placed to do. A task that serves the whole organisation.

Sooner or later, someone is going to get caught doing the wrong thing. In every club, someone will eventually cheat; in every business someone will steal; in every school someone will lie … you get the picture. And when that happens there is a crisis. What will the leader do?

Option one: Fire, expel, dismiss, abandon!

Option two: Restore, gently!

Spiritual people are uniquely equipped to work away at option two. This is not soft work. Done well it takes courage and insight. It takes a gentle attitude, a heap of patience and a strong constitution. This is work the followers of Jesus are charged to do, both in the church and in the community. And God's Spirit helps them do the job.

Restoring instead of “exiting” can be a profitable strategy. It won't work in every situation but when it does there are numerous gains. If a good staff member can be re-engaged it may save a business heaps of time and money. If an excellent player can be reclaimed it may achieve some goals on the field and boost morale in the change rooms.

This is work worth attempting, so consider the following:

If you are a boss: Find the spiritual people in your team and give them this assignment. Set clear parameters, negotiate timelines and seek outcomes. Don’t side-line spiritual people in the work place, put them to work.

If you are a spiritual person: Involve yourself in this work. While formal support from your coach or boss would be beneficial it is not essential. You can be a restorer without wearing a “Chaplain” badge.

It doesn’t always work. Some people caught in a sin just don’t want to be restored. Some individuals are too proud and some contexts are too rigid. But when it does work everyone wins. 

Beware of the pseudo-spiritual people who are not much help at all. You can usually pick them. They: (1) are overly keen to do this work for you, (2) have a lot of rules they want to impose, (3) speak more gobbledygook then sense and (4) are not usually in it for the long haul.

Restoring people is slow and imprecise work. Some people respond to gentle spiritual guidance, others do not. But everyone deserves a second change. And the followers of Jesus, filled with his Spirit, are well placed to help make it happen in the marketplace as well as the church.

Questions

• What resources might a spiritual person draw upon to do this work? What challenges might they face?
• What concerns might a "boss" have?
• What are the gains of restoring people caught in a sin?

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