Integrity Ideas are specific actions a leader can consider during the Re-Align step of Integriosity^®–actions that will begin to Re-Align the organization with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities.  You can find more Integrity Ideas at Integrous | Integrity Ideas (integriosity.com)

INTEGRITY IDEA: Set Some Ebenezers

ESSENCE:  Integrity Ideas are specific practical actions a faithful leader can consider in leading faithfully through business a better way.

INTEGRITY IDEA: Set Some Ebenezers

“Set Some Ebenezers” has nothing to do with Ebenezer Scrooge.  It is about the faithful leader of an organization following the example of Samuel and creating tangible reminders of times God has helped the organization and its people.

It recognizes that most people easily forget (and some people never even know or comprehend) God’s interventions and blessings, particularly when facing new challenges or difficulties.

Integrity Ideas are practical actions toward implementing a bigger WHY for the organization.  We believe some are critical (and necessary) steps in the RENEW/RE-ALIGN/RE-IMAGINE/RESTORE process.  Others are just ideas to be considered if they feel like a good fit based on what leaders prayerfully discern is best for stewarding the organization toward its WHY.

“Set Some Ebenezers” is at the overt end of the Covert/Overt Continuum, and we believe overt faith practices fall in the “if it fits” category.

What Is an Ebenezer?

Putting aside Ebenezer Scrooge, you may have come across the word Ebenezer in the beautiful hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing“.  One lyric is “Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by Thy help I’m come.” (Below is a link to the Chris Tomlin version, with lyrics).  If you are like most people, you sang the verse wondering what in the world an “Ebenezer” could be.

Samuel tells us about it in 1 Samuel 7:12:

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.”

Here is the context in 1 Samuel 7:3-12:

• Samuel called out Israel for worshipping foreign gods, and he told them that if they turned their hearts completely to God and worshipped only Him, God would deliver them from the Philistines.

• Samuel told the people of Israel to gather at Mizpah so that he could pray for them.  When the Philistines heard that they were gathered, they came after Israel and the people of Israel were afraid.

• The people of Israel asked Samuel to cry out to God for them.  We are told in 1 Samuel 7:10:

As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 

• This was when Samuel set the stone he named Ebenezer as a reminder of God’s help.

The word Ebenezer is derived from “eben” (stone) and “ezer” (help).  Samuel’s setting of a stone and naming it Ebenezer is not the only time in Scripture that people used stones as reminders of God’s faithfulness or of significant events.  For example:

After the Israelites had crossed the Jordan, God instructed Joshua to take 12 stones from the Jordan and set them up in the place where they “lodged”.  Joshua set up the stones at Gilgal and told the people in Joshua 4:6-7:

When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.

In Genesis 28:10-22, Jacob set a stone to mark the place where he dreamt of the ladder to heaven.

In Genesis 31:44-52, Jacob and Laban set a pillar of stones to mark their covenant.

We are using the term Ebenezer in the spirit of Samuel and Joshua as a reminder of God’s goodness and faithfulness.

The Importance of Ebenezers

CONTINUUM: Practices

The Integriosity model organizes “heart change” along six Covert-Overt Continuums.  There is nothing magic about these categories, but we believe they are helpful in thinking about practical execution of a Re-Imagined Purpose, Re-Imagined Values and a Re-Imagined Culture.  The Continuums are Prayer, Proclamation, Policies, Practices, Products, People.

Each Continuum represents an area in which leaders can begin to think about, plan and institute Re-Alignment changes to the heart of the organization.

“Set Some Ebenezers” is on the Practices Continuum. Practices reflect, and at the same time help shape and reinforce, an organization’s culture.

COVERT-OVERT RATING: Overt

The Integriosity model breaks the Covert-Overt Continuums into six gradations–from Highly Covert to Highly Overt–that we believe are helpful in beginning to pray and think about what is most appropriate for an organization at a particular moment in time.

Most Integrity Ideas will have one place on the scale.  Some can vary depending on how they are implemented.   “Set Some Ebenezers” is Overt (An overtly faith-based action known generally within the organization) because it involves creating reminders in the workplace that specifically acknowledge God’s past help.

“Set Some Ebenezers” could also be Very Overt (An overtly faith-based action involving suppliers, vendors or customers) or even Highly Overt (An overtly faith-based action involving community, website, sales/marketing materials) depending on how widely the faithful leaders of the organization decide to share the Ebenezers.

STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees, Kingdom

When we categorize faith-based actions, we also consider the stakeholders principally impacted by the action: Employees, Customers/Clients, Owners, Suppliers/Vendors, Community and Kingdom.

“Set Some Ebenezers” principally serves employees by encouraging them to seek God’s guidance and help in their work and giving them hope in the face of challenges and difficulties.  It also serves the Kingdom by glorifying God openly, inspiring employees to express gratitude for God’s help, and emboldening employees to talk about God’s interventions and blessings.

“Set Some Ebenezers” could also serve Customers/Clients, Owners, Suppliers/Vendors and the Community if the faithful leaders of the organization discern that being Very Overt or even Highly Overt about Ebenezers is the best stewardship of the organization.

IMPLEMENTATION

Perhaps the most difficult step in implementing “Set Some Ebenezers” is deciding whether to do it.  It is difficult because it requires a faithful leader to discern whether to be overt about faith.  There is no covert way to “Set Some Ebenezers”.

The pursuit of faithful integrity through business a better way toward Biblical flourishing requires alignment with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities, but it does NOT require overt “faith” language, symbols and practices.  Faithful leaders must be “wise” about overtness, prayerfully discerning the most appropriate place on the Covert/Overt Continuum for the particular organization at a point in time.  We devoted post #141 (Covert or Overt) to this decision.

Assuming a faithful leader decides to move forward with “Set Some Ebenezers”, it is helpful to think about implementation in terms of Who, What and How.  Who will identify examples of God’s goodness and faithfulness?  What types of examples of God’s goodness and faithfulness will be identified?  How will those examples be communicated?

The following questions may be helpful to faithful leaders as they prayerfully discern the implementation of “Set Some Ebenezers”.

WHO

• Will examples of God’s goodness and faithfulness be identified only by leaders or will other stakeholders be invited to identify examples?

• Which leaders or stakeholders will be invited to identify examples?  All leaders?  All employees? A designated committee of leaders and employees?

• Will other stakeholders (e.g., owners, customers, vendors) be informed of the initiative?  Invited to submit examples?

• Who will review examples that are submitted and decide whether and how they will be communicated?

WHAT

• Will examples of God’s goodness and faithfulness be limited to organizational examples or will it include goodness and faithfulness in the lives of employees (e.g., answers to prayers by an organizational prayer group or Bible study)?

• Will examples include God’s goodness and faithfulness to stakeholders other than employees?

HOW

• Some possibilities for communicating Ebenezers include:

• A dedicated bulletin board.

• An organizational intranet.

• An organization-wide newsletter.

• Plaques or framed testimonies hung on the walls.

• A designated area where stones are placed, perhaps with the example written in marker.

• On the organization’s external website.

There is no right or wrong Who, What or How.  In prayerfully discerning the best path for the organization, faithful leaders need to keep in mind, and remain faithful to, the purposes behind “Set Some Ebenezers”.  Each potential path should be run through these filters:

• Does it glorify God by expressing gratitude?

• Does it tell stakeholders of God’s goodness and inspire them to express gratitude for God’s help?

• Does it encourage stakeholders to seek God’s guidance and help in their work?

• Does it give stakeholders hope in the face of challenges and difficulties?

• Does it embolden stakeholders to talk about God’s interventions and blessings?

We believe the most important filter of all is ensuring that “Set Some Ebenezers” comes from, and is done in a way that encourages, a spirit of Humility.  It is one of the four first principles embedded in the word Integriosity. and the subject of post #196 (First Things–Humility).

Humility is knowing who you are in relation to God’s creation and His plan, knowing who you are in relation to others, and knowing who you are in relation to God.  Such an understanding permits leadership in service to a bigger WHY of serving others.  It permits leading an organization with faithful integrity in alignment with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities.

PERSONAL NOTE (from PM): Leading a New Canaan Society chapter is a privilege. As the late Tom Cole used to say, “You get a front row seat in men’s lives.”  Often the movie playing is a significant life challenge, whether financial, relational or health.  On more than one occasion, I have urged a brother to take a sheet of paper and divide it into two columns.  The left-hand column should be headed “Times God Showed Up in My Life” and the right-hand column should be headed “Times God Failed Me”.  I believe creating that tally is setting an Ebenezer–hopefully with a blank right-hand column.

Although I started this post out by saying “Set Some Ebenezers” has nothing to do with Ebenezer Scrooge, it may be that Dickens chose Scrooge’s name because of the Biblical significance.  Here is a link to an interesting article exploring that hypothesis.

ESSENCE:  Integrity Ideas are specific practical actions a faithful leader can consider in leading faithfully through business a better way.

INTEGRITY IDEA: Set Some Ebenezers

“Set Some Ebenezers” has nothing to do with Ebenezer Scrooge.  It is about the faithful leader of an organization following the example of Samuel and creating tangible reminders of times God has helped the organization and its people.  It recognizes that most people easily forget (and some people never even know or comprehend) God’s interventions and blessings, particularly when facing new challenges or difficulties.  “Set Some Ebenezers” is about acknowledging God’s past goodness and faithfulness in order (1) to glorify God by expressing gratitude, (2) to tell stakeholders of God’s goodness and inspire them to express gratitude for God’s help, (3) to encourage stakeholders to seek God’s guidance and help in their work, (4) to give stakeholders hope in the face of challenges and difficulties, and (5) to embolden stakeholders to talk about God’s interventions and blessings.  “Set Some Ebenezers” reflects and reinforces an organizational culture that prioritizes trust in God, prayer and patience–three of the five key ingredients for implementing a Re-Imagined Purpose, Re-Imagined Values and a Re-Imagined Culture.

COVERT-OVERT CONTINUUM (six Continuums for action): Practices

COVERT-OVERT RATING (several levels from Highly Covert to Highly Overt): Overt

STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees, Kingdom

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