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: Be a Barnabas

“Be a Barnabas” is about a faithful leader prayerfully and intentionally looking for opportunities to encourage those they lead.

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.

“Be a Barnabas” is in the “necessary” category because it is something every faithful leader–and every human being–should implement in their life. It recognizes that faithfully stewarding an organization includes faithfully stewarding the people who make up the organization. Stewardship of people made in the image of God with unique gifts and working in a broken world requires prayerfully and intentionally trying to see them as God sees them and love them as God would love them in order to help them realize all that God has for them.

Power of Words Refresher

Encouragement is inseparable from the words leaders choose to speak—or withhold—which is why it is fundamentally a words issue, not merely a personality trait or leadership style.

We have devoted several posts to the importance and power of words. For example, we looked at The Power of Words (and Disordered Words) in post #113, Words That Shape Work in post #114, Words That Shape Identity in post #115, Words That Shape Culture in post #116, Words That Shape Act III (Eliminate Retirement) in post #176 and Words That Inspire: “Play Big” in post #178. Frederick Buechner wrote:

Words are power, essentially the power of creation. By my words I both discover and create who I am.

God created the universe by speaking, and Satan tried to tempt Jesus by twisting God’s word.   The Bible tells us that words have the power to create (Genesis 1:3; Hebrews 11:3), to effect change (Mark 11:23), to give life or bring death (Proverbs 18:21), to build up or corrupt (Ephesians 4:29), to bring health (Proverbs 16:24), and to destroy (Proverbs 11:9; Matthew 12:36-37).

The Barnabas Call

We mentioned Barnabas in post #298 (Integrity Idea 085: Support the Supporters).  Acts 4:36 tells us that Barnabas’s name means “Son of Encouragement”, but it also reveals that this name was given to him by the apostles–his name was actually Joseph. Just like Joseph, a faithful leader can “Be a Barnabas” regardless of their given name.  Barnabas is an identity–a way of being and relating to other people.

We see Barnabas encouraging new followers of Jesus to remain faithful (Acts 11:23), encouraging converts to Judaism to persist in grace (Acts 13:43), strengthening the souls of disciples through encouragement (Acts 14:21-22), vouching for Paul and opening the door to his ministry (Acts 9:26-28), and encouraging Mark by giving him a second chance when Paul had written him off (Acts 15:37-40).

Taken together, these episodes reveal a consistent pattern: Barnabas encourages before outcomes are certain, advocates when others hesitate, and restores when others are ready to move on.

Scripture is clear that we are all called to put on the mantle of a Barnabas–one who encourages others:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold your God . . . will come and save you.” (Isaiah 35:4)

Encourage the fainthearted. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)

Putting on the mantle of a Barnabas is also living out your own Imago Dei, because God is an encourager throughout Scripture. For example:

• When Moses doubted his ability to do to Pharaoh, God encouraged him with the promise “But I will be with you” in Exodus 3:11-12.

• When Gideon doubted his ability to save the Israelites from the Midianites because his clan was “the weakest in Manasseh” and he was “the least in my father’s house,” the angel of the Lord called Gideon a “mighty man of valor,” and God assured him “But I will be with you.” (Judges 6:7-16).

• God said to Paul in a vision “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you.” (Acts 18:9-10).

“Be a Barnabas” reflects and reinforces a culture that recognizes the Imago Dei in each person, lives out the Golden Rule and the commandment to love your neighbor, and prioritizes relationships, community, human dignity, and flourishing.

But Ephesians 4:29 signals that God is calling us to a type of encouragement that goes beyond the Golden Rule and the commandment to love your neighbor. The Golden Rule and the commandment to love your neighbor call us to treat others as we would want to be treated.  Ephesians 4:29 says encouragement should be “helpful for building others up according to their needs.”

This shifts encouragement from projection (“What would I want?”) to discernment (“What does this person need?”).

It echoes what we wrote about in post #278 (Integrity Idea 078: Don’t Settle for Gold)–that Jesus raised the bar with what he called a “new commandment”.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)

“Be a Barnabas” is about caring enough for another human to see them as God sees them and to love them as they need to be loved at a particular moment in time and in a particular set of circumstances.

The Power of Encouragement

Christopher Smith–the former police officer and youth leader who wrote the music, lyrics, and libretto for the Broadway musical Amazing Grace–has shared that his 19-year journey to bring an idea to the Broadway stage started with just a few words of encouragement from his wife–”I think you can do it.” Smith describes encouragement as “the ultimate force multiplier in life” and the “lowest cost, highest yield investment in the history of the world.”

Leadership guru John Maxwell has many insights on the power of encouragement when it comes from a leader. The words “encourage” or “encouragement” show up 70 times in his book The Maxwell Daily Reader.  Here are just a few of his related thoughts.

Begin today to see and lead people as they can be, not as they are, and you will be amazed by how they respond to you.

When you affirm people’s dreams, you help their dreams become more real than their doubts.

These observations reinforce what Scripture already reveals: encouragement helps people live into who they are becoming, not merely what they have already achieved.

Encouragement says, “I see you,” “I see something in you,” and “I see something beyond you.”  These ideas roughly equate to the three keys identified by Michael Stallard to building a culture of connection in an organization: Vision, Value and Voice.

Like Voice, “I see you” says that you are worthy of being noticed.

Like Value, “I see something in you” says that you have unique God-given gifts and talents.

Like Vision, “I see something beyond you” says that I believe you can use those gifts and talents to make a difference.

“Be a Barnabas” recognizes the power of words to lift people past circumstances, over fears and doubts, and out of discouragement, to help them recognize, accept and utilize the gifts they have been given, and to help them live into God’s vision for them.

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.

“Be a Barnabas” is on the People Continuum. It is not about organizational practices or formal policies. It is about a faithful leader caring one-on-one about another person with whom they work, or an employee caring one-on-one about a co-worker, customer or vendor.  Of course, it can be a practice encouraged organizationally, but it happens person to person.

COVERT-OVERT RATING: Highly Covert

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.  We identify “Be a Barnabas” as Highly Covert (An action that would be taken by a secular company) because it is something every human being should implement in their life.  “Be a Barnabas” can be moved toward the Overt end of the Continuum by, for example, rolling out an organizational campaign to “Be a Barnabas” and explaining its Biblical foundations or tying it to a business a better way culture aligned with Biblical beliefs, principles and priorities.

STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees

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.

“Be a Barnabas” principally serves Employees by helping them feel seen, helping them overcome fear, doubts and discouragement, helping them recognize their gifts, and helping them see God’s vision for their lives.

IMPLEMENTATION

“Be a Barnabas” is a one-on-one relational action that requires intentionality and prayer.  It can also be encouraged more broadly in the organization as part of building a culture that prioritizes relationships, community, human dignity, and Biblical flourishing.

A faithful leader who wants to put on the mantle of a Barnabas must be intentional about taking the time to “see” people and understand the circumstances, fears, doubts and discouragements that might be holding them back.

They must also be prayerful–asking God to allow them to see people as God sees them.  Prayerfully seeking to understand a person’s unique gifts and abilities as well as God’s vision for how they can use those gifts to Humanize People, Beautify the World and Glorify God.

They then must prayerfully discern the words that will be “helpful for building up” the person “according to their needs” and be intentional in speaking those words from the right WHY.

“Be a Barnabas” must always come from a place of caring for people and not a manipulative human resources or sales tactic. Remember, WHY matters!  Encouragement without truth becomes flattery; encouragement with an agenda becomes manipulation. In several prior posts, we have noted the observation of Larry Crabb:

Biblical principles are reduced to basic principles of the world when they’re followed in order to gain the ‘better life’ we demand.

Business as usual says to build relationships as a tool for economic advantage–keeping employees happy, motivating higher performance.  Business a better way says to build relationships because it aligns with God’s design, is conducive to human flourishing, adds beauty to the world, and, as a result, glorifies God.

It is important to distinguish encouragement from flattery or praise for past performance.  Flattery uses affirmation instrumentally for the benefit of the flatterer–to gain favor, avoid conflict, manipulate behavior, or protect oneself. Encouragement is for the benefit of the one being encouraged. Praise for past performance is important, but it looks backward rather than calling the person forward.

In a recent talk given to NCS New Canaan, the founding chapter of the New Canaan Society, Christopher Smith offered one way to think about implementing encouragement through a process of three “E”s.

• Evaluate: Consider what the person needs to overcome doubts and fears.

• Elevate: Because encouragement is about helping a person see the vision, not carrying them to it, consider how to help them see the vision.

• Empower: Consider how to enable the person to pursue the vision, while allowing them to do it themselves–including falling and getting back up.

However a faithful leader goes about encouraging those they shepherd, the important thing is to do it–with intentionality and prayer.  An editorial by Bryant S. Hinckley in the June 19, 1941 edition of Millennial Star captured the need for, and power of, encouragement beautifully:

No doubt many remain pygmies who might be giants. Very few live up to the high-water mark of their possibilities. That is a harsh indictment but, there is much truth in it. We need more than almost anything else something that will hold us to our best . . .. Encouragement and kindness are the saving forces of the world . . .. People who have everything else starve for it. Try it and see how it works; try it first at home then on your neighbours. It works. Encouragement is oxygen to the soul.

PERSONAL NOTE (from PM): This post was inspired by Christopher Smith’s January 23, 2026, talk to NCS New Canaan on the power of encouragement.  You can listen to it HERE.  I have discovered time and time again that God sends encouragement at just the right time–often from a devotional message or Scriptural passage I read, sometimes from another person, and occasionally by speaking to me in my prayer time. I keep an e-mail folder called “Encouraging Words” where I save encouraging e-mails.  I note encouraging interactions and events in my journal.  I have a special folder for encouraging words about this Integriosity blog.  The only encouragement that I sometimes wish didn’t happen is that one great shot in a round of golf. It is enough to make me believe “I can do this” and come back again.

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

INTEGRITY IDEA: Be a Barnabas

“Be a Barnabas” is about a faithful leader prayerfully and intentionally looking for opportunities to encourage those they lead. Encouragement says, “I see you,” “I see something in you,” and “I see something beyond you.”  It recognizes the power of words to lift people past circumstances, over fears and doubts, and out of discouragement, to help them recognize, accept and utilize the gifts they have been given, and to help them live into God’s vision for them.  It recognizes the important difference between encouragement and praise for past performance or flattery.  “Be a Barnabas” reflects and reinforces a culture that recognizes the Imago Dei in each person, lives out the Golden Rule and the commandment to love your neighbor, and prioritizes relationships, community, human dignity, and flourishing. But it also goes beyond the Golden Rule and the commandment to love your neighbor–it is about caring enough for another human to see them as God sees them and to love them as they need to be loved at a particular moment in time and in a particular set of circumstances.

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

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

STAKEHOLDERS SERVED: Employees

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Photo credit: Original image by sydney Rae on Unsplash (photo cropped)