For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Safety comes from making plans and waging war by wise counsel from many advisers. No single person's judgment alone is sufficient, because God has not entrusted to any one man all the wisdom needed to direct ministerial labor and plans of work. When many counsel together, plans and proposed actions can be examined more closely. That closer examination guards against hasty, ill-considered decisions that bring confusion, trouble, and defeat.
In decisions affecting God's work, one person's judgment must not control. Counsel should be sought from brethren with unbiased feelings and clear minds, so that personal likes, dislikes, and favoritism are kept from harming the work and imperiling souls. The call is to overcome selfish pride and independence by sharing plans freely, drawing on varied talents, and distributing responsibility so that people are carried forward together. Unity brings strength, while division brings weakness and defeat.
A man in a position of trust must not regard himself as the conference whose mind and judgment must rule, trusting his individual opinion and pushing it through while leaving committees and people behind. Instead he must walk humbly with God as a learner, regard his own opinions as fallible, heed the counsel the Lord provides, and have confidence in his fellow ministers because the Lord has given them their commission, experience, and instruction in the work. He must counsel together with fellow workers rather than placing himself where ministers must consult him on every detail of how to work. He must not direct their moves here and there or reduce their wages without consulting them and learning their situation, and if he persists in ruling alone the Lord will remove him from his position of trust.
Safety comes from making plans and waging war by wise counsel from many advisers. No single person's judgment alone is sufficient, because God has not entrusted to any one man all the wisdom needed to direct ministerial labor and plans of work. When many counsel together, plans and proposed actions can be examined more closely. That closer examination guards against hasty, ill-considered decisions that bring confusion, trouble, and defeat.
In decisions affecting God's work, one person's judgment must not control. Counsel should be sought from brethren with unbiased feelings and clear minds, so that personal likes, dislikes, and favoritism are kept from harming the work and imperiling souls. The call is to overcome selfish pride and independence by sharing plans freely, drawing on varied talents, and distributing responsibility so that people are carried forward together. Unity brings strength, while division brings weakness and defeat.
A man in a position of trust must not regard himself as the conference whose mind and judgment must rule, trusting his individual opinion and pushing it through while leaving committees and people behind. Instead he must walk humbly with God as a learner, regard his own opinions as fallible, heed the counsel the Lord provides, and have confidence in his fellow ministers because the Lord has given them their commission, experience, and instruction in the work. He must counsel together with fellow workers rather than placing himself where ministers must consult him on every detail of how to work. He must not direct their moves here and there or reduce their wages without consulting them and learning their situation, and if he persists in ruling alone the Lord will remove him from his position of trust.