Growth Socially
Proverbs 27:17
Three seminal principles: cultivate the art of thinking, manage time, evaluate performance
Transition to Social Area
- Importance of social relationships in Christian life
- The truth of Scripture: we are created to live in relation, not isolation
- Issues with interpersonal relations in ministry
Key Principles for Social Involvement
- Enrich Your Circle of Friends
- Importance of friendship in God's economy
- Scriptures: Proverbs 17:17, 18:24, 27:6, 27:17
- Definition of a true friend:
- Knows all about you and accepts you
- Can share heretical ideas without rejection
- Can confront or be confronted without rejection
- Three Types of Friends Needed in Ministry
- Paul: A mentor, a model
- Timothy: A younger person to mentor
- Barnabas: A peer, a close friend for accountability
- Expanding Your Circle of Friends
- Friends outside your present circle
- Friends from different age levels (children, teenagers, senior citizens)
- Unsaved friends
Flow into the Lives of People
- Engage in meaningful relationships
- Scriptures: Philippians 2:19-21, Galatians 6:1-2
- Importance of showing genuine interest in others' welfare
- Role of restoring those overtaken in faults
Keep the Home Fires Burning
- Importance of family in ministry
- Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12
- Integration of family life with ministry responsibilities
- The impact of a pastor's family life on their ministry
Practical Applications
- Writing letters of appreciation
- Being an enjoyable person to be around
- Building deep relationships that allow for mutual accountability and support
Conclusion
- Emphasis on the need for behavioral models in social relationships
- A prayer for the continued effectiveness and growth in ministry
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
