How would you describe and define a healthy culture of honor?
My observation is that churches demonstrate a wide variance of who is honored and how honor is demonstrated.
If you value a culture of honor in your staff or whole church, I hope these thoughts are helpful to you.
Let me quickly say that I have no desire to critique any particular expression of honor, my hope is to write about a healthy culture of honor overall.
To do that we need to start with Scripture. Any church and staff culture that practices the value of honor without a biblical foundation to guide it is destined for disappointment.
That doesn’t suggest that there is sin, evil, or malice in play. It is simply that we are profoundly human.
Romans 12:9-13 is a good starting point for this topic.
The context is important. The passage describes who we are, what we value and how we treat each other.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
This passage in Romans, specifically verse 10, makes clear that we are to honor each other, not just one or a select few, and the qualifier is honoring above ourselves.
Honor means to ascribe value, give recognition, and show appreciation.
Honor isn’t meant to be given randomly. We should honor what is honorable and honor where honor is due rather than insincerely flattering others. The key is that honor never loses sight of humility, so it can be uplifting to everyone.
Romans 12:9-10 indicates that the foundation of honor is love, and that love is qualified as sincere, not fake or forced.
The idea is that we would regard one another as persons of value. Another perspective or lens for honor is the idea of respect.
Cultivate a Healthy Culture of Honor
1. Honoring Others Begins and Ends With Honoring God.
The best way to keep the right perspective regarding honoring others is to always honor God first and highest.
Honor isn’t about putting someone on a pedestal or suggesting they are better than others. It’s an awareness of the value of others and letting them know. It is appropriate recognition and appreciation that often comes from gratitude.
One of the most appropriate guardrails for a healthy culture is to always honor God first in our lives. We can honor him with our words, actions, love and character.
The following Psalm is one of my favorites and is one of dozens that describes the honor due to God.
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. (Psalm 95:3-7)
