Sermon Illustrations
Head of Salvation Army Recommends Prayer for Businesses
In a 2006 interview with USA Today, Israel Gaither, the national commander for the Salvation Army, offered some advice on how to instill employees with a sense of mission.
Here are some of Gaither's tips:
Begin the day with prayer.
Organizations involve humans, and humans sometimes falter. Leaders should pick up those who have fallen, but also have the option to fire them.
Serving leadership is active leadership, not a mantra.
Guard against mission creep. Be courageous to say no.
During the course of the interview, Gaither was asked about his first tip: "Can it be that simple? Can everyone stay out of trouble with a morning prayer?"
He answered: "I serve in a world weakened by sin. That's the context in which I serve, and I have to ask God to protect memy mind, my thinking, and my behavior. Is that the path to help an organization do what is right? Yeah, I think that's the way to do it."