In 1948, before anyone knew his name, Billy Graham sat down with three teammates in Modesto, California. He asked them to list the things that had wrecked other ministries.
They came back with the same list: money, sexual temptation, running down local churches, and exaggerating results.
So they made a commitment for each one. Open books. Never alone with a woman who was not a wife. Work with the local churches. Report honest numbers. A year later the crowds came. The rules were already in place.
The idea. Earning trust is the second step of the LEADS Path, and guardrails are built before the curve. Rules written after a failure are damage control. Rules written before are character. Notice also that Graham did not make these rules alone. The team held the same commitments and held each other to them.
The action for this week. Ask your team one question: what are the four ways leaders in our field most often lose trust? Write one commitment for each. Sign the page together.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”Proverbs 4:23, ESV
Jake
P.S. The longer story is in Leaders in History. Read Billy Graham.