Positives, Negatives and Neutrals

Positives, Negatives and Neutrals.....Interesting title.I read a really interesting article on Mark Driscolls blog on “Positives, Negatives and Neutrals”. This is what he wrote:
“Every ministry leader needs to be a positive. They also need to know who the positives, negatives and neutrals are in official leadership and unofficial leadership in their ministry.

Positives
Positives are people who do gospel things in gospel ways for gospel reasons. They are trusting, supportive and encouraging. They build bridges and mediate conflict. Positives bring organizational health, work for the good of the gospel over any single issue or cause, and are a blessing because they humbly want the gospel to win. Positives are prone to turn neutrals into positives, while they also work to neutralize negatives. In the Bible, positives are often referred to as shepherds.
NegativesNegatives are people who do ungospel things in ungospel ways for ungospel reasons. They are distrusting, unsupportive, discouraging and contentious. They burn bridges, are wounded by bitterness from past hurts and are often the centre of criticism and conflict. Negatives bring organizational sickness, division and trouble because they are proudly more interested in their cause winning than the gospel and the good of the whole. Negatives tend to draw other negatives towards themselves as factions, and they also prey on neutrals in order to increase their own power and control. In the Bible, negatives are often referred to as wolves.
NeutralsNeutrals are followers who are easily influenced. They are prone to being unsure, confused, and fearful. Neutrals are often caught in the middle when there is conflict between positives and negatives. A neutral becomes a positive or negative depending upon who their friends are, whom they listen to, what information they have access to, which books they read and which teachers they look up to. In the Bible, neutrals are often referred to as sheep.
Sadly, in most ministries, the negatives are the most vocal, most exhausting, and most distracting, as well as the least likely to contribute to growth and health. Though few, they are often loud and difficult, spreading – as Paul says – like gangrene through the church body (2 Timothy 2:17) Practically, this means that even few negatives working together can become quite difficult. The Bible reveals that negatives often pair up like two barrels of a gun, as was the case with Jannes and Jambels opposing Moses, Sanballet and Tobiah opposing Nehemiah and Hymenaeus and Alexander opposing Paul.”Mark Driscoll then goes on to write about how to stay positive. I LOVED it. 


Compiled by Molly Manhanga