Influence….you just never know…

Influence…you just never know…

who has the power?




job titles and our responses

Have you ever thought about the job title you possess and how others interact with it?  Does the title we possess matter more to us than our own integrity, the way we live or how we behave?  In conversation this week, I have heard various comments regarding titles and how the title conveys power or control to others and how we can use title, or ‘people of title’ to our benefit.

In youth ministry appointments, people may spend longer debating whether the job title should be ‘youth pastor’, ‘youth minister’, ‘youth worker’ or some other derivative.  The conclusions usually relate to how people view the title rather than the role that needs to be fulfilled.  When looking for speakers at events, we look for the ‘high powered’ or the ‘celebrity’ as they can provide an extra endorsement, in business we love the titles to demonstrate our impressive abilities – President, Vice-President of Operations, CEO, CFO, Director, Principal and so forth and so on.

Titles can be necessary and important but, in my opinion, we need to be careful that we do not hold these things in awe, rather in humility.  The badge that we wear can easily be removed, the person that we truly are can never be taken from us.  Are we people of integrity, working for truth, humility and justice? Or are we those that are seeking the best seat in the house, with the ‘best’ company? How do we view our own title?  Certainly some questions that leave room to ponder.