Nehemiah 7:1 – Now when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed…
A family is comprised of things and people. For example, a family has to live in some kind of physical home. A home needs to have a foundation, walls, a door, and a roof to keep the family safe and intruders away.
Within that home, the family members also have relationships, whether that be as a married couple or parents to kids, maybe even an extended family member living with your immediate family.
One without the other is not a healthy or safe family. What is true of a family is true of God’s church family.
A good leader knows how to steward both things (e.g. finances, real estate, technology, equipment), and people (e.g. relationships, leadership culture, team dynamics, organizational health). In family systems, this would be the difference between the home, calendar, and budget that the family lives within, and the interpersonal communication and relationships between family members. Both matter greatly.
Thus far in Nehemiah, we have seen him working mainly on things (fundraising, legal documents, stone stacking, wall building, gate hanging, security, and public relations). With much of that work now complete, his focus shifts to people and how to welcome them to the city and church, care for them, teach them about God, and help them build healthy families and interpersonal relationships along with Ezra (to learn more, read the book of the Bible bearing his name). Simply stated, Nehemiah goes from working on the organization he leads to working in the organization.
Are you better at stewarding things or people?