He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.

Acts 20:4

Were you one of those students who loved, or hated group projects? Usually, the determining factor came from the burden of work. Were you the one who did a lot of the work, or less of the work?

I tend to be inverted, so group projects were never my thing. But when it comes to building relationships with donor partners, I prefer to have someone with me that thinks differently than I do. It helps to bounce ideas off of that other staff member, and when I’m not available, some else is ready to answer questions or provide information. At least one other person at donor meetings, and others at work to help me think through or edit a document makes the nonprofit better.

If you read verses 1-3 of Acts 20, it sounds like Paul ventured out on his own at first. For three months, he traveled and encouraged the people he met. Then, he found out danger lurked in his future, and found some friends to go with him. 

Then we get to verse 4, which lists out those who went with him. It’s a verse that’s easy to glaze over, and yet, can have so much meaning. These six people held significance to Paul. So much that they are named. He just spent three months encouraging people and none of those people are named. Paul’s team needed elevated status in the story of his travels. 

It’s the team of people that travel with you toward your missional goal that you’ll remember. Long after the project completion, the donor visit, or the program closes, it’s the people that you were with that you’ll remember, and most likely by name.

Whether you like to work hard alone like Paul had those first three months, or believe in the saying that “many hands make light work,” you may be able to recall those who were with you when the greatest success came.

Don’t go alone. In any nonprofit, make sure you have a good team with you.

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© 2023, Mollie Bond. All rights reserved. Originally published at www.molliebond.org.