PROTOCOL

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: “ (James 1:19)

Protocol.

This past Sunday as I was preaching from Daniel chapter 6, I spent at least five minutes on a diversion speaking about PROTOCOL. I realized Sunday that protocol is SUCH a big thing to me, I almost should give a whole topical sermon on the subject, and I don’t usually give topical sermons. (I usually give expository sermons, but that’s a matter for another day.) No matter how strongly I try to express myself in this piece, it won’t be strong enough, for that’s how important I think the matter of protocol is. I am appalled that most Christians and church members have NO IDEA how protocol is supposed to “work” in a church. I’m also appalled that most people in general have NO IDEA how protocol is supposed to work in life, itself. I feel so strongly about this that I’m halfway thinking about writing a book entitled, “Protocol” and devoting
at least a hundred non-fiction pages to the subject. The problem is, it’s
(sadly) unlikely anybody would publish it!

I looked up “protocol” in the dictionary. It is best defined as “rules of
etiquette and diplomacy”. The word “protocol” comes from the French word “prorocole” which is from the Latin “protocollum” which literally means, “the first leaf”.

I, Bob Baril, would best define “protocol” as “the right way to do things;
the classy way to do things; the way a classy, gracious, and mature person conducts himself or herself in life’s situations”.

Here are a few rules of protocol that you should follow in church (especially in a “Bible-Believing Church” such as an Assemblies of God church or other evangelical congregation):

1. Men should always pray with men and women with women. This just plain prevents a lot of inappropriate emotional contacts and situations. When a woman rushes over to lay hands on a man and pray or vice-versa, well, that’s always  “red flag” to me.

2. There are no “assigned seats” in a church. A whole episode of the
animated sit-com “King of the Hill” made that point a couple of years ago. Don’t insist on sitting in “your seat”. Don’t be rude if someone else happens to sit in what you perceive to be “your seat”.

3. If you have an issue with someone in the church, DON’T say something in public to that person, such as, “You SINNED AGAINST me, but I FORGIVE YOU!” Make sure you keep conversations like that PRIVATE. Keeping matters such as that private helps prevent a lot of embarrassment and confusion.

4. If you have “issues” with the church or the pastor, then make an
appointment to speak to the pastor or to the Board. Don’t leave a “hit and run” letter on the pastor’s desk. Even worse, don’t send the pastor a “hit and run” e-mail and don’t leave the pastor a “hit and run” message on his voice mail. (As you can probably tell, yes, all of that stuff has been done to me over the years.)

5. Don’t hold grudges. Be quick to forgive. God was quick to forgive

YOU!


And, here are some rules of protocol to use in society in general:

1. Try not to drive too fast or too slow. Do the speed limit. Of course,
if the other cars are about to run you off the road, you will need to speed up!

2. Dress appropriately. I’ve found that the younger people are, the worse
they dress, but even some senior citizens really don’t know how to dress.
When you’re out doing yard work, you won’t want to wear a tuxedo! But on the other hand, in the business world, be clean and modest in your appearance, and dress a little nicer than you’re used to. I take a lot of teasing because unless it’s over 85 degrees outside, I wear a necktie and dress shirt when I do ministry work. I don’t let slobs set my standards of dress- I dress nice.

3. Be helpful. Don’t be meddlesome, or condescending, or a nuisance, but DO be ready to lend a hand when needed.

4. Be on time for meetings, or slightly early for meetings. If you’re
chronically early (30 minutes or more before the start of the meeting) or if you’re chronically late (30 minutes or more after the start of a meeting) you’ll just cause a lot of confusion and embarrassment.

5. Never telephone anyone before 9 a.m. and never telephone anyone after 9 p.m. unless it’s a matter of life and death. Regarding cell phones, DON’T be on your cell phone all the time. People who are always on their cellphones tend to be inattentive and rude.

6. Don’t yawn in public. Just don’t. There ARE ways to disguise and
minimize yawns. Yawning is very contagiousAND when you’re speaking and everybody’s yawning, trust me, that’s not fun. (And, for my critics out there, NO I’m not boring!). If you must attend a late meeting and you’re exhausted, drink lots of caffeine. I know, you’ll be up all night, but that’s better than yawning through a meeting.

Trust me, if you put these rules of protocol into practice you’ll be glad you did!