Warren’s observation: “People tend to do whatever gets rewarded, so make heroes of people in your church when they do the work of the church.” This is not manipulation — it is a basic social learning mechanism. What gets publicly celebrated gets repeated, both by the person celebrated and by others who observe the celebration.
His example: when a pastor publicly celebrates a lay minister who arrived at the hospital before the pastor did — using that moment to honor lay ministry rather than feel threatened by it — the whole congregation learns something. Ministry is not the pastor’s exclusive domain. Initiative is rewarded. The purpose (ministry) has a face.
This is why “making heroes” is not just motivational strategy — it is theological formation. Who gets celebrated in a church reveals what the church actually values, regardless of what the mission statement says. A church that only recognizes staff, only celebrates donors, only highlights the pastor’s activity is communicating a value structure through its reward patterns whether it intends to or not.
The corrective practice: build deliberate recognition of lay people living out each of the five purposes into regular church life. The evangelist who led a friend to faith. The minister who serves quietly in a hospital. The small group leader who held a couple together through crisis. Each of these, when named and honored, does more purpose formation than a month of pulpit explanation.
In worship leading contexts: recognizing musicians who serve sacrificially, who pray with congregants after service, who show up early and stay late — this shapes a team’s culture faster than any instruction or training.