THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF BARNABAS
RICH KAO
APRIL 16, 2015
Abstract
This paper looks at world-class leadership through the component of emotional intelligence. The
biblical leader of Barnabas is used as a case study to illuminate the power and impact of
leadership infused by a high emotional quotient. Three levels of such intelligence in Barnabas'
life are examined: personal, leadership, and organizational. The profile provided is meant to
inspire leaders to observe, do and lead as Barnabas did.
Author Biography
Rich Kao is an entrepreneur, NGO leader, scientist, and church planter. As a lifelong student of
leadership, his passion is in identifying and understanding how to build high-impact
organizations and the principles behind leadership excellence. He currently lives in Vancouver,
BC with wife Memie, and four children.
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INTRODUCTION
In the annals of New Testament figures, outside of Jesus, such names as Peter, John and Paul
jump to mind as the typical heroes. These were leaders in the early church that loomed large, taking their
place as humble yet powerful Christ-centered leaders. So instrumental were they in the founding years of
the Church that God even used them to write scripture. It is with good reason that they are celebrated as
outstanding biblical examples.
However, one leader played a pivotal role in the early church's development that is, though not
ignored, sometimes overlooked in the excitement of the fore mentioned leaders -- that leader being
Barnabas. While not among the original apostles, his role in the beginning stages of the church was
nonetheless crucial and strategic. As one of the participants in the outpouring at Pentecost (Acts 2:41;
4:4), Barnabas joined the ranks of swelling believers that came together with "one heart and one mind"
(Acts 2:46: 4:32). Seeking to meet the financial needs of the church, Barnabas was one of the early givers
that not only gave generously, but sacrificially. The bible records that he sold a tract of land and donated
the proceeds by placing it at the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:36). This piece of land however was no
ordinary piece of property. Historians note that the field was probably located in the "rich fruit-growing
lands of Cyprus, [and thus] worth more than a stony field in Palestine" (Branch, 2007, p. 305). The value
of this property and its income producing ability signified Barnabas' "abandoned generosity" (p. 305) and
his love for God's work. Deeply touched by Barnabas' unfettered giving, the apostles changed his birth
name of Joseph to Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36). Not only was Barnabas
brought into the fellowship of believers, he was now brought into the fellowship of the apostles. This
name change was a term of endearment for the Jerusalem leadership (Branch, 2007, p. 300) which would
later prove to be a prophetic indicator of things to come.
WORLD-CLASS LEADER
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After Jesus' resurrection, the apostles were given clear marching order: "Go there and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Mt.
28:19). Amplifying this mandate, Jesus gave them additional insight as to how this would unfold. They
would receive power from the Holy Spirit as they waited in Jerusalem, and in turn this would propel them
progressively outward from Jerusalem, through Judea and Samaria and then "to the remotest part of the
earth" (Acts 1:8). Unbeknownst to the apostles however was the new cultural terrain that would have to
be navigated in pursuit of this goal. The apostles' world was the Hebrew world, and unaware of their own
Jewish enculturation, God would have to provide ambassadors more naturally fitted and comfortable in
extending the gospel to new lands and places. Barnabas was one of those ambassadors. Indeed, his role
was vital and strategic as he would plant the first church among gentile believers in a city called Antioch.
It was there that the gospel would break into new spheres of expansion beyond the Jewish environs and
context. Barnabas helped the gospel crossover from the "Judea and Samaria regions" to the "uttermost
parts" and thus proved to be, as Godin (2010) would describe it, an indispensable linchpin in the
advancement of the gospel. Barnabas was a history maker. This paper will look at what made Barnabas a
world-class leader, and in particular focus in on his emotional intelligence as the key to his success.
HEARTFELT BEGINNINGS
Barnabas, besides being a man of means, was also "a Levite of Cyprian birth" (Acts 4:36). As
such he was a man that straddled two worlds, the Hebrew world and the Hellenist world (Murphy, 2010,
p. 320). In his role as a Levite, he would have "performed routine tasks in the temple" but not being of
"Aaronic or Zadokite lineage" was not part of the official priestly office (Branch, 2007, 298). Barnabas'
background was hence a unique mix of religious heritage, international exposure, and material wealth.
While as a Levite he could have taken pride in his standing among the religious elite (Murphy, 2010, p.
320), or in the world as a man of experience and money, Barnabas did neither. Rather he harbored a
humble spirit. When the revival swept Jerusalem, the text does not make explicit if Barnabas was
converted as such, but we know his religious affections were greatly awakened. The community of
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believers and extending the kingdom became his passion. His commitment to the church and giving of
his worldly riches indicated a deep love for God. Later in Acts 13:1-3, we find Barnabas given to fasting,
worshiping and seeking God. It seemed these were devotional habits he learned in Jerusalem when the
church exploded with God's manifest presence. The glory of God animated Barnabas and drew him more
and more into who God was. Not only were gifts of leadership released, but a heart-felt servant attitude
was adopted, to the point where he joined the saints in placing their offerings at the feet of the apostles
(Acts 4:35) This sensitivity to the person and inner workings of Jesus hearkened to Jesus' earlier words in
John 17:3, "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you
have sent" (NIV). This passion to know and grow in God became foundational and the basis of his
emotional intelligence. Through his time of fasting, praying, learning from the apostles and being in
community amongst the saints, his constant peering into the face of God allowed him to apprehend what
Moses apprehended, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding
in loving kindness and truth (Ex. 34:6). Whether Barnabas knew what was happening to him or not, he
was being transformed into the likeness of Christ, and in the process gained the same emotional
intelligence that his Master possessed. This in turn would prepare and allow him to excel as a leader in the
days to come.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
The idea of emotional intelligence, while present from ancient times, has only become an
understood and articulated leadership dynamic in recent years. Its genesis began in seed form in 1930
through Edward Thorndike who spoke of "social intelligence as the ability to get along with people"
(Cherry, 2015). This was furthered through the decades by the likes of Albert Maslow who described
how people could accrue emotional strength (1950's), and Howard Gardner who expanded the idea of
intelligence to include the emotional component (1975). The term emotional intelligence was first used in
1985 by Wayne Payne in a doctoral dissertation. Shortly thereafter, in 1990, psychologists Peter Salovey
and John Mayer of Yale University and University of New Hampshire respectively put the concept of
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emotional intelligence on the map with their landmark article of the same name. Pushing it out of the
academic circles, Daniel Goleman took the concept to the masses with his idea of why emotional
intelligence or "EQ" (emotional quotient) as it was now dubbed, could be of more importance than IQ
(Cherry, 2015).
In Salovey and Mayer's formulation (2004, pp. xi, 28), emotional intelligence was made up of
four components: 1) identifying emotions; 2) using emotions; 3) understanding emotions; and 4)
managing emotions. Goleman (2004), in relating emotional intelligence to the leadership realm identified
the following five components with their associated traits.
CHART A
The Five Components of Emotional Intelligence
As we will see in the life of Barnabas, his emotional intelligence touched on all of these traits.
Interestingly, the Greek root of Barnabas' name has in it the sense of "comfort" (Murphy, 2010, 321),
further accentuating the picture that Barnabas had a high emotional quotient.
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Additionally, Barnabas was not just moving in "natural" emotional intelligence, he also had
supernatural emotional acuity as given by the Holy Spirit. The scriptures testify that Barnabas ministered
as a prophet (Acts 13:1). In other words, he had divine insight into the hearts of people and as such
would not only perceive their emotional state from a human perspective but also from a heavenly
perspective. This is to say he could sense and feel what people were feeling as God would, which
extended not just to people's present emotional state and being, but also their future potential as people. It
is this unique quality and ability that we will see shine through time and time again as he served as God's
leader.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE WITH PEOPLE
Barnabas has been described as a "lovable character" and a "people person" (Branch, 2007, pp.
297, 306). Besides the "comfort" sense embodied in his name, his name also encompasses "the idea of
refreshment" (p. 300). Additionally, his original name of Joseph carried with it "the ideas of God's
increase" (p. 308). In other words, people enjoyed being around Barnabas, as he did with them, and
through his ministry and presence they felt enlarged and enriched.
Two notable instances highlight Barnabas' love for people and his advocacy for them. In Acts
9:1-30 we are given the story of Saul's conversion as a persecutor of the church to a follower of Christ.
People were stunned at the miraculous and sudden turnaround (9:21). One moment Saul was "breathing
threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (9:1) and in the next, he was "proclaim[ing] Jesus in
the synagogues, saying 'He is the Son of God'" (9:20). With good reason the people and the apostles
doubted the sincerity of his conversion (Acts 9:26). Yet it was Barnabas that turned public opinion in
Saul's favor. Scriptures tells us that Barnabas "took hold of [Saul] and brought him to the apostles and
described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at
Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus" (Acts 9:27). By doing this, Barnabas risked
considerable relational capital for a man he hardly knew (Murphy, 2010, p. 323). What if his speaking up
for Saul turned out to be a mistake? What was it that compelled Barnabas to do this? What pushed him
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to help out the famed persecutor? In a word, it was his love for people and the inner witness given by his
emotional intelligence. Sensing that Saul's conversion was authentic, and that his new allegiance to Jesus
was real, Barnabas took it upon himself to make sure Saul had a "fair showing" before the people and the
apostles. Later on, this initial episode of "standing up for Saul" would bear fruit of unimaginable
proportions. A bond had formed between Barnabas and Saul.
A second notable instance of Barnabas' advocacy for people, ironically, occurred in a dispute
with Saul over the ministry worthiness of John Mark, Barnabas' cousin (Col. 4:10). Having taken John
Mark on their first mission trip as a helper (Acts 13:5), John Mark quickly abandoned them in Perga (Act
13:13). Later, as Paul and Barnabas were readying themselves for a second missionary journey, Barnabas
wanted to take John Mark once again, but Paul objected. So violent was their disagreement that they split
up as a team. Paul took Silas with him, while Barnabas took John Mark (Acts 15:36-40). The
disagreement could have been chalked up to a "family matter" (John Mark being Barnabas' cousin), yet
the long view tells us that Barnabas and Paul were both right in their own ways. That the narrative in
Acts continues with Paul's team and not Barnabas' indicates Paul made the tough, but right decision in not
bringing John Mark along. However, history tells us Barnabas' belief in John Mark, and his desire to give
his cousin a second chance also proved fruitful. John Mark went on to be the chronicler of Mark's Gospel
as told by the apostle Peter (Keener, 1993, p. 132). And later, he was also reunited with Paul in ministry
(Col. 4:10, Philemon 24, 2 Tim. 4:11). Barnabas' sense of emotional connection with people made him a
ready champion of their call in God.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A LEADER
As can been seen in the previous section, Barnabas had a strong proclivity towards sponsoring
people. His emotional intelligence allowed him to identify with them and to believe in their potential.
More specifically, based on Goleman's criteria (Chart A), Barnabas exhibited high empathic qualities
which are a key subset of emotional intelligence. As defined by Goleman, leaders with high empathy
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exhibit the ability "to understand the emotional makeup of other people, [and are experts] in building and
retaining talent" (2004). Expanding on the inner workings of empathy, Kao (2015) writes:
"The Latin root for the word 'attention,' means 'to reach toward.' Using this idea, Goleman
goes on to define empathy as 'focusing attention on others,' as in the sense 'to reach toward them'
(2013, p. 54). I like this definition because it pictures empathy as intentional, purposeful, and
possessing a desire to engage [people]. Goleman [further] breaks down empathy into a triad made
up of cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and empathic concern (p. 55). Cognitive empathy is
the ability to understand another person's perspective; emotional empathy is the ability to feel
what someone else feels; and empathic concern is the ability to sense what another person needs
from you. By seeing that empathy has an intellectual, emotional, and serving component, leaders
can consciously dial into a person's situation and express empathy in a real and concrete way."
By this definition, we see Barnabas exhibiting the total empathic package of understanding,
feeling and acting, which exactly mirrors the model given by Salovey and Mayer (2004). In his advocacy
of Paul after his dramatic Damascus conversion, there was a need for Paul to experience acceptance.
Having been an enemy to the Christian community, Paul needed to know there was a spiritual family that
would receive him and support him. It was Barnabas that mediated this amazing inclusion (Acts 9:2728). Paul needed that assurance and love. When Barnabas insisted on including John Mark on the second
missionary trip, despite his cousin's failure in the first (Acts 13:13), Barnabas was looking forward to
John Mark's future effectiveness and sought to mend his cousin's sagging confidence and self-image.
John Mark had disappointed his seniors, but Barnabas knew with some encouragement he would bounce
back. Barnabas had a powerful ability to empathize with the situation people were in, and then "reach
towards them" as Goleman states, to restore and reinstate them. In both cases, Barnabas acted as a leader
reaching out to two other leaders to see them maximize their purposes in God. He had empathetic insight
that was wedded to divine insight.
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We have another vivid example of Barnabas' emotional intelligence as given in his ability to
advocate in leadership situations. Because of the persecution rising up against the Jerusalem church
(ironically triggered by Paul in Acts 8:1-2; 9:1-2), Christians were scattering throughout Judea and
Samaria (Acts 8:1-2) and even going as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, where gentile believers,
unable to suppress their love for Jesus began preaching to other gentiles (Acts 11:20). The bible says
"and the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord" (Acts
11:21). Instigated by a fierce persecution, the gospel was now spreading into gentile territory, and in
Antioch, a fledging gentile church of all things was rising up. Into this situation, Barnabas was
dispatched by the apostles. They must have discerned, as well as Barnabas, the divine providence of God
in placing Barnabas in their midst when the revival at Pentecost first broke out. The bonds of fellowship
that developed so warmly and profoundly between the them now had strategic implication. Barnabas,
being a native Cyprian (Acts 4:36) innately understood the cultural terrain of the area, while also
understanding the heartbeat of the apostles and their priorities. He was the perfect mediator and gobetween for the situation (Murphy, 2010, pp. 325-326). How would he assess the situation in Antioch?
How would he discern, in this first test of the gospel outside a Jewish frame, whether God was in it or
not? Acts 9:23 provides the answer. Barnabas did not employ a rulebook or doctrine test, instead he
employed a more emotionally tactile model. The bible says when he "witnessed the grace of God, he
rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord" (Acts 9:23). The
evidence of God's grace was the telling signs of life. Barnabas felt the witness of God's presence and
power at work. Acts 9:24 even seems to go out of the way to indicate how Barnabas was so discerning in
the situation when it describes Barnabas as "a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith," as if to
say in bible code, here is an example of a man intuitively and divinely inspired. Barnabas' emotional
intelligence was shining through as he saw God at work in the people, which is always the focus and
burden of emotionally intelligent leaders. How crucial this methodology proved to be as Barnabas'
affirmation of the situation would soon turn Antioch into the gateway and launching point for global
evangelism. Barnabas' world-class leadership was on display. What Barnabas modeled in ancient
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Antioch, experts now posit to be true; empathy is critical to leadership success (Kerr, 2012).
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN ORGANIZATIONS
The assigning of Barnabas by the Jerusalem apostles to the Antiochian region of Syria was a
decision filled with wisdom. As indicated previously, Barnabas as a Hebrew and a Hellenist was the
perfect cross-cultural ambassador to advance the gospel. While the persecution pushed the disciples
northward out of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria into Phoenicia, Cyprus and Syria -- with Antioch
representing the northern tip (Frank, 1984) -- the need for cross-cultural agility would become more and
more paramount for gospel workers. As given in Goleman's chart, a premium would be placed on the
self-awareness, self-regulation and the social skill components of emotional intelligence. Gospel
emissaries would encounter new languages, customs, norms, foods, dress, sights, and smells. If people
were given to ethnocentric attitudes, then they would find themselves undermining their own
effectiveness. To be cultural agile one had to be emotionally intelligent, good at coping with situational
ambiguity, while possessing a genuine desire to learn, listen, and grow in new circumstances (Kao, 2015,
p. 9). Treading into new cultures would require humility combined with self-efficacy, all key attributes of
self-awareness and self-regulation which Goleman defines as "the ability to recognize and understand
your moods, emotions, and drives as well as their effect on others" and "the ability to control or redirect
disruptive impulses and moods, and the propensity to suspend judgment" (2004; Chart A). All this would
be part and parcel of the social skills missionaries would have to carry with them into new horizons, not
to mention the heavy lifting required in planting a new organization, God's church, as Barnabas had to do.
After Barnabas surveyed the situation in Antioch, it soon became apparent his leadership skills
would be stretched to new dimensions Drawn in by the grace of God, he felt the responsibility to pastor
the new believers. He would soon become the organizer, foundation layer, and father of a new church.
Though never having planted one, Barnabas became amazingly adroit at being a church planter. Indeed,
we will see how his emotional acumen, tied to his leadership calling allowed him to establish four crucial
leadership areas.
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1. Leadership Development Systems
Upon seeing the surging numbers of young believers (Acts 9:21), Barnabas realized he needed to
assemble a teaching team. These new followers were hungry to grow in their faith and they needed to be
fed. Instituting what missiologists call "an educational model of [the] church" (Branch, 2007, p. 313),
Barnabas in effect set into motion a leader development system with an emphasis on personal growth
(McCauley, Kanga and Lafferty, 2010. p. 45). Moved by the zeal and passion of these new gentile
believers, Barnabas acted to meet their need by displaying Goleman's "empathic concern" (2013, p. 55).
Toward this goal, he recruited his friend Paul who had been in seclusion at Tarsus (Acts 9:30). Again we
see the providence of God at work. Barnabas' previous advocacy of Paul created an important affirmation
for Paul by the apostles, that then allowed him to serve in this fast emerging situation. Barnabas' faith in
Paul early on led to a bond that allowed Barnabas to now call on his friend to assist in this new gentile
revival. Had Barnabas not had the emotional foresight and determination to validate Paul to the Jewish
church and apostles, he would not have had a world-class teacher at his disposal. Instead, his relationship
building skills was providing fruit at just the right time as the maturation of the church depended on this
leadership development system getting established.
2. Leadership Development and Social Identity
One of the big challenges that faced Barnabas was to remove any sense of inferiority among the
gentile believers with regard to their Jewish brothers. While the epicenter of the revival was in Jerusalem,
and all the top apostles were Hebrew (not to mention Jesus their savior), it did not mean the gentile
believers were second-class in any way. As Paul taught, in Christ the "dividing wall" between Jews and
gentiles came down (Eph. 2:14). They were one new man (Eph. 2:15). The new covenant did not
distinguish on the basis of ethnicity, rather it included people on the basis of faith (Eph. 2:8). Thus all
races and faces were welcome (Eph. 2:17-18). This was a crucial line of teaching that would settle the
hearts of the new converts as to their sense of identity and self, and their future roles as leaders in the
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church. As Munusamy, Ruderman, and Eckert state, "leader development is a maturation process
merging self and social knowledge with identification as a leader" (2010, p. 149). Barnabas would not
only hammer this understanding home, but he would back it up with his actions. Scripture says that
Barnabas "rejoiced" over the disciples in Antioch. They would feel his joy, acceptance and love. They
were like little duckling receiving their first imprints of family and kinship, and Barnabas made sure the
initial encounters with a "big leader from Jerusalem" were healthy and empowering. Barnabas' spirit of
encouragement was in full bloom. His skills at assuring, comforting and building up the disciples, now
called Christians for the first time (Acts 11:26), insured that they would be excellent material for
leadership when the time came.
3. Developing Team Leadership Capability
As Morgeson, Lindoerfer, and Loring write, "Organizational life is complicated" (2010, p. 285),
and especially so when leadership occurs "across intergroup boundaries" (Ernst, Hannum, and Ruderman,
2010, p. 375). This is where leadership teams are not constituted "within groups in which members are
bound by a common culture" (p. 375), but rather have to contend with differences in "gender, religion,
race, generation, culture, or ideology" (p. 375). Nowhere would this be more true than with the emerging
leadership configuration at Antioch. As given in Acts 13:1, the leadership at Antioch was a veritable
"soup to nuts" team. It was a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-gifted group composed of teachers,
prophets and apostles. Five main leaders were identified: 1) Barnabas, a Jewish Cyriot; 2) Simon who
was called Niger, a black man; 3) Lucius of Cyrene, a common Latin name in the Roman world; 4)
Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, i.e. one who had political connections; and 5)
Saul, a Jew from Tarsus (Kao, 2013, p. 11). From this group, one had differences in ethnicity, education,
locale, socio-economic strata, skills sets and family backgrounds. But from this core Barnabas had to
facilitate a unified team. The idea was to leverage the collective abilities and experiences of each leader
so as to "some degree 1) share a social identity as a unit, 2) possess common goals, 3) [become]
interdependent in terms of tasks or outcomes, 4) have distinct roles within the team, and 5) be embedded
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in a larger organizational and societal context" (Morgeson, Lindoerfer, and Loring, 2010, p. 286). How
did Barnabas foster this? He accomplished it by pointing everyone upward to the true commander-inchief. The scripture tells us the team got together to "minister to the Lord" with fasting (Acts 13:2). Out
of this, great clarity came. Barnabas and Paul would be sent out as the church's first missionaries. The
others would stay behind to lead the church, and overall the kingdom would be advanced. At home, new
leaders would be allowed to emerge, and abroad, new churches would be planted. There would be new
roles for everyone, new divisions of labor, but all flying under the flag of Jesus; dependent on each other
in fellowship, yet operating in the designated spheres as assigned by the Holy Spirit. Barnabas' role in
fostering a "seeking God" environment hearkened back to his earlier Jerusalem days of tender worship
and submission to the Lord. He never left those foundations. His softhearted love for God continued to
underpin his leadership, and in turn he imparted that to the new leadership team rising up in Antioch. Not
only was Barnabas emotionally intelligent towards his fellow man, he was also emotionally sensitive to
his God. As a result, the leadership capacity of the team became exponential.
4. Developing Strategic Leadership
Closely related to the cultivation of team leadership is the development of strategic leadership,
which as defined by Betty and Byington is a "collective, continuous learning process that engages both
individuals and the organization as a collective to think, act and influence others in ways that promote
enduring direction, alignment, and commitment (DAC)" (2010, p. 313). Drath, Palus, and McGuire
underscore this notion of collectivism in their discussion of "interdependent leadership" (2010, p. 405)
which is marked by "emergence, shared discovery and collective learning" (p. 407). Note the emphasis
on the word "collective" in both definitions and its connection to the scene in Acts 13:1-3. The Antioch
leadership gathered together in a powerful collective event, not driven by the agenda of any one leader,
but rather as a group to seek the face of God. They were there to hear and learn in real-time what was on
God's heart -- in other words to discern the proper direction, alignment and commitment that God
required of them. Could they have been more strategic? Could they have been better informed of what to
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do and how to prioritize their activities, efforts, and dollars? Barnabas was training them into a leadership
model in which everything began before the throne of God. All God's initiative would have its start in
intercession and worship, for from this the direction and voice of the Holy Spirit and his prophetic
intentions would be known. While man can only strategize from his limited human view, to be before the
Lord as a collective would be to see things from God's divine perspective. Nothing could be more
powerful. From these times of worship and seeking, strategic thinking would lead to strategic acting
which would lead to strategic influence (pp. 326-327). As the narrative unfolded in Acts we see the
sending forth of Barnabas and Paul (strategic thinking), led to the release of the most powerful missionary
tandem in history as they planted churches all over Asia Minor (strategic acting). Ultimately, they
touched nearly every major city (strategic influence). As Keller writes, they impacted "Athens, the
intellectual center of the Greco-Roman world, Corinth, one of the commercial centers of the empire,
Ephesus, often seen as the religious center of the Roman world, and Rome, which was the military and
political center of that world" (2010, p. 130). All this came about because of a corporate commitment to
the glory to God as mediated by a worship, prayer and fasting retreat. How might Acts have turned out
were it not for this strategic leadership gathering? Credit is due Barnabas for facilitating this "seekers"
model as a man radically touched by God whose emotional genius became mirrored in his own life.
CONCLUSION
The life of Barnabas is an inspiring one. While sometimes overshadowed by the spiritual giants
of the New Testament, yet when one slows down to ponder his ministry, it yields a beautiful and moving
picture of sacrifice, service, worship, and world-class leadership. At the heart of Barnabas' ministry was
his passion for God which fueled his passion for people. As such, his emotional intelligence and
constitution was the key to his fruitfulness and impact. His ability to advocate for people, navigate
culture, multiply leaders, and plant churches testify to his caring, emotionally astute center. He touched
the world at a personal, leadership and organizational level. His life, emotionally intelligent and robust,
was a life well lived for God and people. May future leaders observe, learn and do likewise.
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