Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the April employment report. The headlines read that the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent, household employment increased by 192,000 and establishment payrolls increased by 233,000.
The report was close to pre-release expectations. The report caused U.S. stock indices to gain more than 1 percent. But looking beyond the obvious can be enlightening.
Behind the headlines, details of the report were less encouraging. March establishment payrolls were revised downward from a weak 126,000 to a very weak 85,000. The number of part-time workers increased 198,000. All of the increase in household employment was due to part-time jobs.
Behind the headlines knowledge of how BLS computes the unemployment rate is important. The unemployment rate is computed by dividing the number of people that are unemployed and looking for a job by the number of people in the civilian labor force. To be considered unemployed a person must have looked for a job within the last 30 days. To be considered employed, a person usually must have worked one hour during the survey week for pay.
If an unemployed worker becomes discouraged and quits looking for a job, the person will no longer be considered unemployed or part of the labor force. The unemployment rate will go down. If the economy improves and the discouraged again begins to look for a job, the unemployment rate will increase. The rate also makes no allowance for under-employment. If a highly skilled and paid computer engineer loses his or her job and then works one morning at a fast food restaurant for minimum wage, there has been no change in unemployment. Not looking behind the headlines can lead to incorrect economic conclusions.
In our ministries, are we looking beyond the obvious? Are we too willing to accept things at face value instead of looking for root causes? Are we missing issues that should be addressed because we are not going beyond the headlines in counseling, interviewing, or pastoral visits?
Are we being deceived by the false fronts of our flock: fronts of happiness when they are sad, fronts of peace when there is turmoil, fronts of marital bliss when there are problems, fronts of holiness when there is sin and fronts of faith when there are doubts?
As ministers in the kingdom, we have all that we need to discern truth from error, fronts from facts and headlines from important details. Specifically, we have been given intellects—the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The following seven guidelines should help us move beyond the obvious:
1. Develop the discipline to pay attention to details such as facial expression, posture and other non-verbal cues. Be particularly astute to changes in behavior.
2. In a non-threatening and loving manner develop the art of asking questions and probing.
3. Be willing to invest the time to go deeper than surface appearances.
4. Develop a loving, trusting and nurturing environment; an environment in which congregants feel safe, loved and comfortable in being transparent.
5. Know and apply the whole Word of God in all situations; not in a legalistic way but in a way that you know without doubt that it is the source of absolute truth.
6. Seek the guidance, discernment and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
7. Be known as a servant of God who has integrity and operates in His love and power; that you are there to provide natural and supernatural assistance to his children.
Dr. James Russell is a professor of economics and undergraduate chair of the College of Business at Oral Roberts University.
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