“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Genesis 2:16-17

Unfortunately too many Christian organizations are in chaos or perform beneath their potential because of unclear guidelines, performance measurements and lack of accountability. Some have taken grace too far and completely ignored the need for guidelines and accountability. Some are just being cowards, unwilling to make things clear or to hold people accountable. Others do not want to confront people or hurt their feelings.

The truth is that we all need boundaries and accountability. Without them, we either do not perform at all, or we under perform. Every organization and relationship needs clear Rules of Engagement (ROE) to fully realize its potential.

If you have been in the military or police force you are probably very familiar with the term “Rules of Engagement”. It is a term used to determine when, where, and how force should be used. The most widespread and most accepted rules of engagement (ROE) exist within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and are generally designed as operational rules for commanders of battalion-level and larger forces and commanding officers of warships.

“Rules of Engagement” are essential in the military because:

They provide a consistent, understandable and repeatable standard on how forces act. Typically, these rules are carefully thought out in detail well before an engagement, and may cover a number of scenarios, with different rules for each.
They help synchronize the components of a strategy by allowing leaders to understand, forecast and tailor the actions of a force better. Without clear rules of engagement there is disorder, chaos, anxiety, low or non-performance, and people get hurt unnecessarily. God was the first one to establish rules of engagement. After God created the heavens and the earth and formed man, He gave man the first and only rules of engagement prior to the fall:

These rules of engagement embody the complete guidelines that would govern man’s behavior in the garden and also mention the consequences of any violation. Unfortunately man did not adhere to these first simple ROE any better than those offered later on through the 10 commandments and the Old and New Testament Bible.

We forget that having clear “Rules of Engagement” can offer us safety, grace, success and freedom–not condemnation.

The Bible is the embodiment of the complete rules of engagement between God and man. The Bible reveals all of God’s expectations, all the rewards for man living up to the ROE and the consequence of disobedience. God has revealed to man everything He expects of man and He left nothing hidden. If we are to build successful Kingdom businesses, we must have clear rules of engagements within our organizations and in every relationship in which we engage. Although it is better that rules are written, it may not always be necessary.

Here are seven benefits of having clear written rules of engagements:

You are modeling our Creator God
You create order and minimize anxiety and stress
You make expectations clear
You provide clear boundaries and accountability measurements
You protect the integrity of the relationship and the organization
You enhance performance and productivity
You give room for grace

Ultimately, ROE can come in the form of a contract, operating procedures, covenant agreement or a simple Memorandum of Understanding—also known as an MOU or simply a mutual predetermined understanding. The length of the rule is not important as long as it includes every key issue that is necessary for the relationship or the organization to achieve the desired mission and to manage conflict, should it arise. Do you have clear ROE? Remember not to be bound to the letter of the law but to the spirit.

My prayer for you today is that God will give you clear guidelines and godly standards of accountability in your relationships and in your business.

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