Mr. Brent Mitchell: The Result of Trust

Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education

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These posts summarize the forums that our Living Education-Charlotte students attend each week.

Mr. Brent Mitchell is an area pastor serving in the New York and New Jersey congregations. In a recent forum addressed to the students of Living Education-Charlotte, he delivered sound wisdom on how to build trust.

Trust in Teams

Trust in an essential ingredient in teams—however, the absence of this important trait can lead to poor outcomes and ineffective communication. Mr. Mitchell heavily emphasized the importance of trust and trustworthiness as not only being important virtues to embody, but also the fact that trust is an outcome—it is the product of action and effort.

Foundation of Trust

It’s important to understand trust as an outcome—this dimension changes it from a static trait into an active result. It should also prompt us to ask: who do we trust? And who trusts us? How effectively do we embody trustworthiness? As Mr. Mitchell explained, we learn to do so by developing in character and competence.

Building Trust

Mr. Mitchell described seven key character traits that help us exhibit trustworthiness toward others.

1. Honesty – Being able to honestly express our feelings and opinions based on what you know. Honesty is a critical aspect of being truly trustworthy. Proverbs 12:17 states: “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.” If we want to be truly trustworthy, we should be completely free from deceit.
2. Courage – Being honest and trustworthy takes courage, especially when we face external pressure.
3. A Pattern of Good Works – Having integrity and a reputation of being upstanding and moral goes a long way. We should be striving not only to build good, godly habits, but to do good to others.
4. Dependability – Other people may rely on us, and we should strive to be dependable for those who need our help. Dependability drives trust.
5. Transparency – Sometimes it’s important to share our cards with others and to be transparent about our side. This is an important factor in exhibiting trust.
6. Kindness – Kindness is deeply important for building trust. Helping people know that they are cared for and looking out for their best interests is deeply critical to facilitating trust in teams and interpersonal relationships.
7. Authenticity – Having a clear conscience helps us have a positive alignment of our actions and beliefs. This means being genuine—not pretending to be someone you’re not.

Embody Trustworthiness

Mr. Mitchell encouraged the students to give people time and work at exhibiting trustworthiness. He also referenced the Parable of the Talents—with the tools and opportunities God gives us to build relationships and work in teams, especially in the Church, we should take full advantage and work hard to be trustworthy. If we want others to trust us, be trustworthy.

David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.