Barnabas boldly proclaimed God's Word throughout the Roman Empire at the same time that Paul did. Though he appears in the New Testament a number of times, we know much less about Barnabas than we do Paul, perhaps be­cause he wasn't the prolific writer Paul was.

What we do know is that he was an encourager. In fact, his name means "the son of encouragement." And while we might call Stephen the first Stephen Minister (Acts 6), Barnabas could appropriately be considered the second. He had all the characteristics of a Stephen Minister: full of faith, mercy, patience, encouragement, and compassion.  He was probably the ideal companion to travel with on a long missionary journey in a potentially hostile land.

Barnabas' biggest contribution to the Christian church, however, isn't a sermon he preached or an epistle he wrote. It may simply have been his role as an encourager and as a "Stephen Minister" to his young cousin Mark.

Acts 15:36-41 recounts the planning of Paul's second missionary journey. It begins with a sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over whether to take Mark on the journey. Paul is strongly against it, citing an earlier journey to Pamphylia in which Mark for some reason had abandoned them (Acts 13:13). The details are sketchy, but it apparently was enough for Paul to lose trust in Mark as a faithful, dependable missionary companion.

But Barnabas assertively stood up for Mark, which may not have been easy to do against Paul. He looked past Mark's flaws and had confidence that Mark was a man he could trust on such an important mission. Paul and Barnabas resolved the incident by going on separate missionary journeys: Paul and Silas to Syria and Cilicia, and Barnabas and Mark to Cyprus. Barnabas' encouragement for and patience with Mark likely had a significant positive impact on Mark's self-image and future as an apostle. We later learn that Barnabas' confidence in Mark was justified, because Mark even earns his way back into Paul's favor (2 Timothy 4:11).

What would have happened to Mark had Barnabas not stood by his side despite an earlier failing? Would Mark have had the opportunity later to redeem himself and reestablish his reputation? Or would he simply have drifted away, a failed disciple? We can only guess. What we do know is that because Barnabas had faith that a young man could overcome an earlier mistake or misjudgment, the young church was blessed with two missionary journeys instead of one - and we have the Gospel of Mark.

Have you had a Barnabas in your life? Did someone encourage and show faith in you when all others doubted? How can you be a Barnabas to someone this week, believing in him or her despite earlier misjudgments or mistakes?

Stephen Ministry is a ministry of encouragement. A Stephen Minister, like Barnabas, maintains faith and confidence that someone can overcome adversity and reach their God-given potential. The payoff for such confidence can be astounding. Just ask Barnabas or Mark.