Good morning! It’s almost Christmas!
As I’ve been telling you, Jesus modeled humble intelligence for His followers, and I believe it is critical for the health of today’s churches that pastors follow His example. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve given you a taste of the first couple of the seven attributes of humble intelligence, compassion and sacrificial service. This week, let’s look at number three, openness.
Openness
The third attribute that makes up the humility factor is openness. Basically, how open is your pastor to learning new things, listening to and including others, and following the leading of the Holy Spirit? If they believe that they already have all the answers and don’t need any further input, they do not have humble intelligence.
Open to Learning
I’m not the only author speaking about the need for healthy churches. Recently Pete Scazzero of Outreach Magazine spoke of the importance of pastors being lifetime learners who are humble, curious, and teachable.
Open to Others
When it is evident that a leader thinks their ideas are always better than others’, the people around them tire of the arrogance and pull back in their commitment and loyalty because of the apparent artificiality of the pastor. In contrast, authentic and humble pastors welcome the input of others. They not only are open to it when they are approached, but they seek it out. They welcome dialogue.
Open to the Holy Spirit
The last evidence of openness on the part of a pastor is what Pastor Graham Standish described as Spirit-active leadership, in which “it is leadership that proactively considers all possibilities, yet that does so by placing them before God in prayer. At its root is humble leadership because it seeks God’s way over our own way.”
Jesus modeled each of these. We should, too, and expect our pastors to do so as well.
JOIN THE LAUNCH TEAM!
I want to invite you to join the launch team for The Humility Factor, which, upon your agreement to help me spread the word, will give you an advance digital copy, a special discount on a signed copy after the release, and some unique perks of being one of the first to receive your copy. I promise it will be worth it. If you are interested in receiving the information about joining the launch team, please send me an email at [email protected] and say, “Yes, I want to know more!” and I will send you the information about what it means to be on the team. Once you agree, I will send you your digital copy. Please make sure to identify yourself and send your response on the email address from which you want to receive the information.
Thanks for taking the time to read this message. Please take a moment to view this week’s video as well. You can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VWxSZ1uMXI
DJP (That’s Dr. John Plastow)
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