5 warning signs that your leadership lacks humility
It was the summer of 1993, and I was a 20-year-old Christian camp counselor, but only a first-year believer.
In that first year, I was so hungry to learn about Jesus—I simply couldn’t get enough. I was the spiritual version of Tom Hanks in Castaway, just barely surviving for years, until Jesus rescued me and invited me to a feast. I didn’t know much doctrine. I had no systematic theology to speak of. I just knew that Jesus loved me and I was going to do anything to serve Him.
Years later, I would become a full-time youth minister, then go to seminary, receive a Master of Divinity, then become a pastor, then earn a Doctor of Ministry degree. But, if I’m honest (and this really hurts), I was probably a better servant leader when I was twenty than I am now.
That’s because back then it was easy to lead with humility. I knew absolutely nothing. I had no bag of ministry tricks—no stable of stories that had been field tested for years. No tried and true sermon illustrations. I relied on God for everything. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that I personally led more people to Christ during my four years at camp than the rest of my ministry years combined.
Humility is the key to powerful leadership. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, this is how Jesus led:
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8).
Humility is openness to God. And openness to God is a powerful leadership posture (in fact, it’s the only requirement for leadership). Have you’ve struggled to lead with humility? It’s not that you boast about yourself or your accomplishments, but are you as open to God in your leadership as you think?
If you’re not sure, here are five warning signs that your leadership may need a little more humility:
1. You always get your way.
As a leader, it’s good to fight for your convictions—in fact, your church or organization has probably called you to do just that. After all, what kind of leader would you be if you didn’t do everything you possibly could to move forward with the vision God has given?
But sometimes in the midst of the fight, it’s easy to forget that discernment is a team sport. We are only one part of the body of Christ and need others to make the vision complete.
For example, I’m an idea guy (like many of you are). And, of course, my ideas are always the God-inspired, right ones (like I’m sure yours are). But, if I railroad my ideas because I have the loudest voice in the organization, I’m in danger of making two critical errors: I end up with weaker ideas and less leadership buy-in. Both of these are bad.
Bottom line: Servant leaders trust in a discernment process that invites input from others. You nearly always end up with better ideas and always end up with more buy-in.
2. You never test your vision.
This one is closely related. If I tend to see myself as the exclusive visionary of the organization, I might make the mistake of neglecting to test a particular vision properly. What starts out as a genuine sense of gifting by the Holy Spirit, can quickly become a power grab that can put the vitality of the congregation at risk.
For example, when I was a new pastor (trying to figure out what I’d gotten myself into as the leader of an old, dying congregation), I thought all I needed was the right vision to move the church forward. And, clearly, nobody else could supply that vision or else I wouldn’t be needed (I grew out of this one—don’t worry).
What made it worse was that the pastoral search committee hired me specifically to supply the vision. This led to my biggest leadership mistake. Instead of testing that vision with the leadership and the congregation, I simply moved forward as if the ideas in my head were holy writ. In the end, I successfully implemented change, but it was quickly dismantled after I left.
Bottom line: Servant leaders build consensus around their vision and test it with the people they lead. This is the difference between humility and hubris.
3. You farm out all the messes.
I love that when I buy hamburger meat at the supermarket, it’s already packaged and covered with cellophane. I’m really not interested in seeing the blood, or grinding the meat, or getting my hands dirty. And while there’s nothing wrong with that (in my opinion anyway), I confess that sometimes in leadership, I do the same thing. I walk away from the mess or send others toward it while I keep my hands clean.
Now, don’t misunderstand. Pastors and church leaders should not handle everymess. Ministry is the work of the people. And, sometimes, it’s not good stewardship of the leader’s time to address all the messes that come up. But, if we farm out everything, we can miss Jesus.
My friend, John Hambrick, in his book, Move Toward the Mess, points out that Jesus is always in the middle of the mess. That’s where He meets, heals, directs, exhorts, encourages, and teaches us. When we get our hands dirty, we are open to meeting Jesus in that situation. It’s a posture of deep humility to lift up someone else’s need above your own.
Bottom Line: Servant leaders get their hands dirty from time-to-time. You must be open to the messes in your path. Make sure you wash some feet regularly.
4. You’re a thinker who never does.
So, I’m naturally introverted. Like many of you, I love people—but I love my downtime as well (in fact, I find that I love people much more after I’ve had some time to decompress). I love going to the movies by myself, going for a walk, or my Sunday ritual: worship in the morning and a nap in the afternoon. It’s how I recharge my batteries.
I’m also naturally a thinker. I love dreaming about vision and whiteboard sessions about strategy. In fact, I can’t have enough whiteboards (I mean, who can?). I love sermon writing, blog writing, and podcasting. I love going into my writing cave and brain-dumping for a few hours and praying through the next big idea… alone.
However, I’ve discovered that the introverted thinker can be a dangerous leadership personality. If left unchecked, I can unintentionally end up talking aboutministry more than I actually doministry.
Servant leadership requires a posture of humility. But it’s not just about posture—it’s about actual movement. Love requires action. Servanthood places us in the best position to love. But we actually have to do the loving.
Jesus managed to get regular time away from the crowds, but even when they interrupted his alone time, he made sure he cared for them.
Bottom Line: Servant leaders love by doing. If you’re introverted, you have to be intentional about ministry opportunities (apart from Sunday morning). This will also keep your feet on the ground while your head’s in the clouds.
5. You spend more time listening to leadership gurus than to God.
OK, this one stings… because I know I can lean in this direction sometimes.
Jim Collins, Andy Stanley, Carey Neiuwhof, Michael Hyatt, John Maxwell—I often consume their blogs, podcasts, online courses, and books in my never-ending quest to become a better leader. They are my virtual mentors. And, I must say, I’ve gleaned a great deal of wisdom from them. In fact, I’d even say they have transformed my leadership.
But, if I’m not careful, I can spend more time reading “Good to Great” than I do reading God’s Word. I can listen to these leadership voices more than I listen for the gentle whisper of God. And this is devastating for a servant leader. Why? Because this is when leaders trust in their own leadership acumen more than they depend on God’s direction.
It’s never on purpose. It just happens.
Bottom line: Servant leaders double-down on spiritual practices to make sure they hear God’s voice the loudest. Their meals come from God, and they supplement with leadership gurus.
How did you do? Did this list help identify some areas that could use more humility? What would you add to this list?
Photo source: istock
 | Jason is a 30+ year ministry veteran, serving as a pastor, youth pastor, and national worship leader, presenter, and writer. He has a Master of Divinity from Princeton and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller, where he studied church revitalization, and is certified by The Great Commission Network as a Missional Coach. Follow on X: @JasonPastor |
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