This is the sixth article in a series based on the book, Detours: 10 Roadblocks to the Great Commission, by Paul Seger. Real pastors were asked, “Why would a church NOT want to send missionaries from their congregation?” “Detours” explores the roadblocks these pastors have experienced and seeks to provide solutions for the church to fulfil this vital role in the Great Commission.
6-1/2 – Minute Read
I had just accepted the role of Director for a mission agency and knew that I was in way over my head. Bible College had not trained me to lead or manage a nonprofit organization. I knew a little about theology, exegesis, homiletics and apologetics. I learned how to plant a church and had been a part of three of those projects, but leading a mission agency was not something for which I was prepared. I did, however, know enough to seek seasoned leaders to mentor me. One of those men had been a director of another similar organization but was now serving as the administrative pastor for one of the most respected churches in town.
My mentor mentioned one day that he was resigning from his role at this church because of the insecurities of the senior pastor, who made life miserable for staff members. I remember being incredulous that the pastor of such an admired church could be insecure. My mentor insisted that most leaders are insecure. Henry Blackaby, Canadian author and pastor said, “I am convinced that there are more men in pastoral ministry motivated by insecurity rather than calling” (Leeman, 2017). The pastors in our think tanks supported this opinion and said that insecurity was a main cause for not producing leaders.
INSECURITY SABOTAGES MINISTRY
At the heart of insecurity is self-doubt, but leaders don’t really want to betray those thoughts. They feel they’re supposed to know what they’re doing and can’t let others know what they’re really feeling. Insecurity can manifest itself in all kinds of ways. Bravado creates an artificial boldness that shows up to voice opinions strongly. Insecure leaders might not ask for input from other people for fear that this might indicate weakness. Alternately, it might show up in silence because they fear being wrong. Or it may be more direct as they overly criticize themselves and others. Regardless of the motivations, there is a desire for self-preservation which will obstruct ministry at deep levels.
INVERSE PRIDE
Pride often drives insecurity; by pride, I mean self-focus and self-orientation. Insecure people are consumed with questions such as: What will others think of me? What if I look foolish? What if I am wrong? What will people say about me? Though it may seem counterintuitive to think of insecurity as pride, it’s clear that all those questions are about me. They spring from seeking to preserve an image of myself, and that’s pride.
If insecurity is a main cause for not producing leaders, we would be wise to take a look at several reasons that may be underlying this insecurity.
- Pastors may fear that if they train people, someone else might do their job better than they can, and they will be replaced. We could call this “the King Saul complex”, recalling how Saul felt enraged when he heard the people singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 29:5). The reality is that there could be people in the church who are better speakers, better leaders, better teachers, better shepherds or better at almost all that pastors are called upon to do. A pastor can either stifle that or provide a platform for these gifted people to minister. The secure leader must come to a point where he admits that the ministry is much bigger than himself.
- Many pastors may hesitate to reveal details of their devotional lives, prayer habits, discipline, and time management. This opens them up to scrutiny and potential judgment, which produces insecurity. This desire for privacy instead of transparency creates a barrier that keeps potential leaders at a distance, not allowing them to get close enough to be trained.
- Pastors may not believe they have enough qualifications to train missionaries, especially compared to college and seminary professors. Since our primary view of education tends to be knowledge-based, the average pastor may not think he has the academic qualifications or expertise to teach at that level. This belief emerges from the Western Greek model of education discussed in a previous post.
- Another issue is that a pastor may truly be inexperienced, so he feels inadequate to pass on to others what he does not know. He can prepare and preach a sermon but may never have considered HOW he does that, which can cause insecurity and make it difficult to train others to teach as well.
THE WAY DOWN IS THE WAY UP
The opposite of pride is humility – an others-oriented discipline that is actually just an act of obedience. Notice the imperatives: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6). Additionally, James writes: Humble yourselves before the Lord (James 4:10). Scripture says to do it. The key is to have a proper evaluation of ourselves. One of the classic sections of Scripture on this topic is 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
The reality is that none of us amount to anything apart from God. Why would we think so highly of ourselves when God has already stated that He has chosen the foolish, weak and lowly? Who do we think we are that we should have any pride? We have nothing to brag about.
Paul likely refers to our salvation when he tells us to “consider your calling.” We are not wise men, mighty men, or noble men. In other words, our brains, brawn, or birth were not conditions for our salvation. It was all God’s grace. Others think that in this passage, Paul is referring to our calling to ministry. If that is the case, then we still don’t have a reason for pride.
JESUS CHOOSES THE HUMBLE
As He began to build His church, Jesus chose men who would not typically be candidates for such an important goal to start and advance the church. That group of disciples included rough fishermen without education, limited vocabulary and bad grammar (and probably foul language.) Jews considered Matthew a mercenary who had sold his soul to a foreign government to collect taxes from his countrymen. Simon the Zealot was a revolutionary and potential terrorist. The Sons of Thunder (James and John) were impulsive – not measured or dignified. Others identified this group as unlearned and ignorant men (Acts 4:13).
We are no better than the men Jesus chose for his Twelve. And Jesus continues to choose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. The word foolish comes from the Greek word moros—where we get our modern term, moron. This is obviously not a complimentary term and not one we would want applied to ourselves. It’s not meant personally as an insult to us but is instead a general fact. In comparison to the wisdom of God, all people and all things of this world are intellectually dull and lack good sense.
GOD USES THE HUMBLE
God has often used people the world considers weak or unqualified to do His work. Moses was a stuttering recluse with an anger issue who did everything possible to escape leadership responsibilities. Jonah was a racist escape artist with a bad attitude. David was just a kid. Gideon was the least in his family’s house (Judges 6:15). Rahab was a harlot. The Apostle Paul wrote this about himself: “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (I Corinthians 2:3–5). Paul’s admission of inadequacy was his strength. Instead of a façade of bravado, he readily acknowledged his weakness and fear.
Ultimately, anything we accomplish is only because God works in and through us. Jesus told us to look at it this way: I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).
DOES INSECURITY SERVE A PURPOSE?
On a certain level, it is healthy to have insecurities. When we recognize we are not capable of producing results, we are in a good place. After the resurrection, Peter went back to fishing. Although he was a professional fisherman, he couldn’t catch any fish until Jesus came along and told him how to do it. Our natural abilities may cause us to think we can muscle our way through ministry for some semblance of success. As we kneel at the foot of the cross and begin to grasp grace, there is no response but to fall on our faces, admit our insecurities and wait to see God do above and beyond our imagination.
OUR NOTHING + GOD’S GRACE = UNIMAGINABLE RESULTS
NEXT STEPS
Insecurity can hinder leadership and ministry, but embracing humility and God’s grace leads to transformation. That level of transparency will allow us to let future leaders into our private lives so they can see our God at work firsthand. Our insecurities should never be an obstacle to training. If you are a pastor or church leader seeking additional training in leadership, missions, or mentoring others, we want to help. We have seasoned leaders and missionaries with rich field experience who are ready to serve you, assisting through free workshops, speaking opportunities, training sessions, or mentoring as needed. Contact us to learn more, and let’s get the conversation started!
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