Can Pastors Be Too Humble?

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Humility is touted as an expressly Christian attribute.  But I wonder if excess humility, or better said, false humility, is a hidden dynamic of decline within the church.

Over the years as I’ve traversed the nation to meet with pastors, an unsettling truth has become apparent: a large contingent of spiritual leaders harbor an insidious fear that they are inadequate to fulfill their heavenly mandate. They are masters of masking it with deflection. Showered with praise, acknowledgments, and commendations, they deflect it all away, minimizing their vital role in the lives of their congregants. The credit is shifted solely to God.

Could this discounting of the self be dangerous? I think so. In fact, this very real fear and the humility that cloaks it, is getting in the way of the unfolding of the Kingdom.

As a human being, you are created with agency. Agency is the capacity to choose what you think, decide what you believe, select how you feel, and chart the actions you take. Agency implies your inborn capacity to live a purposeful life. Interestingly, your agency is influenced by your belief as much as by your skill.

According to Jesus, owning your agency is critical. Your beliefs are intimately connected to your ability to co-create miracles with God. Jesus was fond of pointing out, “Your faith has made you well,” to those who sought healing. If your well-being, or lack thereof, unfolds according to what you believe, what else does belief impact?

Back when I was single, I used to take ballroom dance lessons hoping I’d be swept off my feet by someone on the dance floor. At first, other than the fact that one partner led, I didn’t understand the mechanics and art of dance. I discovered that the graceful art of dance involved a great deal of partnership between the dancers, or the “lead” and the “follow.” One exerts very firm pressure against the other’s hand to steer. But the one who follows couldn’t be guided, or engage in the dance, if they didn’t exert equally firm pressure in return. This isn’t a case of overpowering. If return pressure is weak, the lead partner simply can’t lead. If they meet their firm pressure with their own, they can steer them through intricate steps they had not even known before. While I didn’t meet the partner of my dreams through ballroom dance (that came later through a country two-step class) I was able to tango, foxtrot, and waltz as if I had been dancing these graceful steps all my life!

Exercising your God-given authority and agency is like ballroom dancing. As you enter the divine dance, you soon realize that it’s not just about having faith in the leading partner; you must also exercise faith in yourself. You are a critical part of the equation. The Bible makes this clear: wherever people had great faith, Jesus performed great miracles. Where they lacked faith, not much happened. Miracle-making requires equal partnership where both parties show up, equally ready, willing, and able to do their part (Matthew 13:58).

Jesus never intended to keep his wonder-working, miracle-making power to himself. Again and again, Jesus invited his disciples and apostles into this realm. Now he invites you. Jesus wants you to dream like him, claim authority like him, and exercise agency like him.  Your fears are getting in the way of the divine calling.

You are invited into the unity of God and Jesus to be one with God and one with Jesus. You do that by matching God’s faith in you with your own faith in God and yourself. While you won’t have the same unwavering purity of faith or depth of belief in God or yourself, that God has in you, you can rise to much greater faith.

Maybe humility, at least as we have defined it, isn’t what the church or the Kingdom needs right now.

The church needs you to unleash your agency and embrace your God-given authority, like an elegant dance with God as your partner. Just as dance requires trust and self-belief, so does this divine partnership. Miracles happen with great faith, and today, I invite you on a transformative journey of faith and self-discovery. As a spiritual growth coach, I offer my services to help you unlock your potential, overcome fears, and embrace the extraordinary life God has planned for you. Now is the time to be a catalyst for change!

Adapted from Dream Like Jesus:  Deepen Your Faith and Bring the Impossible to Life, by Rebekah Simon-Peter, 2019.

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