Now A Few Words On Personal Growth

I've received a tremendous amount of feedback on my Facebook page and a couple thousand page views on the recent posts on Bible college.  The vast majority has been positive, and many constructive words of balance have been added as well. 

I know that almost every issue contains two sides.  While I try to do some justice to both sides, an attempt to stay focused on the issue at hand often leads me to deliberately neglect balancing truths.

One point that has been made often is some variation of this: "Education is important.  Without it, we become ingrown and closed-minded.  Have you seen uneducated leaders whose pride is in their lack of education?  It's not pretty."

This is an excellent point.  I have seen this, and it's horrible.  

Personal Growth

The solution?  Personal growth.  Not just spiritual growth -- personal growth.  Growth of the whole person, mind, will, emotions, body, spirit.

John Maxwell, in one of his lectures (I can't remember which one to give credit), tells the story of a man who came to him frustrated because he was passed over for a promotion to a leadership position.  He complained, "Don't they know I have 20 years experience?"  In his own blunt way, John Maxwell replied, "You don't have 20 years experience.  You have 1 year of experience 20 times!" 

If you're not growing, you're not leading.  You'll stop being a tour guide, and just be a travel agent, sending people where you've never gone.  

Here are a few thoughts on how to prevent this from happening to you: 

1. Read good books.  As many as you can.
John Wesley said in his advice to preachers, "Spend all the morning in [reading], or at least 5 hours in four-and-twenty."  Whoa.  I've had some folks ready to agree that kids should stay home from Bible college... but I don't know if they'd agree if I told them to read 5 hours a day instead.  I'll go one further: Read authors that stretch and challenge your thinking, even (at times) ones that disagree with you.  

2. Stretch yourself with experiences. 
I don't speak Spanish well.  But I go and pray with and TRY to communicate with Hispanic people at our Bread of Life Pantry two days a week.  Many of them are more comfortable in Spanish, so I do my best.  I do goof up.  I once referred to myself as "el pestor de la iglesia" which roughly translates to "the stinker of the church."  We all had a good laugh, and I grew. 

3. Process your experiences. 
For a good part of my ministry, I sat down once per week and wrote a page-long list of things I had learned that week.  It wasn't fancy, it was rather raw.  But it helped me grow.  

4. Don't waste your pain, sorrow and criticism. 
Some of the greatest chances to grow are in times where you hurt.  

5. Teach or mentor someone else.
A good teacher always learns more than the student.  This can be simple as sharing what you're learning across a coffee shop table, or as complicated as sharing it in a class with notes and Powerpoint.  But do it.

Conclusion: 

My biggest fear about changing the current system of Bible college:

That people will stop growing, because they lack the mindset to grow.

To all of you who so thoroughly agreed with the last two posts, examine yourself.  It's one thing to decide that Bible college isn't all it's cracked up to be.  But it's another thing entirely to decide that YOU will grow... and keep growing.

It's one thing to decide that our churches do need to step up and train leaders.  But are YOU growing as a leader?  Are you further up the road mentally, spiritually, emotionally than you were a year ago?  Can you teach that to someone else?  

Yours for growth,
Darrell