{"id":790927,"date":"2022-11-22T05:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T11:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=790927"},"modified":"2022-11-21T20:06:42","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T02:06:42","slug":"12-ways-we-might-show-were-arrogant-church-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/12-ways-we-might-show-were-arrogant-church-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Ways We Might Show We\u2019re Arrogant Church Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s always dangerous to write about arrogance. Not only does it \u201cfeel\u201d prideful to write about helping others recognize their issues, but most of us also recognize arrogance within others before we recognize our own. That\u2019s why I use the plural \u201cwe\u201d in this post\u2014I\u2019m speaking to myself as well as to others. Here are some signs you and I might be arrogant leaders:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. We always \u201ctop\u201d everybody else\u2019s story.<\/b> No matter what the topic is, we always have a story just a little better, a little more exciting, a little more gripping . . . a little more important. At least in our own eyes, that is.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. We choose not to raise up leaders to take on some of our responsibilities. <\/b>Doing that task takes time, and, after all, nobody can really do the job like we can. Why invest in others when we\u2019re the best anyway?<\/span><\/p>\n

3. We never admit being wrong.<\/b> Even when we know we <\/span>were<\/span><\/i> wrong, we somehow justify our actions to maintain our reputation. Sometimes, in fact, we pull the Genesis 3 trick: blame somebody else for our wrongs.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. We never say, \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d or \u201cPlease forgive me.\u201d<\/b> Those words not only reveal too much vulnerability for a prideful leader, but they also reverberate with weakness. They demand that we take responsibility for our sin\u2014and arrogant leaders seldom do that.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. We exaggerate.<\/b> For example, we round up our church\u2019s attendance, growth, and giving numbers to make ourselves look better; that is, we lie when doing so brings glory to ourselves and our ministries.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. We get frustrated when others seemingly less worthy than we get top billing or greater recognition.<\/b> Sometimes we tear them down among other friends, or we feign praise we know we\u2019re supposed to give. Inside ourselves, though, we think we should have been in that position.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. We name drop.<\/b> Our sermons and conversations are littered with the names of significant people we know (even though sometimes we <\/span>barely <\/span><\/i>know them), especially when we assume others will be impressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. We often make ourselves the star of our sermon or lesson illustrations. <\/b>What \u201cI\u201d did almost becomes more dominant in our teaching than what God has done. Seldom do we speak of a struggle without an accompanying victory.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. We shun anyone who criticizes our ministry<\/b>. Rather than learn from others who critique us (because, after all, we don\u2019t have much to learn in the first place), we bow up and either aggressively or passive-aggressively push folks out the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

10. We expect affirmations and \u201cpats on the back\u201d after preaching or teaching. <\/b>To be painfully frank, I\u2019ve sometimes found myself looking forward to them after a worship service\u2014and have been disappointed when I didn\u2019t get them. That\u2019s my arrogance.<\/span><\/p>\n

11. We don\u2019t pray much.<\/b> Prideful people just fix everything in their own ability and power; there\u2019s not much need to pray when we can handle all things.<\/span><\/p>\n

12. We admit that at least one of these observations characterizes us.<\/b> That\u2019s not always easy to do, but admission is a first step toward humility. May the Lord keep us all humble!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Want to learn more about this subject? Check out these resources: \u201c<\/i><\/b>Preaching with Humility \u2013 An Interview with Dr. Jim Shaddix<\/i><\/b><\/a>,\u201d \u201c<\/i><\/b>How Pastors Should Answer the Hardest Leadership Question<\/i><\/b><\/a>,\u201d and \u201c<\/i><\/b>Staying Humble While Keeping Your Hustle<\/i><\/b><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s always dangerous to write about arrogance. Not only does it \u201cfeel\u201d prideful to write about helping others recognize their issues, but most of us also recognize arrogance within others before we recognize our own. That\u2019s why I use the plural \u201cwe\u201d in this post\u2014I\u2019m speaking to myself as well as to others. Here are…","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":790929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"publish_to_discourse":"0","publish_post_category":"1","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,195,186,192,177,14796,176,196],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-790927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-answers","category-conflict-and-people-problems","category-health-and-metrics","category-how-to","category-lead","category-monday-wednesday-featured","category-revitalize","category-staff-and-organizational-issues"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n12 Ways We Might Show We\u2019re Arrogant Church Leaders | Church Answers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s always dangerous to write about arrogance. 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Not only does it \u201cfeel\u201d prideful to write about helping others recognize their issues, but most of us also recognize arrogance within others before we recognize our own. That\u2019s why I use the plural \u201cwe\u201d in this post\u2014I\u2019m speaking to myself as well as to others. 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