One of the most important things I learned when doing my undergraduate degree in Bible College was an admonition in a Practical Ministries class. The teacher was a 75 year-old legitimate Ph.D. with about 40 years of pastoral experience. He gave us one of those, "You youngsters need to listen up here" statements before sharing this nugget:
One of the best things you can ever learn in ministry is how to say, 'I don't know." He went on to say that many times young pastors feel like he/she must have all the answers when approached by people. Of course, he was from a generation before the internet, Google searches etc. I believe a person who can't say, "I don't know" may need to deal with an insecurity issue.
I decided to follow his advice and pray for pastors who learn the hard way! How many times have we had to help pick up the pieces after somebody followed a pastor's advice who was out of his/her scope of expertise, often in te area of counseling? Perhaps this is another reason not to call oneself Dr. without a legitimate degree!
Some people know more than me about finances, construction, healthcare etc. Sometimes I can refer people to somebody with more knowledge and other times I may joke and say, "I think the answer to that question is "OGK" (only God Knows)! |
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3/18/17 5:30 am
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Words of Wisdom From an Elderly Pastor
