The Bible promises while God opposes those who are proud, He “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; cf. Ps. 138:6; Prov. 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). Humility, then, is an emptying of self; it is a dying to self (see Luke 9:23; Gal. 2:20). Paul exhorted the Philippian church to manifest humility in their dealings with one another, saying: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3–4). He regards humility as a lowliness of mind. Yet it’s not that God desires to grind us into the dust and never raise us up.

There is a story about a ministry intern who arrived at a local pastor’s gathering. Once they were all together and seated, the friends took turns going around the table. The first pastor spoke, “Jim Newton, 80.” All the pastors laughed. The next spoke, “Bill Walter, 125.” The group laughed again. Next came the intern. Not knowing what to say, he quipped, “Zack Buchanan, 541!” Nobody laughed. What the intern failed to realize was that he had stumbled into an inside joke whereby the pastors would habitually give their name and church size—a way to poke fun at the usual tendency of competing with each other over ministry success.

However, the pervasiveness of pastoral pride is no laughing matter; it’s a sad reality. While the human heart is prone to sin in many ways, the sin of pride is perhaps the most grievous in the eyes of God. When pastors get puffed up, there are always consequences. Sometimes it’s as subtle as a rebuke from a friend. Other times, it can be as devastating as disqualification and the loss of an entire ministry. In writing this article, I’m addressing myself first and foremost, as I’m a young pastor who is not immune to pride, arrogance, and posturing. May what I write be a gentle yet helpful corrective as I entreat fellow brothers to join me in warring against such sins.

Pastors Who Posture

There are various ways that pride can rear its ugly head in the ministry. One of the most subtle yet cancerous ways is through pastoral posturing. What do I mean by “posturing”? Merriam-Webster defines it as the act of “assum[ing] an artificial or pretended attitude.” It is an attempt to portray oneself as greater than others or to present oneself in a way so as to impress others. Posturing exists to create an exaggerated or misleading version of oneself. Pastoral posturing can seek to inflate spirituality, accomplishments, influence, or importance.

Posturing can be nuanced—something as subtle as casually mentioning your church size or a recent accomplishment in a conversation with another person.

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