Asking Questions and for Advice

Sometimes we are reluctant to ask questions or for advice in our ministry situation.  I think we fear that it will show that we have no clue what we are doing or that we are incompetent.  Probably, the opposite is true.  Wise people ask questions, seek advice, and THEN make their OWN decision.

Recently, I was visiting with a friend who had led a large college ministry several years ago in another location.  I asked what he knew about his former ministry.  He said, "The new guy has called me a couple of times to ask questions."  I was impressed with "the new guy".  You see there have been two or three College Ministers who had followed my friend.  This was not his immediate successor.  Yet, "the new guy" is wise enough to call and see what he can learn.

Why ask questions of someone who has not been there in a while?  It gives some context to why some situations are as they are.  Has this always been an issue here or is it new?  Sometimes, the reason something is being done that way is no longer an issue.  So, a change is not a problem.  Plus, when someone has been very successful somewhere, as my friend had, it never hurts to hear anything they have to say.

Asking advice does not commit you to taking it.  What would you do in this situation is a great question.  But, what two different people with two different gift and skill sets should do are not necessarily the same.

Seeking advice sometimes surfaces a different idea.  What the person suggests may cause you to think of an entirely different idea or response.  But, it came out of what you heard and the questions you asked.

Asking questions helps me think out loud.  For some of us, thinking out loud with someone is more productive than solitary and silent thinking.  

Asking for advice or information demonstrates respect.  It is never wrong to demonstrate respect for someone who deserves it.  But, to demonstrate respect, the question needs to be genuine and listened to...not necessarily acted on, but heard.

I notice Jesus asked a lot of questions.  Do I need to say I don't think He was incompetent?

Arliss Dickerson's college ministry books are on sale in August at amazon.com/dp/B08CMD9CXX