I give a couple of hours each to talk to church planter and church leaders that want to talk shop and think that we can help them in some way. I’m always honored when someone calls us and thinks that something we do or have learned over the years can help their ministry.
At the same time, I take a few hours each month to learn and get myself around leaders I respect and learning from them. I try to read as much as I can, so that I can learn from others with different areas of expertise.
Everyone has someone they can teach and someone they can learn from. It annoys me when guys only want 1 or the other. The guy who only wants to learn and not share what he’s learned is greedy. God has given you experiences and opportunities to steward, not horde! The guys who only want to teach and not learn is a little too impressed with himself. We need a balance of learning and teaching. As the saying goes, “We all need a Paul and a Timothy in our lives.”
I’m very thankful for the guys that are willing to give some of their time to answer my questions and part of how I repay them for their generosity is to share what God has shown me through these mentors and my own experiences with those that want to learn from me. It’s what this verse is all about!