5 things I learned at Hillsong Leadership College
First off, it’s been a while.
I attended Hillsong College back in 2009–2010. It made an impression, but I’ve never written about it. So here it goes …
Hillsong is the renowned church movement that have planted churches all over the world. In cities like London, Moscow, Paris, Cape Town, New York, Los Angeles. The other day I read an announcement that they’re starting a church in Tel Aviv, Israel.
How cool is that!
What I love about Hillsong is their hands-on and practical teaching. Their availability and their growth. It’s down to earth, focused and attainable.
Here are five points of what I learned attending Pastoral Leadership at Hillsong, Australia:
1. Serving
You crave a stage? You want a platform? Lead worship or preach? Then get to serving! Because true leadership is servanthood (and all that).
It might sound like it’s the right thing to say, but man did I get to experience this first hand. And I learned a lot.
2. Attitude
I came to Australia with an attitude. I probably still have one, but I sure left some of it back there.
The first few months I sat there, arms crossed and judging the teaching. I’d heard a lot of preaching before I came and had even done some myself. So here I was measuring what was being taught.
Those months passed and something changed on the inside. I was less critical. I found myself being careful with how I judged. Guarding my words a bit more, knowing that God could call me to serve the very people that I’d criticized.
3. Excellence
There was this pastor whose name I can’t remember, but he said something that stuck with me. He said that we’re not into professionalism, but we are into excellence.
Church can be done with excellence. From stacking chairs to cleaning toilets and floors, greeting people at the door, leading worship or preaching from the platform — it’s all done with excellence.
4. Leadership
They kept saying that everyone is a leader. I don’t know if I got that, because if everyone is going to lead then who will follow?
But leadership is more than leading a crowd. They were talking about being a leader in your own life, and that’s true: I am a leader and so are you.
It was empowering to hear this. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Kingdom of God it is that it’s empowering.
5. Control
Sometimes God calls us to pray for those we have criticized.
Sometimes he calls us to apologize, even when we were right.
Spending a year at Hillsong Leadership College I learned that God was in control. It was a humbling experience. Because as I was planning my next step I knew that God could keep me here for as long as needed.
I couldn’t have set course to a new country and a somewhat different environment if it hadn’t been for this.
But that’s a story for another time.
