By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

LAPLACE – It might have been the perfect time this past Tuesday for New Wine Christian Fellowship to hold its annual gathering of governmental leaders.

Once a year, Pastor Neil Bernard invites all of the St. John political officials, as well as many church leaders, to a luncheon with a guest speaker to &#8220honor and pray for our leaders in the parish.”

Bernard said he is following the Biblical mandate in I Timothy, which says we are to honor and pray for our leaders to show our appreciation for them, and help support their work.

This year the gathering was held with a major political season already in the works, and couldn’t have been a better time for the message from nationally known Pastor Lafayette Scales, which reminded the leaders on hand that humility must go before everything for those in positions of leadership.

&#8220Pride and arrogance are the enemies of humility,” the Columbus, Ohio pastor said. &#8220If our leaders are not humble, they will have conflict with other leaders and won’t be as successful.”

Scales is the founder and pastor of Rhema Christian Center in Columbus, and also oversees 50 churches in the Network of Local Churches in Ohio. He travels throughout the country speaking on leadership development.

This week he accepted the invitation from New Wine to speak to the local leaders who attended the luncheon at the church and emphasized how important it was for leaders to know their area of expertise, but lead with humility.

&#8220Leaders think they can lead even when it is not their area of expertise,” he said. &#8220I know that I would never go to a business and tell someone how they should run their business, which I don’t know about. But it is funny how many people want to tell the pastors of a church how to run things.”

&#8220Leaders need to cloth their ability in humility, and think of yourself less, not think less of yourself,” he added.

Scales said that the result of leaders trying to run the show when it is not the place for them to do so is that they end up getting mad at other leaders.

&#8220Leaders are used to being recognized, to having access and having influence, and when they don’t get that, they can get mad at other leaders,” Scales explained.

His advice to the group was to realize that not every leader knows it all, some things are not worth fighting over, work to see the bigger picture, learn to cheer for others, and don’t keep a scorecard.

&#8220You have to realize that some issues government can solve, but some issues only the church-or God-can solve,” he added.