With a catch in her voice, a prospective Renovaré Institute student asked:

“Is there any chance we’re going to eventually find out some terrible secret about one of the leaders in this program?” 

Renovaré Director of Education Carolyn Arends writes:

“I hadn’t anticipated her question, but I immediately understood it. There had been a devastating spate of fallen Christian leaders in the news and the revelations had left her heartsick. If a skeleton was going to come out of one of our mentors’ closets, she’d rather stop the learning before it began.”

It’s a tough question, almost a catch-22. It’s dangerous to assert with absolute confidence that there is ​“zero chance” people are hiding anything. But to say, ​“Yes, there’s always a chance,” also doesn’t paint an accurate picture.

How then can an organization, or a person, claim integrity while remaining in a posture of humility? 

Humble integrity is only possible through honesty and transparency — with God, self, and others. 

By honesty and transparency, I mean knowing ourselves and allowing ourselves to be deeply known by God and a handful of trusted people. 

Now back to the question asked to Carolyn. Her excellent article details the full reply. In short, she answered that Renovaré Institute teachers were a reasonable risk for two reasons:

1) They seek to emulate the lifestyle of Jesus and practice the spiritual disciplines. ​“These habits and rhythms don’t make them bulletproof. But they sure help.”

2) They place a supremely high value on transparency and ​“understand self-deception is a real and present danger. So they’ve implemented routines like the prayer of examen (a daily review before God’s loving gaze), spiritual direction sessions, and the cultivation of gut-level honesty in their closest friendships.”

This all aligns with Saint Paul’s advice: ​“If you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.”

And how we put this advice into practice matters quite a bit.

For years my approach to humility was driven by fear. I assumed God’s humble-axe was raised and ready to chop me down anytime I might get too prideful. So I cut myself down to save him the work. That didn’t work out so well. 

A better way to live into Paul’s admonition is, as Carolyn writes, to ​“proactively cultivate the rhythms of God-connection and relentless transparency that will make you a credible witness for others.”