Today is the 72nd birthday of America’s greatest living songwriter, Bob Dylan.
One of the measures of Dylan’s brilliance is that many of his greatest songs (like “Up to Me,” “Blind Willie McTell,” “Foot of Pride,” and the incredible “Cross the Green Mountain”) never appeared on any of his official albums. In fact, I enjoy listening to his unreleased music from The Bootleg Series (1991) or Tell Tale Signs (2008) as much or more than his released songs. (I’m blessed that both my wife and my daughter-in-law like Dylan’s music.)
In 1963, two boxers met for a match at Dodger Stadium: World Featherweight champion Davey Moore and challenger Sugar Ramos, who knocked Moore out in the tenth round and won by a technical knockout.
After the fight, Moore spoke with reporters, complained of headaches, fell unconscious, was taken to the hospital, and died four days later of brain damage.
Later that year, a young Bob Dylan wrote a song called “Who Killed Davey Moore?” If you’ve never heard it before, it will definitely make you think. You’ll find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvLFOCMbHHE
Who was responsible for Moore’s death? The referee? The crowd? The manager? Gamblers? Boxing writers? Ramos?
Each verse of the song is a protest from each of the above six parties … and each verse ends with these words:
“It wasn’t me that made him fall, no, you can’t blame me at all.”
The implication of Dylan’s song is that somebody played a part in Moore’s death. Dylan doesn’t just indict Ramos … he indicts everybody who had the opportunity to stop the carnage, but didn’t.
Dylan even quotes Ramos as saying, “Don’t say ‘murder,’ don’t say ‘kill,’ it was destiny, it was God’s will.”
In other words, let’s blame God for everything!
In the same vein, when a pastor is forced to leave a church, who is responsible for his departure?
After a pastor’s last Sunday, when churchgoers stop their whispering and start speaking more forthrightly, they often blame the pastor completely. Examples:
“He didn’t seem happy here. He should have left three years ago.”
“He never should have come here in the first place. He was the wrong man for the job.”
“He was too well educated for this congregation. He never spoke on our level.”
And on and on and on …
Maybe every pastor who leaves a church prematurely is 100% to blame … but somehow, I doubt it.
After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Sanhedrin called a secret emergency meeting. In typical fashion, they overreacted to Jesus’ miracle and misinterpreted its meaning. John 11:47-48 reports their discussion:
“What are we accomplishing? Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
Then Caiaphas, the high priest that year, suggested a solution: “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
Caiaphas nominated Jesus to be Judah’s scapegoat … to blame the Roman-Jewish troubles completely on Him … and then none of the Sanhedrin would have to claim responsibility for any of their nation’s current problems.
To paraphrase Dylan’s song: “Who Killed Jesus Christ?” We can identify many possible culprits:
*The traitor among the Twelve.
*The politician Pilate who let the mob have their way.
*Every person in the crowd who cried out for Jesus’ death … and every person who failed to call for His release.
*The Roman soldiers who arrested Jesus in Gethsemane.
*The disciples who deserted their Master when He needed them the most.
*The Sanhedrin which violated its own rules because they hated Jesus so much.
*The devil who was pulling strings behind the scenes … as the film The Passion of the Christ so clearly delineates.
So who is to blame when a pastor leaves?
Let’s admit that there are times when a pastor’s personal misconduct disqualifies him from church ministry. Maybe the pastor was discovered to be a persistent gambler … or an unrepentant womanizer … or a hopeless drug addict. According to Alan Klaas, personal pastoral misconduct accounts for 7% of all forced terminations.
I would hope that even if a pastor was guilty of immoral behavior, those around him would still try and restore him spiritually and even vocationally rather than try and destroy him.
But Klaas says that 45% of the time, a minority faction causes a pastor to leave involuntarily. Notice: it’s 6 1/2 times more likely that a small group of vocal churchgoers pushes out a pastor than that their pastor sinned his way out of the church.
In a typical case of forced termination, the following parties may share some responsibility for the pastor’s ouster:
*The chairman who sided with his board buddies rather than back his pastor.
*The staff member who rebelled against his pastor’s directives and aligned himself with board members.
*Churchgoers who knew the identities of plotting members but never passed on that information to their pastor.
*The district minister who took the side of disgruntled members rather than a pastor called by God.
*Regular attendees who loudly criticized everything their pastor said and did rather than quietly leave the church.
*Christians who blamed every church problem on the pastor rather than defending him or supporting him.
Who pushed the pastor out?
Maybe the board chairman helped … as did a staff member … along with various churchgoers … and the district minister … and chronic critics … and some ordinary members.
This is by far the most common scenario … much more likely than blaming the pastor for everything.
Bob Dylan was right. When Davey Moore died, there was plenty of shared responsibility to go around.
And when most pastors leave a church unwillingly, it’s rarely their fault completely. (When the church did well, was he alone entitled to all the accolades?)
Rather than taking the political perspective of the Sanhedrin (which tried to blame everything on one person), let’s adopt the more mature viewpoint of that 22-year-old folksinger from Minnesota (who held multiple parties responsible for a tragedy) and ask:
“How did I contribute to the pastor’s departure … and how can I make things right?”
Check out our website at www.restoringkingdombuilders.org You’ll find Jim’s story, recommended resources on conflict, and a forum where you can ask questions about conflict situations in your church.
First of all, I love Bob Dylan. I don’t think I have ever heard this song, “Who Killed Davey Moore.” I listened to it on you tube…a very powerful message. I couldn’t help but think in life how we can all act like this.
But it breaks my heart when the church responds in this fashion…blaming everyone else but not taking responsibility for their share of the problem.
For me, when I experienced this situation as a pastor’s wife, I was asked the following questions many times over, “Were these people Christians who hurt you?” Of course they were, but that is how the outside world responded to me whether Christian or non-Christian.
I would hope that the church realizes the impact they have on the world when we treat each with honor, integrity, grace and mercy.
May God’s people, the church, wake up and see how they make the Lord Jesus Christ look like when He himself died to save the world.
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Thank you, Kim, for your comment and your support. Your husband is a lucky man to have you as his wife. May you enjoy God’s peace and favor in the days to come.
By the way, there are many other great Dylan songs that you haven’t heard. Stop into my office sometime and I’ll play you a few.
Jim
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Appreciate the article. Isn’t it so true. We are quick to exonerate ourselves from responsibility, maybe because we were never that connected, not really. Our hearts become so consumed with self interest we lose the ability to think about how someone else is affected by the actions we take.
Can you blame the one with the “harbored hurt,” who claims immunity for himself? He is just trying to help the pastor see his hidden faults. Someone has to tell him and of course he is not going to see it himself but “my” hurt is the all the evidence people need.
Can you blame the church leader, who didn’t volunteer for this problem? He just wants to do his job – sit through long meetings and lend the occasional hand. He is no counselor, he just wants the problem to go away. So he crusades for the wounded party, not thinking of the wounds he inflicts.
Can you blame the District Superintendent, who is over loaded, over worked, and spread so thin you can see right through him? He can’t possibly take the time to sort it all out. He has to triage the situation, stop the bleeding, and move on to the next disaster.
Can you blame the Interim, who is past his prime and just looking for a place where he can still serve? He doesn’t know how much time he has. So can you blame him when just wants to help the church move on?
Meanwhile, the pastor is alone. None of the above ask how he is doing. None. They have all moved on. The pastor wears the shame and the charges keep coming and changing. No one ever asked him why. No one asked him to explain himself. Guilty as charged as the charges change is the legacy he leaves. No trial. No jury. No job. No money. No home. All that is left is a damaged career which may or may not be salvaged. He suffers alone.
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Jesus’ church is fond of preaching that it’s never right to do wrong … that the ends don’t justify the means … that Christians are to live better than the world … but then we scapegoat and destroy our pastors in a reflexive fashion. It’s not right, and we need to say so. In fact, God has nothing to do with this process that’s repeated over and over again.
I served as an interim pastor last year, and although some people talked to me about the previous pastor, I tried to help them to understand why he might have behaved as he did. He wasn’t guilty of any major offenses, he was just worn out from serving the church well for a number of years. Many people in the church were still in contact with him and loved him and his family. Did he make mistakes? Yes … but we all do … and when we extend grace, we receive grace in return.
Who was I to go into that situation and denigrate the pastor, either privately or publicly? I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it … and yet many people – including Christian leaders – wait until the previous pastor is gone and then unload their complaints about him. Maybe this is human nature, but I can’t believe that this behavior makes God smile.
This is just my opinion, but referencing your last paragraph … I think every innocent pastor who is forced out of a church should write down and eventually publish his story. If there’s a non-disclosure clause in a separation agreement, wait until the agreement is up and then publish the story for those who are interested. I started my blog one year after I left my last ministry, and it gave me an outlet for dealing with these issues. Most pastors don’t want to look back, but we have to make the path smoother for those who are coming after us or this pattern will be repeated ad infinitum.
I hurt with you when you say, “The pastor wears the shame and the charges keep coming and coming.” The same thing happened to me. Based upon some of the charges I’ve heard, I’m headed straight for hell … and yet nobody ever had the courage to sit down and speak with me about their concerns for 10+ years. What is wrong with us?
Thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts! God bless you as you take life day by day and seek to move forward. As a wise man told me a few years ago, they can take your job, but they can’t take your calling.
Jim
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Thanks Jim. I think what I mourn the most is the lost opportunity for growth both personal and corporate. I don’t blame anyone or hold anything against anyone. Oh, I did, for a while. But looking back, it was the perfect storm. The enemy won the day but not the war. I think I will write my story down. Love listens. Thanks for listening.
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