When I was under attack eight years ago, nearly all of my supporters remained silent.
Someone stood up in two public meetings and rattled off a list of accusations against me … most of which I had never heard before.
It would have been easy for me to knock down each charge, but our paid consultant made me promise I wouldn’t say anything, so I remained silent.
But I wasn’t the only one who didn’t speak that day.
My supporters went silent as well.
As I listen to stories of pastors under attack, I often ask the pastor, “What percentage of people in your church are for you, and what percentage are against you?”
If the pastor thinks that at least 90% of the congregation supports him, that’s a good sign … and indicates that if push comes to shove, the pastor might be able to survive the attacks made against him.
But if the percentage is 75% support and 25% opposition … or worse … the pastor is going to have a tough time hanging on.
In my case, I was told at the time that 95% of the congregation supported me, and only 5% stood against me. Out of 400 adults, that meant that 380 people were for me, while 20 people stood against me.
But in the end, those twenty won, and I and my 380 supporters lost.
When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, the percentages were greatly reversed. Most of the people stood against Jesus, while His disciples went silent.
But in our day, the pastor almost always holds the numerical advantage, yet time after time, a small group of people send him packing.
Why do a pastor’s supporters go silent when he’s under attack?
Let me share four possible reasons:
First, they lack pertinent information.
The pastor knows he’s under attack.
The pastor’s family knows.
The church board assuredly knows.
The church staff probably knows.
The pastor’s attackers definitely know.
The attacker’s allies usually know.
But most of the rest of the church doesn’t know.
Why not?
Because the attacks originate and are perpetuated behind closed doors.
So when the pastor’s supporters finally hear about any accusations, the attackers have been discussing matters for weeks/months, while the pastor’s supporters are hearing about them for the first time.
In my case, my closest supporters were off-balance. When they initially heard the accusations, they lacked prior knowledge that anything was amiss.
Those accusations knock a pastor’s supporters on their heels. Even if they feel like supporting him completely, they start to ask themselves, “I wonder if those allegations could be true?”
If Satan has a strategy in these situations, it isn’t to make the pastor’s supporters fully believe the accusations.
No, it’s to make them hesitate defending their pastor.
Because when they hesitate, the momentum starts building against their beloved shepherd.
Second, they become overwhelmed by the attackers’ passion.
When people attack their pastor, they come off as confident … certain … and even crazy.
They claim to have information that the pastor’s supporters don’t have … and use the argument, “If you knew what we know, you’d join our merry band.”
The pastor’s opponents have been digging up dirt … talking to each other … and inciting each other to stand resolutely against their pastor for a long time.
So when they finally make their push to push out their minister, the attackers go on the offensive emotionally … and their approach often flummoxes the pastor’s supporters.
And those supporters have to ask themselves, “Why are these people so worked up? Since they’re so emotional, maybe there’s something to their rantings.”
Nearly forty years ago, I was the only full-time staff member at my church. A man approached me in the parking lot after the Sunday night service and told me that if the pastor didn’t start changing his behavior, ten percent of the congregation was going to leave the church.
My impression was that he was trying to recruit me to his cause … which was a lost cause … because I fully supported my pastor … even when I didn’t always agree with him.
But I’ll never forget how determined that man was … and such passion does make one think.
Third, they tend to cut off contact with their pastor.
When I was under attack eight years ago, my wife and I were told to stay away from the church campus while a new board was put in place. (The old board had resigned en masse.)
However, we were not given a gag order.
While we hibernated at home, how many of our 380 supporters reached out to us?
Very few.
We did receive flowers a few times.
We received a few notes that said “we’re praying for you” or “we love you.”
We had a few people come to our door unannounced.
We received a handful of emails asking, “What’s going on here?”
But few of our supporters ever said, “We believe in you” or “we stand with you” or “we will defend you.”
Most stopped contacting us.
It felt like we were under house arrest.
In many churches, when the pastor is under attack, the church board explicitly tells people, “We do not want you contacting the pastor.”
To be fair, a team of five people had been appointed to investigate the charges against me, and I didn’t want to interfere with their investigation. (And in the end, they eventually told the church that I was not guilty of any wrongdoing.)
But I felt isolated from the congregation I loved.
The worship team rehearsed in the worship center every Thursday evening. One night, I was scheduled to meet with the new board, but they weren’t ready for me, so I had to hang around the campus … which I hadn’t done for many weeks.
People … even friends … avoided me.
One man came up to me … quietly hugged me … and moved on.
I felt like an outcast in my own congregation.
Church life was going on … but I wasn’t part of it anymore.
When the pastor is under attack, he is the best source of information to counter the charges of his opponents.
But because there’s a cloud hovering over him, most people circumvent him … and lose their best source of information to counter the allegations.
Finally, they don’t know what they’re allowed to say or do.
Just imagine.
Your pastor has been attacked in a public meeting. You were there.
The charges don’t ring true … but what if they are true?
You’d like to tell your pastor that you’re praying for him, but you don’t want to bother him at home.
So you do nothing.
Yes, you talk to your good friends at church … but in hushed tones, because you don’t know what you’re allowed to say or do.
And you don’t want to make things worse for anybody.
I get all that.
In fact, members of the church board and staff sometimes tell interested lay people that they should stay silent because “you’re being divisive if you talk about this situation at all.”
But when the pastor’s opponents are vocal … and the pastor’s supporters go silent … the board and the staff can become influenced by the noise.
Rather than remaining silent, this is what I tell the pastor’s supporters to do:
*Locate the latest copy of your church’s governing documents … the constitution and bylaws.
Read and mark up the entire document. Focus on two key areas.
First, note what the documents say about church discipline.
Second, note what they say about removing a pastor.
*Ask the church board/staff/office manager if the church has a special document delineating the process required to remove a pastor. If so, ask for a copy.
YOU ARE NOT BEING DIVISIVE BY ASKING FOR THESE DOCUMENTS. THAT’S WHAT A CARING, COMMITTED, RESPONSIBLE MEMBER SHOULD DO.
*If the pastor is under official investigation or discipline … or even if he has already resigned or been terminated … locate and ask a member of the official board or senior staff for a written copy of the process used to deal with the pastor.
I have encouraged many lay people to do this, and a few have been surprised when the board did produce such a document for them.
But others have been incensed when they discovered that the board wasn’t operating by any process … but were making it up as they went along … usually because they had already determined the pastor’s innocence or guilt based on their own feelings or friendships.
*While trying to discover the process being used, if you are stonewalled at every turn, I would inform the board that you will stop attending, serving, and giving until you are given a written copy of the process they are using.
And I would make a big deal about it with your mature friends.
I am not advocating making angry threats.
I am advocating that the official leaders need to know that they are being watched and that they will ultimately need to give an account to the congregation for their decisions.
IT’S A SERIOUS MATTER TO ACCUSE A PASTOR OF WRONGDOING, AND IN TODAY’S CLIMATE, ONE FALSE CHARGE CAN END A PASTOR’S CAREER … OR END A CHURCH’S VERY EXISTENCE.
In fact, I’d want to know:
*Are you basing your process on Scripture or business?
*Are you trying to restore or remove the pastor?
*Are you using a loving or a harsh approach?
Just read 1 Timothy 5:19-21 where Paul discusses the process of investigating charges against an elder/pastor. Note especially verse 21:
“I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.”
Paul says, “The Father, Son, and angels are watching what you’re doing so you better do this fairly and wisely.”
Paul says to Timothy, “Make sure church leaders are never guilty of a process crime.”
There are a lot of pastors these days who are engaged in stupid or sinful practices, and some of them need to leave their church … or the ministry altogether.
But many more pastors are falsely accused of wrongdoing, and because church leaders botch the process, they botch the result as well.
Churchgoers need to let their leaders know, “I will be praying that you will make a just and loving decision concerning our pastor, but I expect that you will tell us the process you are using, and, when the time comes, that you will give as full an accounting of your deliberations as possible.”
AND IF YOU DO THAT, YOU JUST MIGHT SAVE YOUR PASTOR … AND YOUR CHURCH.
So clear, Jim. The fact that supporters are completely blindsided is right on. I had a few good and faithful men stand up to the board to their face in the meeting, and I will never forget them. But most weren’t sure what was going on. The board told me to resign on one Sunday and tell the church the next Sunday was my last Sunday and they expected no one to question anything! Meanwhile they conjured up a 30 minute powerpoint trying to prove their point. Then they showed it to a group of ministry leaders on the Wednesday between Sundays. They were told to keep quiet. Then they showed it again on that terrible Sunday. People were completely confused. One other point: Consultants are a total waste of money. The consultant they hired to essentially fire me then went on to come on staff at the church for a while! Amazing.
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Hi Dale,
Thanks for writing! A few thoughts:
*I have never heard of a PowerPoint presentation designed to convince people that a pastor needed to be terminated. How cruel is that?
Reminds me of the time Lucy decided to take slides of all Charlie Brown’s faults and then show him all his faults at once. Charlie ran away yelling, “Auugghh!” Lucy told him, “Wait until you get my bill!” When Charlie finally told Linus what Lucy had done, Charlie said, “And I still have the same faults.”
Dale, putting together a PP presentation smacks of hatred and revenge. It wasn’t loving, it wasn’t redemptive, and it wasn’t fair. Just awful.
In my case, the consultant was worth his weight in gold. He had been forced out of his last church and knew the tactics of those who stood against me. Because the entire board and associate pastor had resigned en masse, he surmised I probably wouldn’t be able to stay anyway, so he focused on getting me the best possible separation package. He also stood up at the end of a public meeting and told the congregation, “You have just destroyed your church!” He really did a great job.
Consultants are like attorneys. There are good ones out there, but they aren’t always easy to find. I was blessed to find a good one.
As far as the consultant joining the staff after recommending your departure … I know another church where that happened. The consultant became the interim pastor. For me, that’s unethical behavior, but when you’re out of ministry and you have to pay the bills …
Is your book published yet?
Jim
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Jim, this is an exceptional article. Simply exceptional. Thank you for your very important ministry.
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Thanks so much, Patrick. I left one important point out. I’ll try and add it this weekend.
Jim
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