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Five Questions Christian Leaders Can’t Answer

Posted in Church Conflict, Conflict with Church Board, Conflict with Church Staff, Conflict with the Pastor, Current Church Issues, Forgiveness and Reconciliation among Christians, Pastoral Termination, Please Comment!, tagged forced termination of pastors, pastor dismissal, pastor forced resignation, pastor termination, Satan's role in church conflict on February 21, 2014| 6 Comments »

There are a lot of things in this world I don’t understand. For example:

Why is one baseball pitcher paid more than $30 million per season?

Why did they have to kill off Matthew on Downton Abbey?

And why does anyone pay attention to Miley Cyrus?

There are also areas of the Christian church I don’t understand:

Why are so many Christians afraid to stand up for their faith?

Why are most churches unprepared for guests?

Why don’t pastors preach on controversial issues anymore?

We can talk about those issues another time.

However, I have five questions that center around conflict in churches – especially involving pastors – that continue to puzzle me:

First, why do so many Christians resort to lying to get rid of their pastor?

When a pastor is innocent of any major offense (like heresy, immorality, or felonious behavior), but a group in the church wants to push him out, why do they lie to get their way?

And why do so many gullible Christians believe the lies without checking their veracity?

And why do churchgoers believe the liars and proceed to shun their pastor?

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”

I hear stories all the time from pastors whose forced resignations were preceded by one lie after the other.

Why do we permit this in the body of Christ?

Can’t figure it out.

Second, why is a forced-out pastor considered “damaged goods?”

In our day, if a pastor is forced to resign from a church, the chances that he can find another church ministry are poor.

Why do search teams make blanket judgments about such pastors without doing a little more homework?

Why does the Church that espouses grace for sinners withhold that same grace from pastors who have been battered and bullied?

I know men with sparkling credentials … who have grown churches … who are excellent speakers … who have proven their stability by leading the same church for 20 years … who have given their lives to the ministry … who can’t get a search team member to even return an email.

If Peter denied that he knew Christ in our day, would God’s people let him back into ministry?

Many pastors are forced out of their positions because they chose to obey the Lord rather than the board.

Shouldn’t we celebrate these men as heroes rather than ban them from church ministry for life?

Can’t figure it out.

Third, why don’t more denominational leaders stand behind pastors under attack?

When I became a pastor, I was told that my district minister was “a pastor to pastors.”

So I shared with him some concerns I had about my church.

That was a big mistake … because he later used what I shared against me.

If you’re a pastor under attack, and you’re looking for someone to confide in, think twice about trusting your regional minister.

Why?

Because they are usually more interested in keeping the church – and its money – in the denomination than standing for what’s right.

If you’re a pastor, and you’re under fire inside your church, and you’re thinking about asking your district executive for help, ask him this one question first:

To what extent will you stand behind me in this conflict?

If you get a wishy-washy political answer … which is likely … RUN!

Before I draw a parallel with Pontius Pilate … why don’t more denominational leaders stand up for their pastors?

Can’t figure it out.

Fourth, why aren’t more Christian leaders doing something about the problem of forced terminations?

In my book Church Coup, I quoted researcher Marcus Tanner from Texas Tech University about the increase in clergy terminations.

Tanner stated, “Everybody knows this is happening, but nobody wants to talk about it. The vast majority of denominations across the country are doing absolutely nothing.”

If 1,500 to 1,800 pastors are leaving church ministry every month – with most of them forced out – then why are good people sitting around and permitting this evil to happen?

And don’t give me this “autonomy of the local church” stuff. That’s just an excuse for Christian fear and dysfunction.

If pastors are being abused and battered and lied about, why are most Christian leaders silent?

Can’t figure it out.

Finally, why are congregations so blind when it comes to Satan’s influence?

Satan uses two primary tactics to destroy pastors and churches: deception and destruction.

Jesus said in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar and the father of lies … and was a murderer from the beginning.

Deception and destruction … two words that are easy to remember.

Anytime that lies are being spread through a church … Satan is involved.

Anytime that someone is trying to destroy a pastor … Satan is involved.

And yet, when Christians are in the midst of a conflict involving their pastor, some attribute the chaos and consternation to anyone and everyone except the evil one.

Why are believers so easily fooled?

Paul wrote about Satan in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

But during a conflict, most Christians seem spiritually deaf and blind.

Can’t figure it out.

It’s high time that Christians took the time to study and practice what the Bible has to say about church conflict.

Or else Jesus’ church is going to have an increasing number of questions that it can’t answer.

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Christian Pastor Bashers

Posted in Current Church Issues, Please Comment!, tagged bashing Rick Warren; criticizing Rick Warren; defending Rick Warren, Christian discernment experts, Pastor Rick Warren on February 13, 2014| 10 Comments »

Last week, I received a personal email from the director of a Christian organization who invited me to check out a blog article he had written and a YouTube video interview he had given.

His issue?

He claimed that Rick Warren was “THE poster child global predatory pastor” and “THE MOST DANGEROUS PASTOR IN THE WORLD.”

So I read his article and listened to his entire video, jotting thoughts down along the way.

What did I learn?

That Rick Warren might be a 33rd Degree Mason and a member of the Illuminati … that he teaches “the tyranny of tithing” … that he doesn’t preach “Christ crucified” … and that because he prayed at President Obama’s inauguration, Warren is somehow linked to the elimination of the black race.

I kid you not.

And this “director” doesn’t have one good thing to say about Rick Warren … not one.

Let me try and answer each of these charges and then share why I think they’re being made.

First, is Rick Warren really a Mason?

When I was in seminary, my church history professor – Dr. Christian – made a statement I’ve never forgotten: “You can be a Christian and be a Mason, but you can’t be a good Christian and a good Mason.”

Why not?

Because both the church and the lodge demand total commitment – and because they believe mutually exclusive things.

In the interest of full disclosure, my son works at (not for) Saddleback Church. He’s had his picture taken with Pastor Rick … twice.

And my son says that Pastor Rick is rarely at church because he’s always traveling to some other part of the country or world.

How in the world would Pastor Rick have the time and energy to be both a Mason and a Christian pastor?

After muttering the claim on the video, the discernment ministry expert admitted that he didn’t have the documentation to prove that Warren really was a Mason.

But if you want to be taken seriously, why even mutter the claim if you can’t prove it?

Second, does Rick Warren teach tithing?

Yes. And so do thousands and thousands of other pastors. They honestly believe that the tithe in the Old Testament is assumed in the New Testament and point to Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:23 as proof.

But by what stretch of the imagination is keeping an Old Testament command tyranny? Isn’t keeping God’s law supposed to be liberating? Didn’t Jesus come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it?

I taught tithing, and I’ve practiced it for decades in my own life. What’s wrong with that?

Why single Warren out for teaching tithing when so many others have done so? It’s okay to disagree, but to call it tyranny?

Good grief.

Third, does Warren preach “Christ crucified?”

The charge against Warren is that he has garbled the gospel message by not consistently preaching that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead … and that he doesn’t tell people to repent of their sins.

This reminds me of a woman who once heard me preach on two consecutive Sundays. She wrote a note on her response card claiming that she wasn’t coming back to the church because I didn’t preach on John 3:16.

The following Sunday, that woman wasn’t present, but I did preach on John 3:16 … for the first time in years … but for some reason, I didn’t receive her note until the following day.

How ironic.

Can we put this “there’s only one way to preach the gospel” controversy to bed forever?

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are arrested and imprisoned in Philippi. About midnight, a violent earthquake occurs, and the jailer – assuming his prisoners had escaped – attempts to kill himself. Paul stops him, and the jailer asks Paul, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Paul replies in verse 31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” (If his household believes, they will be saved as well.) The next verse tells us, “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house,” probably expanding upon their “believe” statement.

But do you know how many times I’ve heard preachers and evangelists tell people, “All you have to do to be saved is to believe in the Lord Jesus as Paul states in verse 31?”

Paul doesn’t mention Christ crucified … or the resurrection … or heaven or hell … or repentance … or judgment … or God’s law.

Guess what? Resurrection and repentance aren’t found in John 3:16, either … and Jesus said the thief on the cross was saved by simply saying, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

If using specific “code words” was vital to preaching the gospel, then Dr. Luke should have made sure that he used the right words every time he mentioned the gospel message in Acts … but he doesn’t.

He uses a variety of expressions to keep his book interesting … and many preachers do the same thing … including Rick Warren.

Finally, did Rick Warren sin by praying at Barack Obama’s inauguration?

Here’s how the argument is made on the videotape:

Warren blessed Obama at the inauguration … and Obama promotes Planned Parenthood … and their founder advocated the elimination of the black race … so, by implication, Rick Warren supports the elimination of the black race.

This is the kind of linkage that I grew up with as a fundamentalist:

If you’re in high school … and you go to a dance … you’ll get turned on … have sex after the dance … and get someone pregnant … SO DON’T GO TO THE DANCE.

How about this one instead?

If you listen to Christian kooks … and read their books … you’ll start sounding like a babbling idiot … pull away from your church … and sit in a corner sucking your thumb … SO DON’T LISTEN TO CHRSTIAN KOOKS.

But if you know anything about reasoning, you know there are huge jumps in logic between each step and that one step doesn’t logically follow the next.

Why are there so many Warren bashers out there today?

I have never met Rick Warren. I’ve read his books … and I follow him on Twitter … but I don’t know the man at all.

But I like him.

Last weekend, I watched him preach (using the Saddleback Roku app) on transforming your mind. The message was great.

It was biblical … interesting … relevant … practical … passionate … challenging … and convicting.

Do you know how hard it is to preach like that?

Rick Warren is an evangelist at heart, not a seminary professor. Like Paul, he seeks “to become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

He’s not like John the Baptist: living in isolation … leading an ultra-disciplined life … condemning sins sternly … and having a small group of followers.

He’s much more like Jesus: socializing with all kinds of people … enjoying life to the full … condemning the religious more than the irreligious … and gaining a large following.

And like many Christian leaders, if he’s asked to do something … and he thinks he’ll have a chance to represent Christ … he’ll say “yes” as often as possible … preaching the word “in season and out of season.”

Why does Rick Warren attract so much harsh criticism?

Because God has wildly blessed his ministry over the past 34 years … and God hasn’t blessed most other ministries in the same way.

And this makes “Christian discernment experts” and many pastors wildly jealous.

Paul wrote in Philippians 1:18 that even if certain people preach Christ “out of envy and rivalry” or “in love” … “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

Is Rick Warren perfect?

No.

Has he made mistakes?

He’s the first one to admit that he has … and he’s disappointed me a few times … but so have most Christian leaders at one time or another.

But has God used him mightily?

Yes … and God only uses imperfect people.

In listening to all the Warren-bashing, I’ve never heard anyone say, “Let’s pray for Pastor Rick.”

So let’s pray for Pastor Rick … that God gives him many more years of service … and let’s pray for the Christian discernment experts … that they’ll focus on somebody really dangerous.

Any suggestions?

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Why Does God Delay His Judgment?

Posted in Current Church Issues, Fighting Evil, Please Comment!, tagged 1 Peter 4:17-18, instant judgment in Scripture, the judgment of God, why does God delay judgment on February 10, 2014| 4 Comments »

Sometimes I just don’t understand God … and maybe it’s a good thing I don’t.

Because if God shared some of His powers with me for a day – a frightening thought – I’d start zapping certain people.

Several politicians blatantly lie to the American people on television?

Zap … one of them has a heart attack on camera.

A Hollywood producer makes a film touting the virtues of perverted sex?

Zap … the cast and crew come down with a mysterious illness, killing half of them.

A board member begins spreading false rumors designed to force his pastor’s resignation?

Zap … he can’t speak for six months.

It’s long been my opinion that if God meted out a little instant divine judgment here and there, far more people would obey His commands … and take Him more seriously.

The Lord certainly did this sort of thing in both Testaments … both to unbelievers and believers:

*When Lot’s wife hesitated to fully obey the Lord, she was buried under an avalanche of salt.

*When Korah and his buddies rebelled against Moses, the earth opened up and they fell to their deaths.

*When Achan stole forbidden plunder from Ai, he was instantly executed.

*When Zechariah failed to believe Gabriel’s announcement of John’s birth, Zechariah was struck dumb until his son was born.

*When Ananias and Sapphira claimed to have given the entire proceeds of their property sale to the Lord – but kept back some income for themselves – God struck them both dead.

*When King Herod Agrippa heard the crowd yell, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man,” Luke writes, “Immediately because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.”

In Scripture, God doesn’t zap every sinner … or every sin … or else everybody but Jesus would have died.

No, He zaps people on rare occasions … and we don’t know His criteria … but everybody standing nearby goes, “Uh oh, I better do what God says from now on!”

Couldn’t we use just a little bit of that today?

I have a theory that an increasing number of people don’t believe in God because they see little or no evidence of His judgment on sin.

*They see musical celebrities engaging in simulated sex on stage … and getting away with it.

*They watch televangelists distort Scripture and harm people’s lives … and nothing happens.

*They hear about priests who take advantage of young boys … and they’re transferred to other parishes.

So many people in our day keep pushing the envelope … and walking toward degradation … all the while defying God by inwardly saying, “God, if You’re really there, You’ve got to punish that behavior!”

But there’s no punishment … and no zapping … just silence.

So many people conclude, “God must not exist … or if He does, He’s certainly powerless.”

Let’s be honest:

*I don’t mind if God zaps big sins … as long as He lays off my little ones.

*And it’s okay if God zaps people I don’t know … just so He lays off people I do know.

*And I don’t care if God zaps people for specific sins … just so He doesn’t zap me for mine.

*And it’s all right if God zaps unbelievers instantly … just so He gives believers plenty of time to repent.

But then we read 1 Peter 4:17-18:

“For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, ‘If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?'”

Many of us assume that when judgment does break out on our world, God will zap unbelievers first, and partially protect believers. Certainly Revelation 6-19 lends credence to this argument.

But Peter’s words indicate that when God does shift into “judgment mode,” He may very well start with His own people first … and we’re in no hurry for that to occur.

I heard this statement years ago: “God’s judgment may be slow, but it’s sure.”

For the most part, I agree with that sentiment. God doesn’t deal with most sins instantly … even though He will deal with them eventually.

But I’m still baffled … and sometimes disappointed … that He doesn’t deal with everyone’s sins more quickly.

Yes, I understand that He’s not willing for any to perish, and for all to come to repentance.

But if He meted out a little justice on television, or took out a few key politicians while caucusing … and the judgments could directly be tied back to Him … wouldn’t more people believe in Him?

Maybe … or maybe not … and that’s why it’s good that I’m not God.

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Think Twice Before Terminating a Pastor

Posted in Conflict with Church Board, Conflict with the Pastor, Pastoral Termination, Please Comment!, tagged forced exit of pastors, forced resignation of pastors, God's call and pastoral termination, pastoral termination, termating a pastor on February 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The most-read article on this blog is called “If You Must Terminate a Pastor.” It’s been viewed 3 times more than any other article, indicating that many church leaders seek help with this problem.

Right now, I’m working on an e-book targeted for church decision makers – especially church boards – that are thinking about removing their pastor from office. Tentatively, the first chapter is about why pastors are special … a consideration most decision makers block from their minds when they want to remove their shepherd. Here is an excerpt from that initial chapter in draft form. Feel free to comment.

__________

I know a lot about pastors, far more than I know about people in any other profession. My grandfather was a pastor. My dad was a pastor. My father-in-law and step-father were pastors. (They were both missionaries, too.) In seminary, I got to know professors who had dedicated their lives to training pastors, as well as fellow students who sensed God’s call to ministry. In my own life, I’ve held eight church positions over thirty-six years, and today I work with pastors from various denominations in a non-profit ministry. I like pastors.

But as a church decision maker, it’s possible that your experience with pastors has been limited. Maybe the only pastors you’ve known are the ones that have served your present church. Or maybe this is your first assignment as a church decision maker and you’ve been a bit surprised by what really goes on behind-the-scenes.

Let me share with you several truths about pastors that you need to keep on your frontal lobes as you consider removing your pastor from office:

First, your pastor has been called by God to ministry.

Through a convergence of events that He orchestrated, God selected your pastor – out of thousands of individuals – to serve Him in church ministry. The call may have come all at once like a bolt of lightning, or it may have come upon your pastor gradually over time. But your pastor did not call himself to ministry – God called him.

My Old Testament professor in seminary, Dr. Charles Feinberg, used to tell prospective pastors, “If you can do anything other than being a pastor, do it.” Why did he say that? Because the best pastors are the ones who know that God has called them and don’t quit when things get rough. Many seminary students have no idea what it’s like to be a pastor, and if they really knew what it takes, the majority would probably drop out. The hours are long. The pay isn’t great. The emergencies never stop – and neither does the criticism. Especially the criticism.

Many years ago, a man who was a bit odd asked if we could meet for lunch. He didn’t come to church very often. He wasn’t a member. To my knowledge, he had never volunteered for any ministry. He didn’t have any friends at church. But during our lunch together, he tried to tell me how to preach. I had a style that I had developed over more than thirty years, and this occasional attendee was going to tell me how to teach God’s Word? He could barely put two sentences together.

Not every person who claims that God has called him or her to ministry has really been called. The call must be confirmed through a process called ordination, which is done by a candidate’s local church. Although there is no one way to become ordained, the process usually involves the candidate writing out his conversion experience and call to ministry, along with a summary of his biblical beliefs. Then the ordination council – usually composed of pastors from other churches as well as laymen from the candidate’s congregation – examines the candidate, posing questions designed to test his knowledge of Scripture and theology.

When the time of examination is concluded, the candidate is dismissed, and members of the council deliberate as to whether or not the candidate should be ordained. If the council recommends ordination, the ordination ceremony takes place a few days later – usually in front of the entire congregation – where the pastor takes ordination vows and his call to ministry is officially recognized by those who know him best.

How much do you know about your pastor’s call to ministry? Do you know when and where he was ordained? Do you know the name of the church that ordained him?

My friend Charles Wickman, who was a pastor for many years, was fond of saying that a church should celebrate their pastor’s call to ministry on an annual basis as a way of saying, “Our pastor is God’s man for this church.” When was the last time your church celebrated your pastor’s call to ministry?

This does not mean that you can never remove your pastor from office. But it does mean that you need to tread lightly if you seek to remove him. God had His hand on your pastor at one time. Could that still be the case?

Second, your pastor was assigned by God to your particular church.

While God calls individuals to church ministry in general – which is recognized through ordination – He calls specific pastors to specific churches … recognized through an investigative process often known as candidating.

When a search team from your church initially contacted your pastor, many people were obviously impressed by him. The search team and pastor probably traded emails, phone calls, and written documents, maybe leading to an interview via Skype. Then the pastor was invited to visit your campus and meet members of the search team, and if they were sufficiently pleased, your pastor later preached before the congregation and did a question-and-answer session before the entire congregation, the church board, and other relevant groups.

If the search team and governing board received positive feedback about the candidate, then your congregation probably took a vote and invited the candidate to become your pastor. After such a lengthy investigative process, many people in your church undoubtedly concluded that God had called your pastor to your church.

There’s also a sense in which your church hired your pastor, and any employee who is hired can also be fired. But when pastors talk about leaving their home and moving their family to serve a new congregation, they invariably tell people that God called them to that church. I’ve observed that whenever a pastor initially comes to a church, many people refer to the pastor’s call, but if the pastor later finds himself in hot water with church leaders, the language changes. People start dropping the term “call” and start saying that the pastor was “hired” instead. When leaders stop referring to the pastor’s call, they imply that God wasn’t involved in bringing your pastor to your church and that your leaders were the real reason he came. But this doesn’t change the fact that at one time, the leaders and congregation of your church believed that your current pastor was God’s man for your people.

Ask yourself: if God clearly wanted him to come here, what evidence do we have now that God wants him to leave? Regardless of how you currently feel about your pastor, please do not factor God out of your discussions and deliberations. Just as church leaders sought God’s will when your pastor first came, so too church leaders need to seek God’s will if your pastor’s time at your church is drawing to a close.

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If you were a church decision maker, and you were contemplating forcing your pastor to resign, how much weight would the above arguments have on you? Let me know.

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Do Churches Exist for Their Pastors?

Posted in Church Conflict, Conflict with the Pastor, Pastoral Termination, Please Comment!, tagged churches that exist for their pastors, churches that play it safe, churches that take risks, pastors that reinvent themselves, why churches are stagnating numerically on January 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

There’s a theory I’ve been toying with recently. It sounds a bit cynical … and maybe it is … but I wonder about it anyhow.

How many churches exist primarily to pay their pastor’s salary?

You ask, “Jim, isn’t that backwards? Don’t pastors exist to serve their churches?”

Yes, I believe that’s the way it should be … but in thousands of cases, that’s not how things really work.

Let me explain my thinking.

According to church growth experts, only 15-20% of all churches in America are growing numerically … which means that 80-85% of churches are either stagnant or declining.

In my experience, churches that:

*are growing have an outreach-oriented vision … are willing to take risks … make tough decisions … and preach God’s Word with authenticity and conviction.

*aren’t growing exist primarily for themselves … refuse to take risks … punt on tough decisions … and preach God’s Word so that nobody is offended.

Since at least 80% of all churches are stagnant or declining, isn’t it safe to assume that 80% of all pastors lead stagnant or declining churches as well?

If Jesus is truly God incarnate … the Savior and Lord of All … Giver of the Spirit … and the Prince of Peace … then why are so many churches not doing well?

In my view … especially among small and medium-sized churches … too many churches exist primarily to pay their pastor.

Let me give you an example.

Pastor Joe was called to Fellowship Church five years ago. Everyone likes Joe’s personality, family, and preaching. In fact, Joe has made many friends throughout the congregation.

But during Joe’s tenure, the church has gone from an average Sunday attendance of 165 down to 115 … and to be honest, nobody really cares.

Why not?

Because Joe loves the congregation, and they love Joe … and as long as the church can pay Joe and keep him around, everyone feels fine.

Joe doesn’t want to do anything to upset this lovefest. His wife seems content. His kids like their friends and community. And Joe’s position feels secure.

He earns a decent salary … along with benefits and retirement … and he has no plans to go anywhere.

But if Fellowship Church is really going to grow, Joe needs to reverse the trend by engaging in activities like these:

*He needs to reinvent himself as a pastor … by visiting growing churches … attending leadership conferences … finding a mentor and/or coach … and even going back to school.

*He needs to start preaching that people are lost without Christ … that hell really exists … and that Fellowship’s people need to share their faith with their networks.

*He needs to lead the congregation in creating a vision that specializes in reaching lost people for Christ.

*He needs to recruit and train several new board and staff members … and make sure that several current leaders (who are holding the church back) step down for good.

*He needs to create a climate where risk-taking is expected … even if there are occasional failures … because most churches that play it safe don’t grow.

Whenever Joe gets tempted to create growth plans, he can envision the following … because he’s seen it happen to other pastors:

*several leaders might leave the church (and take their friends with them).

*some of Joe’s friends might leave as well.

*Joe might have to endure increased criticism … frequent misunderstandings … and uncomfortable board meetings.

*a faction might even arise and demand Joe’s resignation for disturbing congregational peace.

*congregational giving might plunge to a level where the church can’t afford to pay Joe anymore.

Consciously or unconsciously, Joe weighs the costs. Even though attendance and giving have been steadily decreasing, everyone seems happy with Joe … and Joe is happy he can provide for his family.

But if Joe really takes the steps necessary to see his church go forward, Joe’s job … and security … and retirement … might all be on the line.

So Joe puts in his time … pastors his people … teaches on Sundays … and plays it safe … and his church continues to decline.

How do I know so much about pastors like Joe?

For my first 9 years as a pastor, I was Joe. My ministry was boring … few lives were changed … and I played it safe … but I was dying inside … and my church was dying, too.

Until I heard a series of tapes by Bill Hybels that changed my life and ministry forever.

With God’s help, I reinvented myself as a pastor … focused on the Great Commission … changed my preaching … hired needed staff … and took risks.

In fact, I put everything on the line for the gospel.

Was it easy? No.

But I felt alive … and my church came alive.

I let God worry about my salary and retirement … and He never let me down.

Remember what happened to the steward who buried his single talent in the ground?

He walked away with that one talent … but displeased his Master … who expects that His managers will invest and multiply their talents for His cause.

When churches exist for pastors, they stagnate and decline.

When pastors exist to advance and expand Christ’s kingdom, churches grow and prosper.

Let me conclude with a poem that describes the ministries of all too many church leaders. Dr. Curtis Mitchell from Biola College claimed it was found on a tombstone:

Here lie the bones of Nancy Jones

For her life held no terrors

She lived an old maid, she died an old maid

No runs, no hits, no errors

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Holding Grudges Against Pastors

Posted in Church Health and Conflict, Conflict with the Pastor, Forgiveness and Reconciliation among Christians, Pastoral Termination, Please Comment!, tagged Ephesians 4:26-27, forgiving a pastor, grudges against pastors, unresolved anger toward pastors on January 24, 2014| 2 Comments »

Have you ever had someone come up to you and tell you how upset they’ve been with you because you once wronged them?

One afternoon when I was in college, I was walking toward my car when someone called out my name. I turned around to see a young woman I had known for several years at church.

She wanted me to know that she had been upset with me for a long time because she liked me and I hadn’t reciprocated the way she wished.

She asked me to forgive her for all the animosity she held toward me. I told her I forgave her … she felt much better … but I don’t ever remember seeing her again.

Did I need to know how angry she had been with me?

I bring this up because some Christians carry grudges for months … if not years … against other Christians … especially against their pastors.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:26-27: “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

At least four principles about grudge-holding arise out of this text:

First, we all feel angry when we sense we’ve been violated.

It’s not a sin to feel anger. For example, I instinctively feel angry when another driver tailgates my vehicle on the freeway.

Years ago, I didn’t always handle such situations with maturity … but I’ve learned how to control my anger much better … although I still have my moments.

Although our anger antenna isn’t infallible, that initial dose of anger may be God’s way of saying, “You’ve just been violated. Don’t make it worse.”

There’s nothing sinful about feeling angry … Paul says so himself … but we shouldn’t nurse our anger.

We need to learn how to release it as soon as possible … and most of us acquire this skill as we mature.

Second, we need to resolve our anger as soon as possible.

Many years ago, I said something in a sermon that ticked off a particular woman. After the service, she and her husband vented to another couple, and they immediately left the church.

Why involve that couple when the woman was upset with me?

She eventually did speak with me about the issue, but by that time, the couple was long gone.

Most church conflicts and forced pastoral terminations occur because people spread their personal animosity toward their pastor to others.

Why?

Because they lack the courage to speak with their pastor themselves, they search for allies, hoping that (a) someone else will carry their offense, and (b) someone else will deal with the pastor so they won’t have to.

But this kind of thinking is counterproductive.

If you’re angry with your pastor, then (a) speak to him directly, or (b) forgive him privately … and let it go.

Third, deal with offenses as they arise.

In his book Love in Hard Places, theologian D. A. Carson tells about the time a Christian friend told Carson that he wanted a private word with him because Carson had offended him.

So the two of them arranged a meeting, and Carson’s friend related an incident that had happened twenty-one years earlier. Carson and his friend were having a theological discussion and his friend quoted a few words from an author who had written in French. Because Carson grew up speaking French, Carson repeated the French words after his friend because he was unconsciously correcting his pronunciation.

Carson’s friend didn’t say anything at the time, but several decades later, he told Carson, “I want you to know, Don, that I have not spoken another word of French from that day to this.” Carson apologized for offending his friend, but upon later reflection, Carson felt “there was something profoundly evil about nurturing a resentment of this order for twenty-one years.”

I agree wholeheartedly.

I once had a staff member come to me and share a list of purported offenses I had committed against him. The list went on and on. Finally, I stopped him and asked, “So what you’re telling me is that you’ve hated me all this time?” His reply: “Until recently.”

Here I was … meeting with him regularly … assuming everything was all right between us … trusting him as a ministry colleague … but all the while, he had been collecting grievances against me.

After he dumped his load on me, he felt better, but I plunged into depression. I started to wonder, “How many other people in this church feel the same way about me?”

Paul’s admonition is to resolve your anger before the sun goes down … to address the issue at your first opportunity … to repair your relationship as soon as possible … but not to wait 17 months, as that staff member did.

That incident still bothers me to this day.

Finally, unresolved anger gives Satan church entry.

Let’s assume that Satan assigns a demon to every local church. It’s that demon’s charter to use whatever means are necessary to destroy that church.

So that demon begins to probe the hearts of church leaders … trying to find those who are bitter … especially against their pastor.

And when the demon finds such an individual, he coaxes that person to tell others about his or her anger.

I have a pastor friend who served a church for several years, but nothing he was trying was working.

People began making charges against the pastor … only they didn’t tell the pastor directly.

So a consultant was called to the church to investigate.

One of the few charges against the pastor involved a tiny incident that had happened two years before at a church event.

When the incident was brought to the pastor’s attention, he couldn’t recall it at all.

If I had been the consultant, I would have thrown out the charge at that point. A minor incident from two years before shouldn’t have any bearing on a pastor’s present status.

But it did … and was a contributing factor that led to the pastor’s eventual removal.

But evidently no one said to the accuser, “How could you nurse that grudge for so long?”

There should be a statute of limitations on the offenses Christians commit against each other.

For example, in my state, the statute of limitations for:

*general assault or battery is two years.

*medical malpractice or fraud is three years.

*breach of a written contract is four years.

The less serious an offense, the shorter the statute of limitations should last. The more serious an offense, the longer the statute of limitations should last.

And yet when it comes to pastors, small incidents have a way of being magnified into spiritual and moral felonies … and this does not honor God or grow churches.

If you still nurse a grudge toward a pastor from your past, I encourage you to do one of two things:

*Either forgive the pastor unilaterally and let the incident go, or …

*Contact the pastor directly and try to reconcile your relationship.

Why do you think so many Christians nurse grudges against their pastors?

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What’s the Primary Sin Among Churchgoers?

Posted in Church Conflict, Church Health and Conflict, Please Comment!, tagged church sins, complaining about a pastor, complaining and church conflict on January 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

What’s the Number One Sin among churchgoers today?

Missing your quiet time?

Failing to attend worship services?

Neglecting to tithe?

Let me offer a candidate: complaining.

While re-reading the Book of Exodus, I’ve been struck by the never-ending parade of griping, whining, and grumbling that the Israelites did.

*They complained when Pharaoh’s slave drivers made Israel gather straw to make bricks (Exodus 5:19-21).

*They complained right before God miraculously delivered them from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10-12).

*They complained when they came to Marah and the waters were bitter (Exodus 15:22-24).

*They complained in the Desert of Sin because they didn’t have any food (Exodus 16:1-3).

*They complained at Rephidim because they had no water (Exodus 17:1-3).

And that doesn’t count all the complaining they did in the Book of Numbers … chapter after chapter of angry, discontented, ungrateful people.

And God hates complaining.

Why?

Let me offer three reasons:

First, complaining demonstrates a lack of faith in God.

Even though God:

*delivered Israel from the Egyptians, Israel still wanted to return there.

*purified the waters at Marah, the people later complained they lacked food.

*gave them food, they then claimed they didn’t have water.

God listened to their cries and continually met their needs, but they didn’t learn anything, constantly blaming God every time life didn’t go perfectly.

Sound familiar?

The Lord recently surprised me with something I’ve been praying for a long time.

Yet barely a week later, I find myself upset that the Lord hasn’t immediately solved another problem.

I need to remember: since the Lord solved that first issue in His time and way, He’ll solve this current issue as well.

That’s true in our personal lives, as well as in our church lives.

Second, complaining denigrates God and the leaders He’s chosen.

Just one month this side of Egypt, we’re told, “… the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron” (Exodus 16:2).

After telling Israel that God would provide food for them, Moses and Aaron said:

“… the Lord … has heard your grumbling against him” (verse 7).

They then ask, “Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”

Then Moses concludes in verse 8, “You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

Translation: grumbling against God’s leaders is really grumbling against God.

Moses and Aaron weren’t perfect; they made mistakes.

But they were God’s chosen leaders … and God identified Himself with them.

How many times have you complained about your pastor … or a staff member … or the church board?

If God chose them … fallible as they are … then isn’t grumbling against them really complaining against God?

Isn’t whining a way of saying, “If God assigned me to lead this church, then I’d do a much better job?”

For example, think about what you’ve said about your pastor recently.

Does your attitude and language indicate that you support his leadership … or that you’re sabotaging it?

Finally, complaining usually becomes infectious.

Congregational consultant Peter Steinke claims that complaining operates as an unchecked virus in a church.

Churchgoers complain in the parking lot after worship … at restaurants with friends … via phone calls and emails and text messages during the week … and even while the pastor is preaching.

Discernment and critical thinking are good things, and believers need to be able to evaluate what’s happening in their church.

But Steinke says that when someone at church comes to you and starts to gripe about a leader, the complaining virus is seeking a host cell.

If you listen to the complainer and agree with their issue, the complaining virus enters your spirit … replicates itself … and then gets passed on to others.

Ever hear someone say, “There’s a cancer in our church?”

The cancer spreads because professing Christians listen to and absorb complaints that they have no business hearing.

Why not?

Because the complaints are often about church leaders … and the leaders have no idea what people are saying about them.

This is how conflicts start in churches … and there’s only way to stop them.

What has been your experience with complaining churchgoers?

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What’s the Primary Sin Among Churchgoers?

Posted in Church Conflict, Church Health and Conflict, Please Comment!, tagged church members who complain, church sins, complaining in the church, sins among Christians on January 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »