It was late one night, and my children were already asleep when I got a call from Damian.[1] He was calling to tell me about how he had been hurt by the pastoral staff at the church he was a member of. More than that, he explained to me why he no longer believed in Jesus or Christianity. As we spoke over the next hour, I heard stories of him being yelled at, sworn at, and generally mistreated by multiple staff pastors of the church. When he brought those concerns to the lay pastors, they ignored him. He was told that because the staff pastors were confronting sin in his life, they were not in the wrong. Rather, they asserted, it was he who was “Spiritually unhealthy,” and the fact that Damian was making accusations against those staff pastors only further validated that reality in their minds.
Sadly, Damian’s story is all too common. In an age of celebrity pastor culture, a mentality can develop that a pastor is above being in the wrong when doing “ministry.” Moreover, since so many pastors feel the pressure to maintain a certain image in their role, it can become virtually impossible to admit when they have made a mistake or specifically sinned against a congregant.[2] When these lies take hold of a pastor’s heart, the only option left to the pastor is to blame those who brought concerns against the him, sometimes even attributing those concerns to an attack from the Devil himself.
Pastors, governing boards, and congregants must grow in their awareness of this common issue and be prepared to respond to it in a God-honoring manner. Thankfully, scripture speaks to this issue repeatedly and offers clear warning signs to be aware of and responses to have when a pastor acts sinfully toward those whom he is called to shepherd.
Below is a list of some of the overarching concerns raised in the New Testament regarding this topic and the responses that one must consider.
On numerous occasions, the New Testament warns us about the motivations of bad pastors. The Pharisees serve as an example in Jesus’ day of those were motivated by the praise of man (Matthew 6:1-4). Those motivations would eventually manifest as fasting and praying to be noticed by the people in community of faith, rather than as their duty to God. In our day, this behavior can take the form of seeking to build a platform or chasing pastoral celebrity.
Seeking personal praise is subtle, because a pastor can receive praise for work directly linked to serving God and people. One pastor can preach a sermon in front of a large crowd and be motivated to bring glory to God, and another can preach to an equally large crowd while being motivated to bring glory to himself. However, sometimes this glory seeking is more overt. A pastor who preaches to gain as many laughs as he can through telling jokes may very well be seeking man’s praise more than God’s glory.
While we can’t know the exact condition of a man’s heart, we do have biblical examples of men revealing the state of their hearts through their behavior. As a result, the New Testament authors can conclude that the motivations of their hearts had deviated from a commitment to God’s glory alone. We must be watchful of what our pastors’ actions might reveal about their hearts and motivation.
Luke also writes that greed is a motivation that can take over the heart of a pastoral leader (Luke 11:39, 42-43). Other passages of scripture point to the fact that things like food (Phil. 3:19), sex (Jude 4), money (1 Tim. 6:10), or comfort (Titus 1:12) can become the focus of personal gratification for pastors who have strayed from a walk with Christ, or those who never had one to begin with but crept into church leadership under false pretenses.
Material things are creations meant to bless us and be used to serve God, but when they become of greater worth to a person than the Creator Himself, idolatry is inevitable. Pastors are not immune to letting created things usurp the Creator’s place in their hearts. They must be ever vigilant not to let this happen. A bad pastor will not set up safeguards against overindulging in these blessings. If they become an idolator of material comfort, then gluttony, adultery, financial impropriety, and laziness is sure to follow in a bad pastor’s life.
It’s hard for people to be excited for another person’s success when they are struggling personally, and that is no different for a pastor. In truth, it’s hard for most pastors to be excited about the success of the church next door, especially if the pastor doesn’t have access to the same resources and can’t offer the same ministry programs as a church that seems to be growing in numbers. More likely, jealousy takes hold of his thoughts if he is not actively guarding against that vice.
Jealousy can begin to work itself into personal conversations with members of his church about why his church is more faithful to the gospel than the one next door. It can begin to sound like making assumptions about the motivations of the pastoral staff of other churches in town, rather than getting to know those churches and evaluating them on the faithfulness of their teaching of the scriptures.
Paul even points out that some people preached the gospel out of a rivalry with him (Phil. 1:15-17). He states that some people even wanted to cause him suffering as a result. Jealousy has the potential to drive personal attacks from one pastor to another. Furthermore, it could motivate a pastor to deviate from his biblical responsibilities to the church as he chases after what he does not have.
In Acts 17:11, Luke records Paul and Silas moving from Thessalonica to Berea, teaching from one synagogue to another. Once in Berea, Luke notes that the Bereans were noble because they did not take Paul’s teaching at face value. Rather, they “Received the word with eagerness, examining the scriptures daily” to determine the accuracy of the teaching.
One of the saddest examples of bad pastoring is a pastor proclaiming false doctrine. This can take the form teaching a false gospel, but it can also be teaching his personal traditions or preferences as God-ordained directives for the church body. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for this very thing in Mark 7:9 and even points out that sometimes traditions can cause a person to violate the clear directives of God.
Teaching a true doctrine but living a hypocritical life that violates their own teaching is also an example of unbiblical teaching. This is Jesus’ point in Matthew 23:3, when He warns the crowd about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They were teaching the laws of God accurately but not practicing what they preached. Whether a pastor teaches false doctrine, or teaches accurate doctrine that he ignores in his own life, it is a sign that the pastor is not a faithful man of God and should no longer be followed.
Not every element of bad pastoring needs to be visible in every situation in order to conclude that a pastor is, in fact, a bad pastor. Additionally, pastors should be approached when concerns come to light, with the loving correction. Since pastors are also sinners, it is fair to assume they will be tempted by sin like the rest of us. Pastors should have a governing body that seeks to help them stay faithful both in doctrine and practice.
It should be noted that not every pastor is living in sin against his congregation. Pastors will still need to confront sin in love, and leaders will still make choices that violate people’s preferences. Churches must not be quick to assume that when a pastor says or does something that stands in contrast to one’s own personal beliefs or preferences, that the pastor is now in sin. The church today should be like the Bereans, being aware of the warning signs of bad pastoring and ultimately looking to scripture to evaluate the pastors who lead them.
[1] The name of this person has been changed for publication.
[2] Lifeway study stating 90% of pastors feel pressure to preserve their image in ministry.
The post How to Recognize a Bad Pastor appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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Sadly, Damian’s story is all too common. In an age of celebrity pastor culture, a mentality can develop that a pastor is above being in the wrong when doing “ministry.” Moreover, since so many pastors feel the pressure to maintain a certain image in their role, it can become virtually impossible to admit when they have made a mistake or specifically sinned against a congregant.[2] When these lies take hold of a pastor’s heart, the only option left to the pastor is to blame those who brought concerns against the him, sometimes even attributing those concerns to an attack from the Devil himself.
Pastors, governing boards, and congregants must grow in their awareness of this common issue and be prepared to respond to it in a God-honoring manner. Thankfully, scripture speaks to this issue repeatedly and offers clear warning signs to be aware of and responses to have when a pastor acts sinfully toward those whom he is called to shepherd.
Below is a list of some of the overarching concerns raised in the New Testament regarding this topic and the responses that one must consider.
4 warning signs of a bad pastor:
1. Seeking Personal Praise
On numerous occasions, the New Testament warns us about the motivations of bad pastors. The Pharisees serve as an example in Jesus’ day of those were motivated by the praise of man (Matthew 6:1-4). Those motivations would eventually manifest as fasting and praying to be noticed by the people in community of faith, rather than as their duty to God. In our day, this behavior can take the form of seeking to build a platform or chasing pastoral celebrity.
Seeking personal praise is subtle, because a pastor can receive praise for work directly linked to serving God and people. One pastor can preach a sermon in front of a large crowd and be motivated to bring glory to God, and another can preach to an equally large crowd while being motivated to bring glory to himself. However, sometimes this glory seeking is more overt. A pastor who preaches to gain as many laughs as he can through telling jokes may very well be seeking man’s praise more than God’s glory.
While we can’t know the exact condition of a man’s heart, we do have biblical examples of men revealing the state of their hearts through their behavior. As a result, the New Testament authors can conclude that the motivations of their hearts had deviated from a commitment to God’s glory alone. We must be watchful of what our pastors’ actions might reveal about their hearts and motivation.
2. Material gratification
Luke also writes that greed is a motivation that can take over the heart of a pastoral leader (Luke 11:39, 42-43). Other passages of scripture point to the fact that things like food (Phil. 3:19), sex (Jude 4), money (1 Tim. 6:10), or comfort (Titus 1:12) can become the focus of personal gratification for pastors who have strayed from a walk with Christ, or those who never had one to begin with but crept into church leadership under false pretenses.
Material things are creations meant to bless us and be used to serve God, but when they become of greater worth to a person than the Creator Himself, idolatry is inevitable. Pastors are not immune to letting created things usurp the Creator’s place in their hearts. They must be ever vigilant not to let this happen. A bad pastor will not set up safeguards against overindulging in these blessings. If they become an idolator of material comfort, then gluttony, adultery, financial impropriety, and laziness is sure to follow in a bad pastor’s life.
3. Jealousy
It’s hard for people to be excited for another person’s success when they are struggling personally, and that is no different for a pastor. In truth, it’s hard for most pastors to be excited about the success of the church next door, especially if the pastor doesn’t have access to the same resources and can’t offer the same ministry programs as a church that seems to be growing in numbers. More likely, jealousy takes hold of his thoughts if he is not actively guarding against that vice.
Jealousy can begin to work itself into personal conversations with members of his church about why his church is more faithful to the gospel than the one next door. It can begin to sound like making assumptions about the motivations of the pastoral staff of other churches in town, rather than getting to know those churches and evaluating them on the faithfulness of their teaching of the scriptures.
Paul even points out that some people preached the gospel out of a rivalry with him (Phil. 1:15-17). He states that some people even wanted to cause him suffering as a result. Jealousy has the potential to drive personal attacks from one pastor to another. Furthermore, it could motivate a pastor to deviate from his biblical responsibilities to the church as he chases after what he does not have.
4. Unbiblical teaching
In Acts 17:11, Luke records Paul and Silas moving from Thessalonica to Berea, teaching from one synagogue to another. Once in Berea, Luke notes that the Bereans were noble because they did not take Paul’s teaching at face value. Rather, they “Received the word with eagerness, examining the scriptures daily” to determine the accuracy of the teaching.
One of the saddest examples of bad pastoring is a pastor proclaiming false doctrine. This can take the form teaching a false gospel, but it can also be teaching his personal traditions or preferences as God-ordained directives for the church body. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for this very thing in Mark 7:9 and even points out that sometimes traditions can cause a person to violate the clear directives of God.
Teaching a true doctrine but living a hypocritical life that violates their own teaching is also an example of unbiblical teaching. This is Jesus’ point in Matthew 23:3, when He warns the crowd about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They were teaching the laws of God accurately but not practicing what they preached. Whether a pastor teaches false doctrine, or teaches accurate doctrine that he ignores in his own life, it is a sign that the pastor is not a faithful man of God and should no longer be followed.
Conclusion
Not every element of bad pastoring needs to be visible in every situation in order to conclude that a pastor is, in fact, a bad pastor. Additionally, pastors should be approached when concerns come to light, with the loving correction. Since pastors are also sinners, it is fair to assume they will be tempted by sin like the rest of us. Pastors should have a governing body that seeks to help them stay faithful both in doctrine and practice.
It should be noted that not every pastor is living in sin against his congregation. Pastors will still need to confront sin in love, and leaders will still make choices that violate people’s preferences. Churches must not be quick to assume that when a pastor says or does something that stands in contrast to one’s own personal beliefs or preferences, that the pastor is now in sin. The church today should be like the Bereans, being aware of the warning signs of bad pastoring and ultimately looking to scripture to evaluate the pastors who lead them.
[1] The name of this person has been changed for publication.
[2] Lifeway study stating 90% of pastors feel pressure to preserve their image in ministry.
The post How to Recognize a Bad Pastor appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...