10 Pastors You Should Have MAJOR Concerns About.docx

8/11/2019 10 Pastors You Should Have MAJOR Concerns About.docx

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10 Pastors You Should HaveMAJOR Concerns About

Its not a secret the church has been in decline for a number of years and for a variety

of reasons. You can read some statistics and views on why,here andhere andhere.

Everyone has their opinions.

Abuse, apostasy and irrelevance are just a few of the words that keep coming up in the

search for reasons for the decline. There are a variety of compelling opinions, and I

even have a few of my own.

But I suggest there is another area of decline more significant and perhaps much less

obviousand one that certainly contributes to the churchs decline in numbers.

And I think it's likely a careful analysis would implicate the churchs leadership for this

more significant issue.

In other words, Im concerned about pastors and the role they play in the churchs

decline.

By saying so, Im not suggesting this pastor has it all together. Nor am I trying to

cultivate (or ratify) some dishonest skeptics hate for the church. Rather, Im hoping to

raise some concerns in a conversational kind of way.

Further, Im not claiming to be the expert in all church issues. However, I have been in

some form of pastoral ministry for the last 19 years and feel I have some measure of

insight about the issue.

So in an effort to pursue this conversation in a healthy way, here are 10

pastors Im concerned about.

1. Im concerned about the pastor who is better at managing

church programs than he is at making disciples of Jesus.Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger addressed this topic somewhat in the bookSimple Church,

but Im not sure how many pastors paid attention to the message.

The church is not better because it has more programs. Its quite possible for programs

to hinder its real mission.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-number-one-reason-for-the-decline-in-church-attendance-and-five-ways-to-address-it-102882/http://www.churchleadership.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=42346&columnid=4545http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HO5J92/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004HO5J92&linkCode=as2&tag=scpopoofvi-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HO5J92/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004HO5J92&linkCode=as2&tag=scpopoofvi-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HO5J92/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004HO5J92&linkCode=as2&tag=scpopoofvi-20http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HO5J92/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004HO5J92&linkCode=as2&tag=scpopoofvi-20http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.htmlhttp://www.churchleadership.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=42346&columnid=4545http://www.christianpost.com/news/the-number-one-reason-for-the-decline-in-church-attendance-and-five-ways-to-address-it-102882/


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2. Im concerned about the pastor who attracts people with

fancy self-help sermons instead of teaching people to be

students of the Bible and theology.

Sure, topical sermons can be helpful teaching tools when used appropriately and inmoderation.

But to pique interest in the unchurched, church-growth pastors have promoted episodic

sermons ad nauseamand to no avail at effectively grounding deeply committed

disciples of Jesus, as the statistics provided previously demonstrate.

3. Im concerned about the pastor who is a chief executive

instead of a contemplative sage.

The pastor is called to a contemplative life of prayer and study of the word (Acts

6:4,cf.Ephesians 4:11-16). From that life, his ministry flows to the church.

The pastor was never called to be a rockstar communicator or benchmark business

leader. He was called to model redemption and shepherd the flock of God (1 Peter 5:1-

4,cf.Acts 20:28).

Perhaps pastors should consider putting away their John Maxwell and Nelson Searcy

books and picking up the Bible and the church fathers.

4. Im concerned about the pastor who uses the pulpit to milk

members instead of minister to the saints.

It was the angry atheist Richard Dawkins who asked Ted Haggard (back in the day)

why he needed a multimillion dollar sound system that paralleled that of MTV to teach

people about God. I think thats a question that deserves an answer.

Why do pastors need to build bigger and better on the backs of Gods people?

I think the answer may be rooted in the human heart. Francis Chan seemed to havecaught that vision when he was still pastor in Simi Valley. And if we think we need to

build bigger barns, perhaps we should pray about church planting as a viable

alternative.
http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%206.4http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%206.4http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ephesians%204.11-16http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.1-4http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.1-4http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2020.28http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2020.28http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.1-4http://biblia.com/bible/esv/1%20Peter%205.1-4http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Ephesians%204.11-16http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%206.4http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%206.4


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5. Im concerned about the pastor who makes growing the

church the goal instead of glorifying God the goal.

There is no biblical mandate for growing the church. Sure, there is one for propagating

the gospel and making disciples. But the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoyhim forever. There is nothing in Scripture, except pride, that drives pastors to drive the

flocks they are supposed to be tending.

6. Im concerned about the pastor who builds his ministry with

people instead of building people by his ministry.

It seems Ive said this already, just differently. But here Im speaking to a philosophy

that often underlies many of the abuses in the church.

For example, a well-known megachurch pastor once advised me to think of people in

seven-year terms. He explained that people generally burn out after seven years. And if

I wanted to build a big ministry for God, I would need to leverage those seven years.

Funny, I dont recall God asking pastors to leverage his people for the pastors dream of

building a big church for God.

7. Im concerned about the pastor who cultivates a culture of

dependency on himself instead of cultivating a culture of

community within the church.Of course, Im not denying spiritual dependency on Christ is biblical. But the pastor is

not the peoples savior.

Hes a just man who will burn out and fail himself given enough time and responsibility.

Christians should be taught to depend on Jesus as our Savior, the church as our

sanctifying community, the Bible as our word from God and the Spirit as ourparakletos.

8. Im concerned about the pastor who reads and teaches theBible literally instead of literarily.

This is not to suggest the Bible is not important or any less Gods word. Its to say the

Bible is literature, divine literature to be sure, but literature nonetheless.


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That means it needs to be read and understood as Gods word to us (or for us) in the

context of its literary genre.

Not all the Bible is prescriptive; and none of it was written to be used as a random list

of verses cherry-picked capriciously to beat people up or defend our personal ideas and

beliefs.

The Bible is the holy canon which reveals God to us through the person and work of

Jesus Christ. Pastors who mishandle Gods word are extremely dangerous.

9. Im concerned about the pastor who contributes to the

culture of consumerism instead of combating idolatry.

Pastors who pander to the consumerism in the church are no different than parents

who give their kids everything they want to keep them from throwing a fit or to getthem to reciprocate love.

Christianity isnt a smorgasbord where people get to pick and choose what they like or

dont. Its a community of believers on a journey and mission of faith who live

in communitaswith others for the glory of God, the blessing of his people and the

advancement of his kingdom.

10. Im concerned about the pastor who sees the church as a

stepping stone instead of seeing it as a custodian of Christs

kingdom.

Certainly, God moves people. And certainly pastors have a right to pursue other

ventures as the Lord leads and gives liberty.

But the church is the primary agent for the stewardship of the gospel and the

redemption of the cosmos. Its the integral institution for advancing Christs kingdom

and for shaping culture and society. Its not Gods second-hand agency. Its not his

Plan B. Jesus died for the church and it is significant.

These are a few of my concerns about pastors.

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10 Pastors You Should Have MAJOR Concerns About.docx