Wow …
I hear the stories and am amazed. I hear stories about men and women who grew up in the homes of ministers/pastors/preachers/church leaders and yet witnessed up close anything but a Christ-like person. Some of the stories?
- The minister who created turmoil in church after church through his dogmatic spirit and legalistic approach to Scripture. Meanwhile, over the years, he has drifted in and out of several affairs.
- The father who preached each Sunday while during the remainder of the week his family witnessed his violent temper and physical abuse.
- The preacher who managed to get into great trouble with the law due to his unethical and illegal financial schemes. Meanwhile, he insisted that he be allowed to continue preaching.
Yes, I know just as many sordid stories regarding people who have served as elders in churches and others who served in various other ministries. No, these stories do not represent most church leaders. Most ministers I know are wonderful, godly people who are very serious about Jesus and their obedience to him. Yet, there are far too many of these instances.
For some people, there seems to be a disconnect between their work and their lives. Meanwhile, Jesus allowed people the opportunity to be with him — to see his life the way he really was.
- "Come and see" (John 1:46).
- "Follow me" (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17).
- The disciples were with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
When he was choosing his closest followers, he called people to himself. "Follow me." "Come and see." He was with his closest followers so that they saw his life close up. They were close enough to him that they not only heard his teaching but saw his life.
Can you recall a time when you spent some time with a church leader/preacher/pastor/etc. and came away very impressed? Can you recall times when you saw this person up close and you were very disappointed?
One thing I think is important to note is preachers are just people. They are not Jesus. I do think it is cool Jesus let people see the real Him and IMO, preachers should do the same even though they aren’t perfect as was the Master. I can see why this would be hard for a preacher because we put them on pedestals and expect perfection which isn’t fair to them or us. My favorite preachers and the ones I trust the most are the ones who are not afraid to let folks see their faults and are willing to be honest about their own stuff. But, being a preachers kid, I know that can be hard to do but I will say my dad was genuine and I’m so very grateful for that.
Possibly my worst church experience was participating in the Staff-Parish Relations committee (this is the group in charge of all paid staff in any United Methodist Church). I got to witness the senior pastor tear down the junior pastor in order to justify a larger raise for himself. No one outside that room would ever suspect that such behavior could possibly happen. No inside the room remained unchanged. As for me, I lost a pastor. Fortunately the junior pastor has been able to help foster my spiritual growth for the last four years.Sorry, but this has remain anonymous.
I received a letter from a person who told me the preacher had asked this person to lie on the witness stand so as to favor the preacher’s friend in court! This same preacher almost drove me away from the Lord because of his hypocrisy. On the other hand, I spend a LOT of time with my elders and have seen the good and bad sides, as they have of me, and we encourage one another to grow up in the Lord, accepting that each of us has some definite flaws.
I think a lot of it is the fault of the evolved church community to place the responsibility, and thus the blame, for the spiritual health of the church community solely on the "pastor." I spent too long in a mainline beaurocracy where we put all the responsibility for leadership, worship, shepherding, and administration of a 1200 member "church" onto one man. Sure, we had a board of directors and elders, but realistically, we willingly abdicate all responsibility onto him (unless we don’t like the color of the carpet).
Now, I attend a church community where the building takes second-place to the people, and the pastor refuses to be call "pastor" because he places the responsibility for "being Christ" on all of us equally. We all have a responsibility to sharing the gospel, reaching out to our neighbors, and ministering to the sick and lonely. I no longer get the easy "out", but my life hasn’t ever been richer for the experience.
anon–How very sad! I am sorry. That must have been very disappointing for you to witness this. Eric– I like the way you contrast these two systems of ministry. I also appreciate what you said about your church and ministry of the whole body of Christ in that place. Greg–What a contrast between these people. So glad you had the experience of being with these elders.
anon–How very sad! I am sorry. That must have been very disappointing for you to witness this. Eric– I like the way you contrast these two systems of ministry. I also appreciate what you said about your church and ministry of the whole body of Christ in that place. Greg–What a contrast between these people. So glad you had the experience of being with these elders. Lisa–Thanks. You make some very good points. And–your Dad was very, very genuine.
I must say, I’ve had two pastors in my life that have left me completely encouraged that it is possible to be an upright pastor. Wait, three. No, make that four. And that’s after being in extended and deep, active ministry with them. Am I just lucky?
I am a PK, a committed Christian, and was severely abused by a mother who could not cope. The effects were long-lasting, but God did not leave me! I am founder of COPE, an organization devoted to the RE-training of offending parents. I’ve been all over the US since 1972, trying to educate people on the subject. In 1973 I testified before the CA State Legislature, and in 1974 Ronald Reagan signed the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect Law. My story has been published and is available on Amazon. The book is called GOD’S BATTERED CHILD, and it glorifies Jesus, THE Healer. http://shoutlife.com/pkauthor/
OK, I’m having a bad day. Once again, here’s my link (and boy, do I feel embarrassed!)http://www.shoutlife.com/pk-author
April, Thanks for leaving this comment and for your address. I look forward to looking at your blog. I would like to see your book as well. Sounds like quite a journey.