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The Problem with Pastor as Rock Star
- 07/13/10
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Today’s guest blogger is Ed Stetzer. That’s a name that is familiar to most of you, I’m sure. I recently spoke at an event with Ed and, having enjoyed his company, asked if he’d be willing to put together a guest post. And, as you’re about to see, he was kind enough to do so.
*****
A lot of kids grow up wanting to be a rock star. These days the term "rock star" is applied much more liberally than the days of heavy metal. Athletes are rock stars, movie stars are rock stars, software designers are rock stars. The rock star aesthetic has been democratized.
You don't even have to live a rock and roll lifestyle to be a rock star. These days even the most un-hip of occupations can achieve rock star appeal. Including pastors.
Somebody once said, "The Gospel came to the Greeks and the Greeks turned it into a philosophy. The Gospel came to the Romans and the Romans turned it into a system. The Gospel came to the Europeans and the Europeans turned it into a culture. The Gospel came to America and the Americans turned it into a business.” And business is booming. Millions of churchgoers file in to buildings each week, line up in rows like shelves at Walmart, and watch the stage. They come for one purpose: to see a show and hear a pastor.
This, by uncritical standards, is success. But while this phenomenon increases, I believe it can be damaging to the spiritual vitality of the American church.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying pastors who look or act cool, or who speak dynamically, or who lead confidently, or who have large congregations are the problem. I'd have to rebuke quite a few of my friends if that were the case. And, I am not against large churches. It is not the look, following, or size of the church, but the culture of the SuperPastor that can do great harm.
Furthermore, I think that any pastor of a church of any size can fall into the "rock star" trap. It is a sin issue and not just a size issue.
I see four general problems with the rock star pastor and I will propose four fixes:
Personal Imbalance
No, not mentally. (Well, maybe mentally.) No, the problem of balance with a superpastor type is the distance at which ministry is done. Superpastors tend to either fly high above and lord over their ministries like detached dictators or they try lifting too much on their own. Both of these problems can stem from an enlarged ego. In the previous case, the superpastor thinks the normal work is for ordinary pastors, and in the latter case, the superpastor feels strong enough to handle it all.
Sometimes the superpastor is a passive sort who lets everyone else pass the buck to the pastor, afraid to delegate for fear of other people's failures tainting the ministry. In the case of the "lord on high" superpastor, the leadership culture is just as toxic, because staff and member tend to affirm aloofness and enable dysfunction. In either case, the biblical view of equipping others for ministry is absent.
Hindering Community
If the church life revolves around one person's speaking gift, it is incredible difficult to move to community. A community "won" to a single voice is not won to community, but to spectatorship. Thus, when pastors say, "it's all about the weekend," they tend to create an audience rather than a biblically functioning church community. This is still true if your church is an oft-criticized seeker megachurch or a your verse-by-verse preaching point. Either way, if you get thousands sitting in rows but can't move them to sitting in circles, true community is hard to find.
As a guy who travels around speaking, I understand how quickly it can happen. For the last few weeks, I've spoken at a church close to my own house while the pastor is on a short sabbatical. But even in delivering biblical messages, I'm not engaging in biblical community with those people. It takes more than a stage to create a community. The temptation must be fought that a mass of people gathered to hear one person speak is equal to biblical community.
A gifted communicator can draw a crowd, but biblical community will sustain a congregation. A great orator is fun to have at worship, but cannot build community during the other six days and 23 hours of the week. Great preaching will be used by God to bring others to faith and sanctify God's people, but it will also encourage the body to do life together on mission.
I'm not saying that every person in the community should have immediate access to the pastor. But I am saying that every pastor should be in some accountable biblical community.
Approval Addiction
Many rock star pastors enjoy having their egos stroked. When pastors become rock stars, it seems that they quickly learn how to strut while sitting down. But when they become the face of the church, the church becomes identified with the pastor. Thus, the measure of success is tied to the pastor's capacity to draw a crowd, sell books, and speak at the cool conferences. The scorecard of the church shifts from faithful growth to publicity ratings.
An approval-addicted pastor develops the split personality of an insecure bully. Paranoid that their reputation might be damaged by incompetency in others, the pastor resorts to pushing people around. Rock star pastors are addicted to measuring success by whether or not they get their way. Their measure of success becomes about meeting their personal needs, not submission to the mission of God. A rock star pastor is fanatical about approval, but not God's.
Selling Out the Church's Future
You can just check the headlines. When a rock star pastor falls, the church rarely recovers. When they do, it is through extricating their identity from that of the pastor's abilities and personality. No pastor is indispensable. It's good for pastors to remind themselves, "Others filled the role before you were born and others will fill it after you're gone."
But the rock star pastor constantly needs more attendees, Facebook fans, and Twitter followers. In a twisted bit of logic, they work to make the gospel well-known through their own fame.
Some have pointed to the multi-site movement as an illustration of how the church has sold out to make rock star pastors famous. Personally, I am not anti-multi-site. When partnered with church planting, it has great potential. Nevertheless, while I'm not "anti," I do urge caution. At times, I've joked about "rock star celebrity pastors beaming their graven image all over the country."If you are a rock star pastor, perhaps you believe that the church can simply not go on without you. You would be wrong.
Pride was inherent in the fall of Adam and it rears its head whenever one person deems the church's future to ride on their shoulders or voice. Multi-site, or any program, as a necessity derived from the attention needed by a rock star pastor, is idolatry.
So, what can we do to counteract the superpastor tendencies? I think four simple ideas will help.
1. Focus on Equipping
A lot of churches talk a big game on this issue but few play it. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." The lesson of 1 Corinthians 12 is even more extensive regarding the usefulness of all the parts of the body of Christ. We deal with this in-depth in Transformational Church, and I recently shared a message on this subject at the Verge Conference at Austin Stone Community Church. You can watch parts one and two here.
In a rock star pastor culture, only one is deemed capable for ministry. Maybe the rest of the staff can help, but they are secondary to the pastor. Only the pastor can proclaim God's Word and shoulder the decisions of the church. It sounds exhausting. Worse than that, it sounds unbiblical.
By focusing on equipping the saints, we move back to the biblical position that every believer is called to the ministry and mission of the local church. When ego is removed, the refreshed pastor can help believers fulfill their role in God's kingdom.
2. Take a Sabbath
Rock star pastors are notorious for pushing themselves to the breaking point. The stories of depression, adulterous affairs, or just drop-outs each month are heartbreaking. And they should be a wake-up call.
Not only should pastors take a permanent break from shouldering the entire weight of their church's growth, they should periodically just take a break. Sure, a few pastors are lazy and spend too much time goofing off, but most rock star pastors take it to the other extreme of non-stop labor. Pushing themselves beyond acceptable boundaries, these Type-A personalities cannot stand to not be doing something. They won't sit still.
Pastors: sit still!
On my own blog today, I have written on the importance of rest in pastoral ministry, and you can find the article here.
3. Adjust with the Economic Times
The recession has hit churches hard. Giving is down and, to adjust, churches are cutting back on programs and personnel. This is an opportunity for the church to abandon the "clergification" virus that plagues us. You can read more about the need for de-clergification here. The mentality that only the professional clergy, especially the superpastors, can do ministry never shows up in Scripture. It is a hold-over from pre-Reformation times and is damaging our ability to fulfill God's mission.
When the church relies on one or a few paid individuals to do all of the ministry, most is left unattended. Interestingly, the two-thirds world does not suffer from the malady of clergification. Not having the financial ability to pay superpastors, more believers do the work of the ministry.
Pastors can lead their churches toward a better stewardship of their resources. Rather than paying staff to shoulder the load, teach all believers to minister. Instead of employing people to speak for God in the community, lead all believers to be Christ's ambassadors.
4. Preach the Glory of God
Most rock star pastors don't mean to not preach God's glory. But they are nevertheless unintentionally preaching their own. For a pastor, being "out front" is a necessity that can become a danger. Their winsomeness wins over seekers, their way with words woos the weekly attendees. Charisma is an intangible gift but deceives one's own heart.
Once when preaching, cheering broke out for John Chrysostom. He responded:
"You praise what I have said, and receive my exhortation with tumults of applause; but show your approbation by obedience; that is the only praise I seek."
The decline in the church, perhaps, is caused by our satisfaction with earthly appeal. We should endeavor to present the glory of God instead of the cleverness of our abilities to edit movie clips, mimic the local CCM station, or engage social issues. People can walk away from all of that unchanged. But nobody can encounter the glory of God and live the same as they did before.
The glory of God is a good place to end this article. Pastors (of churches of any size) need to worry less about their status and be concerned more with God's mission and His glory. The glory of God should be your recurring song, and with that in mind, it's okay for rock stardom to fade out and the Morning Star to rise in your place.
*****
Ed Stetzer has planted churches in New York and Pennsylvania and has trained church planters across the United States and on five continents. He serves as President of LifeWay Research and has written a number of books, most recently Transformational Church. Ed blogs at www.edstetzer.com.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (43)
Good stuff. Thanks for posting.
Great insight by a godly man for this hopefully someday-pastor.
Exactly. It is for God’s glory. I have had both kinds of pastors—the superstar and the small church pastor. Sometimes I have had to go to a pastor if he is not really engaged with the congregation. I don’t go as a critic, but, “Hey there! Can you counsel me, pray with me, or encourage me?” Sometimes with an e-mail. We laypeople may be somewhat at fault for putting up on a pedestal our rock star pastors and then keeping our distance from them. I also totally respect those pastors that share their struggles carefully with us so they lead by example in the process of sanctification.
Helpful, thanks Ed!
Following some high profile pastors on twitter, I can see why full time, paid church work is so appealing to some. Who wouldn’t want that lifestyle? I certainly am glad I’m not married to one!
The personal, hard things these men do in serving Jesus’ Bride is not broadcast to the world (and it shouldn’t be!). Social media builds celebrity but cannot show us what ministry is like in its entirety. And for some, maybe what we see on twitter is all there is…hence your warning.
We have to be careful lest we call a pastor a superpastor when he is not. Appearances don’t always tell the whole story.
I grew up a few houses down from a pastor. He drove a big, expensive Cadillac that was replaced with another every couple years. The immediate thought would be that he’s a rock star.
Truth was that he had a Cadillac dealer in his congregation, and the dealer felt he was called to supply the pastor with a car and to take care of the car so the pastor had one less thing to worry about.
That pastor is one of the most humble servants of God that I have ever known, and he was always there for my family, even though they did not attend his church. I did attend his church for a few years, and he made a huge impact on my life.
Now he is an elderly man, and the fruit of his ministry can be seen all across the city.
It would have been easy to point a finger and ascribe “superpastor” to this man because he drove an expensive car and had a new one every couple years. But that wasn’t the real story. If people made it the real story, they would have missed the truth.
And that is all too easy to do unless we are careful in how we interpret things.
I want to add this caveat to Ed’s statement on declergification.
In theory, declergifying is a wonderful thing. Martin Luther reiterated the necessity of the priesthood of all believers, one of the cornerstone ideals of the Reformation.
But just as the recession/depression is hurting paid church staff, the people in the seats are equally harmed. Many feel compelled to work extended hours so as to be seen as a team player at work. And being a team player that works 12 hours a day is often proof against being laid off.
The impact of the ever-increasing workload is an absence of nonclergy in the work of the church. It is not unusual to only find the elderly, retired folks carrying the load of the mission. Those in their 30s and 40s are taking on increased work loads to ensure their continued employment. They are largely absent from the non-Sunday portion of the church week. And this reality grows year after year. It is also a major reason why Sunday night and Wednesday night services have been relegated to history.
Longer commutes to work also work against the involvement of nonclergy in church life. Even if a person works a normal day, it is not uncommon to commute for an hour each way to work. I know many people who now commute 90 minutes or more one-way because they had to pursue ever-shifting job markets. Get off work at 6 PM, drive 90 minutes, eat dinner, put in some rushed “family time,” and then it’s bedtime. Where is time for ministry, other than a slight bit to one’s own family?
The Church as a whole in the West has been blind to this reality and continues to ignore it. We are not speaking anything of value into people lives when it comes to work and its impact on the mission of the Church. Yet we spend more and more time each year working at our jobs.
I simply do not understand this oversight.
The Rock Star pastors have partially been created by the over abudence of conferences out there today. Where it is primarily pastors of large churches who give lectures on how to grow a church. The conference circuit elevates the individual. America loves their celebrities and in the christian subculture it is no different.
We buy their books. attend their conferences. listen to their podcasts, We feed into their pride. And then we wonder why “rock star” pastors act the way they do.
Pastors are called first and foremost to be a shepherd to their flock. Pastors of local churches are not called to speak at 15 conferences per year. But yet congregations like it when their Pastors become famous. We are enablers to the “rock star” mentality.
There are TOO many conferences today that elevate certain pastors to the “rock star” level. Do you ever see the faithful pastor of a small rural church who served his congregation for 25 years being celebrated or invited to speak at any conferences?
The Church Growth movement has produced the “rock star” pastors we see today. Growth equates to God’s blessing in this environment. You want to curb the “Rock star” mentality? start with shutting down 95% of the conferences out there today.
As a church, we do it to these men of God. We elevate them to the stage, hang on their every word, and then become lazy. We expect them to do it all, and because they want to repsond to their congregations, they continually fill the gap.
David, Red Letter Believers, “Salt and Light”http://www.redletterbelievers.com
I really struggle to understand why you have to write these sort of articles. I don’t mean to boast, but most of what you wrote was spot on from my perspective. ‘Like, duh’.
What I mean to say is this: How could anyone who takes the Bible seriously ever fall into those sort of errors? Are they willingly ignorant?
The way you describe ministry is exactly where I want to be. Thanks!
This is an awesome article wth many great strengths in calling out our “Rock Star” culture, esp. inside the church. Thank you!
In addition, I agree with DLE and his concerns about the expectation of transferring more of the work of the ministry onto the congregation. To dovetail off of that, I also believe we need to revisit just what “The Priesthood of All Believers” means. I know I haven’t thoroughly studied the topic; however, I do think we’ve accepted some non-reformed notions about what it means (ideas held by Methodist, Plymouth Brethren, Quakers, church growth gurus, etc)
My understanding is that The Priesthood of All Believers has two main components that were set forth by the reformation:1) That we (believers) do not require an intermediary besides our great High Priest, Jesus Christ in going to God to confess our sin and be forgiven and to take our petitions and supplications.2) We (believers) make up a priestly kingdom, royal priesthood, (1 Pet. 2, Ex. 19) called to be ambassadors and share the gospel with the world (non-priests).I know that believers are clearly gifted and called to serve those who are in the household of faith as well. But the work of ordained ministry was never meant to be abolished by the reformation.I’m certainly not very clear on this doctrine, and I also haven’t read very much about it lately (Gene Veith has a section in his book “God at Work” which is primarily about vocation.
Anyone have any ideas for further reading on this topic? Thanks.
Why does this post bring Perry Noble to my mind?
This is an issue within fundamental churches. I am aware of a local congregation that opted to go against deacon recommendation of a Pastoral candidate with a stated reason that the candidate lacked the “wow factor”.
It is my belief that we have strayed from the “shepherd” definition of “Pastor”. Our culture does not understand sheep or the work of a shepherd. There are many skilled authors and public speakers filling the pulpits of today. How is it possible for a man to be called a “Pastor” when he doesn’t even know (at a minimum) the names of the majority of those under his watch?
Deb, I’d recoommend The Vine and the Trellis. It is not specificually about the priesthood of all believers, but it does spell out a biblical pattern for mobilizing believers to live in community with one another and to reach out to their local spheres of influence with the Gospel.
Jack Hyles the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist never looked like a rock star, but anyone who attended his school could hear the preacher boys in the front row at chapel chant his name, “Hyles, Hyles, Hyles” before he walked on stage.
It was shameful.
Good post, Ed. Making idols is easy in all areas of life. Unfortunately, inside the church is no different. I have asked in the past Should “Celebrity” Pastors Offer Disclaimers. Maybe they should.
A comment and a question: The introduction “…You all know Ed…” cracked me up. I didn’t know Ed. I had to google him. Should I have known Ed? Doesn’t assuming I knew Ed give him a “rock star status?” That’s my comment, now here’s the question for Ed: You said “…it doesn’t mean everyone should have immediate access…to the pastor.” Is that a slippery slope that leads to a separating space and inequality within community? The pastor as a servant leader is responsible for theological teaching, but is at the same time an equal member of the community. Guarding access to “Pastor” is not anyone’s job but the Pastor’s, just as every individual discerns where to put their energy and how it can be most helpful. I’d like to hear your comments on this.
It takes a rock culture to promote a rock star pastor. Much of the church of today is just such a culture. After years of pastoring, I know what it means to be loved, liked, hated and everything in between. Stepping back from the pulpit and the playing field for a time has been helpful. The sad reality is that I see a culture that likes to be spoon-fed, that jumps on trends and rides for awhile till the next one shows up, and one that lacks an understanding of historic Christianity. So I am glad for articles like this, and blogposts like this. I recommend them, and the dialogue they foster. And I’m promoting what I call “thoughtful Christianity”, because much of what I see really isn’t. So thanks, keep up the good work for the kingdom and our King’s sake.
I think your site is fantastic in general, great look and feel. My only complaint is this all caps style font. It looks nice, but it’s painful to read. I can’t be the first to say this?
I think we also need to recognize the pervasiveness of culture that has crept into our congregations. Oftentimes, congregants worship the pulpit and elevate their pastor to the position of a “rock star” unsolicited. And in such cases, given the great temptation here, pastors are all to ready to receive a praise they should be deflecting in humble submission to Jesus. Just like you intimate in this example, Dan, the sin here cuts both ways and originates from all over the Body.
And fighting the “approval of man” is an increasingly rare discipline, even in Reformed circles.
Good post, Justin.
Brad
www.John8.com
My church has a rock star senior pastor. There are several associate pastors on staff, but a guest speaker comes in and gives the sermon every time the senior pastor is away.
Last year we were given a coloring book-style drawing of our pastor, which we were encouraged to color or decorate and be photographed with while on vacation, etc., a la Flat Stanley. The pictures were shown on the big screens before and during the worship service for several weeks. That is just one example of how pastor-centric we are.
I agree with those who commented on the rock-star pastor phenomenon being rooted in Western Christian culture. Without and within the church, we celebrate the age-old human tendency to find idols. Some pastors certainly get too big for their britches and enjoy playing into the role that has been created for them, but many are just trying to do the best they can with the responsibilities they have been given.My only window is the body of Christ in the US. What I see is a church that doesn’t have a clue how many of their assumptions and choices are based on popular culture and lifestyle. Superstar pastor or not, a good dose of unapologetic Biblical teaching on what it means to follow Jesus with modeled servant-leadership seems like it would cure a lot of the problems associated with this phenomenon. This includes lack of community and lack of investment in the work of the Kingdom.
True. Which is why I love the Basics Conference at Parkside Church in Ohio. This past year John Shearer was invited. He pastors a smaller church (100-200) near Edinburgh, Scotland. He, along with Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson, encouraged and exhorted pastors with gospel-saturated messages and Christ-like humility. It was a great blessing to this pastor!
Thanks for the helpful feedback.
To a few who commented: I think this is an issue that is a human nature issue (rather than just a Western church issue). I have seen it globally. But, I think Western consumerism has to be considered in the equation.
DLE, good reminder about the need to not assume. For me the issue is not appearance, but more than that. Too often, the pastor is assumed to be “other,” rather than a normal person doing a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1).
And, yes, to Dave, I think the same could be true in fundamentalist circles. But, I would add the same is true in charismatic circles and in Reformed ones. I would hate for people to read this post and think that it does not apply to all kinds of contexts. I would hate for anyone to think, “I am so glad we don’t have that tendency in my movement.” “Rock star preachers” are not limited to one movement. So, all need to be cautious. Our heart is deceitful.
Andrew, I love the sound of that.
God bless,
Ed
An absolutely great post from Ed. I see application to everyone in spiritual leadership, not only pastors. His last point is the most important: Let’s spend our time, thoughts, and energies on God’s glory, not technology, nor our own glory.
Thanks so much for this. In my tradition our founders did not want this to happen and so we move pastors every couple of years, which creates a completely different problem. There is a balance between solid leadership and rock star status. Even the humblest of pastors can be elevated against their wishes if not careful (the people tried to elevate Jesus against His desires).
This is one reason what Francis Chan has recently done has resonated in my heart. Thank you so much for the insight.
Holy crap. This is so amazing. Thanks Ed.
What a homerun post. I had never heard this particular pastor problem broken down into such clear points. The first question that popped in my mind that I immediately suppressed but am now going to say it anyway: “Why shouldn’t people have access to the pastor?”
I know it’s not for all people and the pastor can only handle so much. But I know some people that don’t even write back to you. That’s not hard to do.
Because you don’t know him and have no clue as the the level of involvement and non rock star behavior he has in his church.Seriously.
That was supposed to show up as a reply to Chadwicks comment. Sorry!
Perhaps, in part, we confuse the message with the person delivering the message. To say, “I love the the way Tim Keller explains the gospels”, or “I love how Vince Antonucci uses humor to call attention to our need for grace”, (or whoever/whatever), is not the same as saying, “I love Tim Keller/Vince Antonucci/whoever.” There’s a distinction there that is often blurred.
Amen.
It is even more so in Youth Ministry Circles…
I want to be a rock star, Christian celebrity. I admit it (http://spiritualklutz.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-want-to-be-christian-celebr…).It’s infecting the entire, Christian culture. Yikes.
Found this article on CNN today, and it brought this post to mind:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/07/14/virtual.preaching/index.ht…
Thanks for the article.
Great points, not only for pastors but the laity, too.
Sometimes we get caught up in the “Rock Star” mentality.
Eric Bruntmyer
Twitter: @ericbruntmyer
Blog: www.3qfl.com
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=61802739
I wonder if pastors everywhere cared more about pleasing God, whether or not our congregations would have any rock stars in their pulpits? Hate to be a killjoy to churches everywhere, but if a pastor actually reflects God’s will in the pulpit, it will lead fellow believers to humility and repentance rather than unhealthy fixations on “rock star” preachers.
Having said that, I wonder if I cared more about pleasing God rather than myself, if more people would see Him..
There are points in this article and I both agree with and disagree with.
One of the charges from scripture for the Pastor is “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;”. For those who prefer the Greek Derivative of the phrase “Taking the oversight” is: to oversee; by implication, to beware. Derivation: from G1909 and G4648;Thayer definition:1) to look upon, inspect, oversee, look after, care for1a) of the care of the church which rested upon the elders1b) to look carefully, beware.
So understanding the “bewaring overseeing” responsibility of a Pastor, my question is: Are we being too critical of the of the Pastor who takes his Godly Charge, reaches out for the Salvation of the Lost, with a result of the multiplication of that Ministry? People who are saved under his ministry, or place himself under the ministry may simply be obeying the edict of scripture when it says “Obey them that have the rule over you.” Should every pastor who is trying to get his people to draw closer to Christ and expand their own efforts for Christ, be considered a tyrant or “rock star as you put it”? If a pastor is to be taking his people from milk to meat, maybe it takes a pastor willing to push his people out of their comfort zones. I have heard it said: “To change the future we must be willing to disturb the present.” Many Godly men do exactly that even at the consequence of being misunderstood. What would the writer say of Peter on the Day of Pentecost when there were 4000 souls added to the Church? These were the disciples of Christ, following God’s command of the great commission and it garnered them great attention. Yet when they continued steadfastly in the word and in prayer, it also brought about what man would deem to be failure, ending in their martyrdom.
I believe the Church is to “Preach the Gospel, baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” The natural result of the Gospel will lead to increase. This increase will include both wheat and tares. Yet, Christ gave us principles not to pick the tares lest we also damage the wheat. That is the work of the Holy Spirit and we should not take his place. To do so is to make ourselves “gods” and become tare picking “rock stars”.
Even in this article, complaints abound about egocentric men who seek to “sell their books” ,yet the article is full of “links” one even to Amazon trying to get me to buy a book. Is this because the Author is seeking “Rock Star” status? I say no, but because I believe he is trying to be a help and a blessing to others. I do not think he desires some type of “Rock Star” status, but others could. So would the author rather that someone read his book with understanding spirit, or try to criticize him? So, how can we be so critical of other ministries and try to read into the heart of other men, whose motives we may never know on this earth?
I believe many good men of God are maligned, because some jealousy or pettiness rules in the heart of men, whose ministries are not as “large” as another ministry. I do not intimate that these men are perfect. I do intimate that it is ultimately the Sort of ministry and not the Size of the ministry that Concerns God. God also says not to despise the small things. I have a father who has been in the Church planting ministry over forty-five years. None of these ministries are in well known or well populated areas. But the principles carried on in the small places are the same as Godly men who have large ministries in large areas. My father is content to bloom where he is planted without regard to how successful another ministry may or may not be, from mans perspective.
I do admit that there are some who are Charlatans. Yet there has alway been charlatans in the history of mankind. We simply mark those men and continue in the work God has called us to do.
This article seem to err on the side of criticism of men who would dare take up the Charge of God and “press toward the mark.” I hope I am wrong.
Ultimately we need to remember….. the building is not the church….. the collective body of Christian believers is the church. Too much weight is placed on the person in the pulpit and in the building. We are ALL called to be ministers of the Word.
My greatest issue is that there is too much coddling of people inside the 4 walls…. the “tell them what they want to hear” mentality. This mentality, to me, also brings about the elevated status of the pastor. Everyone falls in love with him and lifts him/her to an elevated status because of the “feel good” preaching or preaching to be culturally relevant. So far, in all the times I have read the bible, I have never seen anything in there that talked about being culturally relevant! So when are preachers going to start teaching the truth again (grace, salvation, love, kingdom of God, effects of sin, etc.) and stop worrying about if they can keep people in the seats and all that tithe money coming in (oh yeah I forgot all that tithe money is going to pay for that big building and idol to God they put up). Heck, I can not remember the last time I was in a church where I felt like I was cut open and made to look inside… all these happy, happy feel good messages make me sick.. they are hollow and empty and do not equip anyone. The messages should be teaching and equiping the people to go out into the world and spread the Gospel…… very little of that going on these days in the modern church.
IMHO
Tithe, pastoral ego’s, “Christian” music industry, teaching old testament law… It’s all religious control over people. If you haven’t heard the news in the last 2000 years, were free.
There’s one mega church in particular where I am aware that production and musicians are briefed not to “address” the pastor unless spoken to. This man is no high priest, who does he think he is! Get over your religion because it’s MAJOR BS!!! Your only job is to love people not “do” church and become a rockstar.
Too much weight is placed on the person in the pulpit and in the building. We are ALL called to be ministers of the Word.
That is exactly right. There is a pastor-centric model in the church that leads to burned out pastors and apathetic church members. There is far more to ministry than showing up on a Sunday to hear a sermon, sing a couple of hymns on command and perhaps eating a cracker and drinking a thimble of grape juice. God gave the church pastors, elders, evangelists, etc. to equip all Christians for the work of ministry, not to perpetually do the ministry on our behalf while we all watch.
Right on this point. There are systemic issues in the culture that must be addressed, perhaps even more so than the individual checks-and-balances suggested by this blog post.
So, what would be some good suggestions for the corporate body to change the culture? I’m assuming that taking down the platform or the pedestal is not an option.
I was intrigued to read your article and a little disappointed by the rancor in some of the comments. Clearly you struck a sensitive nerve in a few folks. Some of the comments I found plain ignorant, including the suggestion to have fewer conferences and the complaint about pastors’ expectations Christian to serve in their church since we are all so busy. I believe anything that brings together the body of Christ and inspires and resources Christians and leaders is a good thing.
I would like to offer a few thoughts to the discussion. Some of what you said is clearly true, but it paints a very broad stroke. I am on staff at a church that unquestionably fits your definition in many respects.
People look for a champion, a hero, a role-model. Most of the role models offered by the world are not great, and I don’t have any problem if people want to put their pastor on a pedestal as an example. This only becomes a problem when people become followers of a man before they are followers of Jesus. There are many thousands who come to my church just because they want to hear a gifted man preach. These people hover on the outskirts-they don’t serve anywhere, and may give a few nickels in the offering bucket and come every other week or so. There are also several thousand people who serve, who give, who love Jesus, and are connected in a community of believers. Both groups of people are presented with the same opportunities in the same services in the same church, yet the two groups choose different responses. The response is not up to the pastor, it is up to the individual.
My pastor’s strongest gift is evangelism. We recorded something in the neighborhood of 12,000 first-time salvations last year as a result of his pulpit ministry and altar calls (number not exaggerated). When you are seeing that much harvest, you pretty much are going to stick with that method until it stops working. We have hundreds of people involved in the follow-up, in the discipleship, etc. Everyone has a part to play, a place to serve or lead, an area where they work best. We try to release our pastor to do what he does best, and release the church leaders to do what they do best. Not too many people can get onstage at our church, give a salvation appeal, and get the same kind of response.
I think pride is a struggle for any person who is talented. I certainly don’t think any less of any pastor who struggles with this one any more than I would judge a pastor who struggles with low self-confidence or anger. We are all fallen humans in need of God’s grace after all. I see the temptation in many senior pastors that I know to have the rest of the world revolve around their wants, needs, expectations, but this is also true of wealthy Christian business owners and CEOs I have met. It comes with the territory of being boss. You get very used to people doing what you ask them to do. I don’t think this problem is unique to “rock-star” pastors.
What concerns me the most about the health of my church is the ratio of spectators to participants. There are too many who file into the rows, don’t speak to anyone, and file out, enjoying their anonymity and their Sunday experience. The church of Jesus is active and living. We need to build churches that serve each other, serve their communities, reach the lost, and establish the kingdom of God, not build crowds of fans. I can’t change the hearts of people, but God can, and he will when I pray.
It would be interesting to explore the question of whether this style of pulpit ministry is an effective means of bridging the gap between our culture and Christianity. Paul said “I become all things to all people in order that I might win some.” Paul was not afraid to adapt his style. I can see the successes of this style of ministry alongside the weaknesses you have noted. I like all your proposed fixes. Yes, of course we need to release people. Yes, of course we should rest so that we are healthy people. Yes, of course we need to be wise stewards of cash. And yes, of course, we should preach the glory of Jesus. Will those things fix the issues you raise? I’m not convinced.
John
You write…”for this hopefully someday-pastor.”
Don’t know if you ever checked out the scriptures about pastors?And wondered as I did?
Is **Todays** “Pastor/leader,” a “Title” or “Position” in the scriptures?
Makes an interesting study.Here’s some questions to ask as you check out pastors.
In the Bible, How many people… have the “Title” pastor?In the Bible, How many people are… referred to as pastor?In the Bible, How many people are… ordained as a pastor?In the Bible, How many congregations are… “led” by a pastor?
And every Pastor I’ve met also has the “Title” Reverend.Does anyone have the “Title” Reverend in the Bible?
In my experience…
“Titles” become “Idols.”
And that “Title”comes with “A Little Bit Extra.”Power, Profit, Prestige, Glory, Honor, Recognition, Reputation.”Idols” of the heart, (Ezek 14:1-11,) hard to lay down.All those things Jesus spoke against.
Be blessed in your search for Truth… Jesus
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold:them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice;and there shall be “ONE” fold, and “ONE” shepherd.John 10:16
One Fold - One Shepherd - One Voice.If Not Now, When?
got a link to this, don’t even know who you are…will read later…but what band?