10 Pastors You Should Have

MAJOR 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 and here and here.
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 book Simple 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.
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 in
moderation.
But to pique interest in the unchurched, church-growth pastors have promoted episodic
sermons ad nauseam and 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 have
caught 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.
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 enjoy
him 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 our parakletos.
8. Im concerned about the pastor who reads and teaches the
Bible 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.
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 get
them 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 communitas with 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.