I have just spent two hours with a dear pastor friend of mine who is heartbroken. It is not his faith that has hurt him, nor his calling that has been shattered; he has not committed any kind of moral or legal failure. He has just become the victim of a few within his congregation who would prefer him to move on. As a pastor who has himself endured this trial, I think it is safe to say that very few church members can appreciate the agony of what their pastors go through when a few within the congregation take it upon themselves take on the role of the Holy Spirit and take steps to move the preacher out of the church. In one sense we think that a pastor who is walking with the Lord and is seeking the will of God should not be so vulnerable to such things. We tend to think, "Surely anyone who walks with the Father will be loved by all. There must be something wrong with the preacher if there are those who want him gone." Tell that to Daniel and Elijah and Paul. and the martyrs. Look at Jesus himself. He was rejected for doing exactly what His Father told him to do. Are we so foolish to think that the first century church was justly persecuted? Are we so foolish to think that all preachers forced to resign deserved it? Homer Lindsay Jr, the great pastor of First Baptist Church Jacksonville gave testimony that he was asked to resign a previous church. Who in their right mind thinks all preacher terminations are justified. It is wretched hypocrisy for church members to believe that it was so wrong for pharisees to persecute the church and its leaders when at the same time they organize their 'get rid of the pastor' meetings for reasons that are not biblically justified?
But there is something else to consider. Pastors are more than spiritual beings. We are also relational beings. Just like everyone else, we as pastors trust people to do what they promise they will do. They trust people to support what and whom they promise to support. We trust God's people to respect and trust what God says. When that doesn't happen and we get burned, it is a pain few church members can comprehend. We have a biblical right to expect God's people to do what they promise when they call us to serve. When a pastor stands before a congregation to preach, therefore, he has the right to expect that the people of his congregation support him and are willing to follow his leadership because they trust the word he is preaching. After all, he was called by them to be God's messenger to them, (I'm talking to Baptists). That doesn't mean he is incapable of making mistakes, but it does mean that he has been entrusted with a position that should be recognized by all as a position of grave responsibility and importance. Most people, baptists at least, should agree with this. No one who has been given such responsibility can perform it without the support of his people and staff.
It is a great privilege to serve as a pastor/teacher. While there was a time that this privilege also came with a great deal of respect, fallen preachers and petty pastors have caused some in our congregations to sour on their respect for all spiritual leadership. I don't for one minute excuse some of the crass and immoral things that have been done by men called preachers. I just can't justify the disrespect given to other, faithful preachers because of the failings of a few. Yes, some preachers have severely broken the trust of God's people and violated the call of God on their lives. But what is now happening, with too much frequency, is good men, solid men, faithful men are being disrespected, criticized, rejected, and forced to resign without justifiable cause..If a preacher has committed a moral, legal or ethical wrong, or if he has violated the trust of God's people or denied the truths of God's Word, he might need to be forced to resign. But when a man of God stands up and preaches God's word boldly and lives are being touched and transformed under his ministry, those who gather in their groups and complain about his style of leadership or his failure to mention an announcement or the fact that the service went past noon, or the fact that he hasn't done what WE wanted done, should get on their knees before God and repent NOW. If your pastor preaches God's word and he hasn't committed a moral, ethical, theological or legal wrong, then put your petty selfishness aside and stand up in support of a man who has the courage in these days to say what needs to be said.
My friend is one I love very much. Most of the church still supports him. Some of his staff, however, liked the previous guy more and are beginning a 'get rid of the preacher' campaign.' Such staff does not deserve their posts if this is what they think godliness is. If they don't like the man they serve under, they should have the courage and integrity to look for some other place to serve, not cause such division and pain where they are. The same is true for church members.
It is a sad day for the people of God when the petty and inconsequential become matters that divide us. Yes, there are some things for which we must not compromise. But whether or not the preacher attends the high school football game is not one of them. Yes, there are some things for which we must always stand. However, whether the preacher attends all the committee meetings or not is not one of them. Yes, there are things upon which we must NEVER compromise and loyalty to the man of God who consistently preaches the truth of God's word with conviction and understands that he is an ambassador of God IS one of those things we must not compromise. Forcing faithful men to resign for anything other than moral, ethical, legal or theological failure is arrogant self-reliance running wild
When I started preaching 30 years ago, the man in the pulpit was a respected man in the community. Today, he less respected than an ambulance-chasing lawyer, if that much. Yes, some preachers have brought it on themselves. Others, unfortunately have had this brought upon them by self-serving, immature, carnal church and staff members who have lost sight of the reality that a true man of God is an ambassador for the Lord. If our churches are every going to make a difference, we must get over this foul idea that pastors work for the church. They do not. They never have. They may be paid by offerings given to the church, but they are servants of the Lord and should be respected as such. The Bible makes this clear. Unfortunately pastor-critics who do not have acceptable reason for criticism, don't believe that part of the Bible any more.
No faithful servant of God should be hurt by God's people like my friend has been hurt. No child of God has the right to reject a pastor who has been faithful in his service. This idea that "I don't go there because I just didn't like the preacher." Is often more truly stated as, "I don't go there anymore because he preached what I needed to hear but not what I wanted to hear." If you have a pastor with the courage to preach what you need to hear, thank God for him and support him. Someone in your congregation may be holding meetings now on how to get rid of him. God help us all! We have become such a proud and disobedient people!
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