10 Pastors I’m Concerned About

It’s not a secret the church has been in decline for a number of years and for a variety of reasons.  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 there is another area of decline  that certainly contributes to the church’s decline in numbers.

I’m not claiming to be an expert in church issues; far from it. However, in an effort to pursue this conversation in a healthy way, here are 10 pastors I’m concerned about.

1. I’m concerned about the pastor who is better at managing church programs than he is at making disciples of Jesus.  The church is not better because it has more programs. It’s quite possible for programs to hinder its real mission.
   
   
2. I’m 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. I’m 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 rock-star communicator or bench-mark 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 picking up the Bible and the church fathers and not bother with books on properity.
   
   
4. I’m concerned about the pastor who uses the pulpit to milk members instead of minister to the saints. Why do pastors need to build bigger and better on the backs of God’s people? I think the answer may be rooted in the human heart. And if we think we need to build bigger barns, perhaps we should pray about church planting as a viable alternative.
   
   
5. I’m 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. I’m concerned about the pastor who builds his ministry with people instead of building people by his ministry. It seems I’ve said this already, just differently. But here I’m speaking to a philosophy that often underlies many of the abuses in the church. For example, a well-known mega-church 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 don’t recall God asking pastors to leverage his people for the pastor’s dream of building a big church for God.
   
   
7. I’m concerned about the pastor who cultivates a culture of dependency on himself instead of cultivating a culture of community within the church. Of course, I’m not denying spiritual dependency on Christ is biblical. But the pastor is not the people’s savior. He’s 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. I’m 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 God’s word. It’s to say the Bible is literature, divine literature to be sure, but literature nonetheless. That means it needs to be read and understood as God’s 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 God’s word are extremely dangerous.
   
   
9. I’m 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 isn’t a smorgasbord where people get to pick and choose what they like or don’t. It’s 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. I’m concerned about the pastor who sees the church as a stepping stone instead of seeing it as a custodian of Christ’s 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. It’s the integral institution for advancing Christ’s kingdom and for shaping culture and society. It’s not God’s second-hand agency. It’s not his “Plan B.” Jesus died for the church and it is significant.
    

These are a few of my concerns about pastors. What are your concerns? Let me know in the comments.

On Oko language

It is a shame that it took a non-ogorian to write a refrence grammar of Oko - the language of the Ogori people of Kogi State, Nigeria. I am still study the book written by one Joseph D. Atoyebi. Mr Atoyebi spent some time in Ogori in the company of some okuros who unarguably misled him into witing so amny biased things about ogori.

In my next write-up, I would serialise my comments on the book.

THE TIGER IN THE WOODS

Tiger Woods is known mostly for his prowess on the green turf. However, lately he added another feather to his cap - women. The hulabaloo which greeted the revelations that he has had some sexual relationships with 14 women (?) at the last count beats my imagination. This is so because I am an African with no colouration or attachments. Just pure African.

I was born into a land where moral teachings included learning to keep quite when one's actions or inactions would offend the sensibility of others or bring the family name to disrepute. For example, it is unheard for a woman to have sex with a man and go about telling it to whoever cared to listen. in other words, there is no "kiss and tell" in Africa. That is not to say that promiscuity is encouraged or tolerated. but you just can engage in such things and go around telling every ear - think about the embarrassment, shame and all that you would be bringing to the family, friends and community.

Not Tiger Woods, his "harem" and the holier than though people in America. The girls took special joy in telling of their escapades with Mr Tiger 'Clean'. Now that the Mr Clean image of Tiger Woods has been smeared (?), he's been thrown into the woods alone. I hear he's gone into rehab to cure him of sex addiction. I wish Tiger was a true African, he would have been hailed as a 'Real Man' instead of being condemned. And those girls, they have no moral gumption. How can you have sex with a man and go about embarrassing and humiliating yourself. Have you no shame, no family, friens and community?

Well, Tiger, pleasw whenever you come out of the wood, give me a shout. I have some advise for you; such that no one can give you.