So…taught two weeks ago on fighting and conflict within churches. Chatted with some people I met that day, one of them a former pastor, and it got me thinking. If being a pastor is about taking care of people and guiding people…and it is supposed to be such a noble thing, then why do so many pastors ultimately burn out and drop out of ministry? Why do so many suffer from pain, and from loneliness, and from heartache, and from feelings of failure. If the church is ALL THAT…then it ought to be a joy to work as a pastor within the church. While it is for some, for many (if not most), it is anything but a joy.
So...in my opinion, something is inherently wrong with what the church has become (at least in America) when its leaders become joyless and loveless and lifeless because of having to deal with all the stuff that goes on - the fighting and the conflicts and the selfish agendas and all that other crap.
As one who has done it for 20 years - it annoys the heck out of me that it has become this way. Why is it this way? I can think of a number of reasons:
- having to deal with crap from people who are supposed to be like Jesus (cause they call themselves "Christians") but who are really nothing like Jesus.
- Having church "leaders" tell them what to do, how to do it, what to think, what to teach...when these so-called leaders basically have a Sunday School education in the Scriptures and in dealing with people.
- Having people who only have the aforementioned Sunday School education in the Scriptures, tell them how wrong they are in their interpretation of the Bible. "So...I know you can read the Greek and the Hebrew languages and that you have devoted your life to studying the backgrounds and the world of the Scriptures; and I know that you have enough schooling in theology to choke a horse...but the book I read by Tim Lahaye says differently so YOU NEED TO CHANGE!" (whatever)
- not being able to have friendships within their faith community because they are afraid of the possibility of offending someone.
if you could start a church in which you didnt have to worry about getting paid to support the ministry, you could preach like Jesus (stepping on the toes of rich young rulers, defying the modern religious establishment), have friends like Jesus (have 12 close friends and 3 who are even closer), and run a "church" like the apostles. but since you have to pay bills, you have to watch what you say, because if people get too uncomfortable they will leave and you will lose your house.
ReplyDeletei think to be a decent pastor these days, one must find a vision and proceed towards it, not stopping for divisive or bickering people along the way, because once you reach the goal there will be a bountiful crop of people waiting for someone like you to come along and actually represent Jesus to them, not the church and it's 2000+ years of baggage.
First, do we really ever get out of 'novice' when understanding the word of God implicitly? Even when the disciples thought they understood Jesus, Jesus answered 'have you not heard a word I've said to you'. I'm sure God's laughing at us when we interpret the same passage over many years trying to understand the implicit meaning. Yes, there are many sections in the Bible that is easier to understand but knowing the nature of God the father is complex but simple at the same time. For adults, walking with the father like a child is complex but simple in thought.
ReplyDeleteFinally, the notion of pastorhood is somewhat obscure. Pastorhood is an extension of Christ talking about the sheep. The sheep wander ever so aimlessly but many sheep herders use dogs to keep them in line. This is the leadership of the church. I agree with Brandon on the premise that pastors should keep on target with the goals in mind but the leadership is to keep the flock together, nipping at the heals, correcting their path so that they get home. If by pastoring, you are heeding to the whining and the bickering then you have lost all hope of leading. For this, many churches fail and create a social club that eventually builds a building. The building and the church sees a growth and children become adults but drift. The only thing left as time goes on is an old church with a dying congregation and eventually the church becomes a museum. This lifecycle has been the creed of many churches in Europe and now America. How do we stop this cycle? My thought is to break out of the mold of traditional church and think of ways to reach others like Christ did. He didn't do it in a building. He did it primarily one on one investing in others through life's journey every day.