When we look in scripture we see simple church get-togethers where the focus was mutual edification. During these informal gatherings the believers spent a lot of time eating and talking. They carried out the "one anothers" of the bible.
Today most large church gatherings look more like shows than they do family meetings. Most of the people present sit quietly while watching a performance. A few select people do much of the activity on a stage or platform. Right at the center of everything is the pastor.
Due to the warping of what church gatherings should be, the church as a whole (at least in the USA) is largely immature and self-focused. Pastors ought to resign themselves from this performance-based industry. The church needs to rethink both why and how it gathers. This will not occur as long as pastors lead the show from the front.
(This post is the third in the series 25 Reasons Professional Pastors Should Resign.)
2 comments:
AMEN and AMEN brother.
Thanks for speaking out
about it.
Another great post.
I'm sorry, but it provokes a mischievous response from me.
Provable fact.-
There is a simple Litmus test that shows virtually all pastors are total failures regarding their job description and should be sacked forthwith, immediately, without further delay. They are frauds pretending to do a job they are not remotely equipped to do.
What is their job description?
Answer. Ephesians 4v11.
(Yes yes, we all know that there are 5 jobs listed in v11, but the pastor sits in charge of all 5 and is extremely unlikely to permit anyone else in on the act unless submitted to his charge. So he is still responsible for all successes and all failures.)
Eph4v11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ; 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.…
Did you notice that the pastor's job is the perfecting (maturing) of the saints for the work of the ministry?
ie. so the saints stop passively watching the pastor's theatre performance, and the saints themselves start ministering as fully equipped members of the body of Christ.
And for your information, putting the chairs out, doing the teas and coffees, collecting the offerings, do not constitute ministry in the spirit! A pagan do it just as well.
So, here is the test for your pastor.
Is he year after year still standing at the front, doing all the ministry to the same people?
Are those same people still in the pews, suckling at the the pastor's ministry year after year?
Obviously, despite all his efforts, the saints have not been perfected, and he is a complete failure.
Either he doesn't comprehend the job description, or he doesn't want any competition, or he doesn't want anyone to realise what a useless pastor he is.
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