Reason #17 - Professional Pastors Imply That Churches Need "Experts" to Lead Them

When institutional churches search for a new pastor they look for someone with a bible college or seminary degree.

When men want to be pastors they go to bible college or seminary.

Why do these things happen?

The reason is that most Christians believe that they need "experts" to lead them. Instead of looking to their own church family for elders, they instead almost always turn to outside "experts" with advanced degrees to be the next pastor. This occurs across denominational lines. The vast majority of new pastoral appointments are men who have never had previous contact with the particular body they are to lead. The churches look less at I Timothy 3 guidelines than they do at what degree a person has. Salaries are even partially based on what theological level a person has attained. For example, men with doctorates are the most expensive.

The above is understandable from a secular perspective. However, the church is not secular in nature, and therefore ought not follow a secular model. The church has no need of theological "experts" from outside. It only needs look inward for godly men already in its midst.

Professional pastors: please resign today and encourage the church to cease looking for leadership from outside "experts."


(This is post seventeen of 25 Reasons Professional Pastors Should Resign.)