At the time of writing this column there has been a lot of controversy over the firing of a popular pastor. This has come after years of allegations against him, his church.
A caveat to begin with – I don’t want to get into minute details for two reasons: The first is that I’m not a polemical-discernment ministry. Secondly, I don’t have all the facts. Even if I did, providing every detail wouldn’t be profitable. It would end up being a hit-piece or witch hunt.
That said I’m seeing behavior by certain pastors and ministries which concern me. I’ve previously alluded to another ministry which appears – at least to me – to come perilously close to exhibiting worrying traits.
What am I getting at?
In the first instance I suspect the pastor grew bigger than his church. He was a celebrity who packed the seats. From what others have noted, over the years there were allegations of bullying. Throughout all this he enjoyed the protection of church elders and decision makers. In contrast, complainers were silenced.
While churches must investigate complaints against leaders through the proper biblical process, it’s now a matter of public record that this pastor has been removed. After all these controversial years, apparently he became too much of a liability. Moreover, and perhaps more notably, some associates have issued public apologies.
In the second instance, the ministry is headed by a strong personality who also enjoys a hedge of protection from criticism. This person has a reputation for railing against those who disagree with him. Doctrine is important but there’s a saying that one can be right the wrong way. Even assuming theological correctness on any given non-essential doctrine does not warrant calling others heretics or crackpots. Such a stance may unfairly undermine someone’s ministry.
Unfortunately for him, he isn’t always right either. Nobody is. No ministry is.
I’ve read Omega Letter Jack Kinsella’s daily briefings for years. While he occasionally disagreed with someone else’s doctrine – and even warned about it – he always did so with grace. Jack was a humble self-effacing man. There’s no grace in bullying – only arrogance and pride. Pride has been a common denominator in the two examples above, and others which come to mind.
The Puritan Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was fired as pastor of his church as well, and by a large majority! Unlike the firing of the pastor mentioned earlier, the scandal centered on his convictions about The Lord’s Supper. As Mark Dever notes:
At the very heart of the controversy that led to Edwards’s being fired was church discipline and especially the question of who was to be admitted to the Lord’s Table.
And unlike some examples we see today, Edwards was willing to be maligned for the sake of God’s truth and glory. Instead of railing against his opposition, he wrote A Farewell Sermon to his former Northampton Parish. Keeping in mind that Edwards penned the infamous Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, he concluded his Farewell Sermon with this admonition:
Dear children, I leave you in an evil world, that is full of snares and temptations. God only knows what will become of you…Constantly pray to God in secret, and often remember that great day when you must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and meet your minister there, who has so often counseled and warned you.
It’s unfortunate that Edwards is better known for his Sinners sermon. He also wrote much about Joy in the Trinity. Note the title of Matthew Everhard’s book: A Theology of Joy: Jonathan Edwards and Eternal Happiness in the Holy Trinity.
In fact one thing which draws me to the Puritans is the joy they found in God. I want what they had! This joy and hope helped them suffer loss of employment, imprisonment, and even martyrdom. And germane to my discussion here, they were also willing to suffer ridicule and indignity for God. They put God before personal pride.
The title of a sermon by Dr. Ian Hamilton gives us much to think about: Jesus, Our Servant (Luke 22:24-27). If we are to imitate Jesus Christ, we ought to strive to be loving servants of each other as He is to us. In this sermon, Hamilton provides a great anecdote…
When a celebrated friend arrived back at his congregation after a conference, he went into the prayer room prior to a service. Upon finding the light broken, he obtained a light bulb and ladder and proceeded to fix the problem. He thought to himself that he’d just preached to 1500 people, now he was expected to fix a light! But then he remembered Paul’s words in 2 Cor 4:5 and was humbled to the dust: “What am I? I’m a servant of God’s people.”
I like that pastor’s heart. How different it is to some other examples I’m seeing!
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Phil 2:5-7
May we all be humble servants!
Maranatha!
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