15 Things Pastors Need to Stop Right Now
Dear Pastor,
I love you. I want nothing more than for you to be all who God wants you to be. So this might hurt a little.
I’m writing you this letter because I have noticed a few things that we have fallen into saying or doing that don’t represent Christ well.
With all due respect, please stop:
1. Stop pretending you are perfect.
Jesus is perfect. You aren’t. Let us see your humanity.
Share your mistakes with us. It gives us hope to know that even the pastor doesn’t always get it right. It also gives us the courage to be honest about our faults too.
2. Stop emotionally and spiritually abusing your staff.
Although some elements of the church are like a business, church staff should not be treated just like employees. They are family. They aren’t perfect, but you need to love them anyway.
When you hurt them, you hurt God’s family. I know far too many pastors who need therapy after the wounds of working for a bad boss.
3. Stop hiding your secret addiction.
When we find out (not if, but when), it will ruin your ministry, devastate your family, and place another black mark on the church.
Don’t be another example that people point to when they call Christians a bunch of hypocrites. Get help now.
4. Stop skipping your time with God.
Lack of time with God is the quickest way for you to dry up spiritually. Your responsibility as a pastor is first and foremost to have a strong personal relationship with God.
Prayer and Bible reading are not a waste of time. It’s the most productive thing you will do all day.
5. Stop talking about your “smoking hot wife.”
It’s great that you love your wife. But talk about how beautiful she is on the inside too. Praise her godly character.
I don’t want my daughter growing up hearing you imply that attractiveness is all that matters in a woman. She gets too much of that from the rest of the world already.
6. Stop thinking you are the reason for your church’s success.
Check your ego. Good pastors rightfully give God the glory for the fruit of ministry. It’s all because of Him.
You are just a tool in God’s mighty hand.
7. Stop comparing yourself to other pastors.
Comparison is a loser’s game. You’ll either sin by taking pride in how much greater you are, or you’ll sin by coveting what they have. You can’t win.
You can’t win with comparison.
8. Stop sacrificing your family in the name of doing “ministry.”
Your first job is to pastor your family well. Your degree of busyness is not a badge of honor, especially when it keeps you from being present for your family.
Working too much is a sign that you may be a workaholic, and are likely doing a poor job of equipping the church for helping the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).
9. Stop reading business books more than your Bible.
Yes, there are a lot of parallels to leading a church and leading a business. I love a good leadership book as much as anyone else. But if you are spending far more time with secular books than the Bible, you have a problem.
The Scriptures hold all the leadership principles you need.
10. Stop wasting the church’s tithe money on wasteful expenses.
Did you need to go to that expensive restaurant on the church’s dime? Was that shiny new gadget the best way to invest God’s money? Mishandling the church’s money doesn’t just apply to pastors with mansions and private jets.
Be a good steward of every penny that God has entrusted to you.
11. Stop pointless missions trips.
Why do we keep spending thousands of dollars to send a few people on a vacation missions trip for a week? Is that really the wisest way to invest in God’s kingdom?
What if you used that money instead to fund the local pastors and missionaries to reach their community year-round?
12. Stop saying your church is going to “reach the world.”
The Church universal will reach the world, but not just your church. God’s redemptive plan is far greater than any lone congregation.
Teach people to think bigger about the church than just your gathering.
13. Stop preaching anything but the Bible.
Opinions are like feet; everyone has them, and sometimes they stink.
We don’t need your opinions. We need God’s. Tell us what He says. In the end, what He thinks is all that matters.
14. Stop preaching another pastor’s sermons without giving them credit.
That’s called plagiarism. It’s illegal. Don’t do it.
15. Stop doing selfish service.
Don’t serve for the sake of publicity. If your primary goal is to get on the news or to take pictures with orphans in Africa to post on Facebook, you need a heart check (Matthew 6:4).
Do good for God’s glory, not your own.
What do you need to stop?
Look, none of us are perfect. If any of this rubbed you the wrong way because you felt convicted, you are not alone.
Don’t get mad at me. Get angry at the sin that so easily entangles us.
Let’s repent of the mistakes we have done and move forward as faithful stewards of the work God has entrusted us to do.
Fantastic article. I would add another that I don’t feel helps the kingdom of God.
16. Stop stating things opposite to what they are in order to get a crowd.
I went to a church recently and the title of the sermon is “Believe: God is not true” (and it was printed on the notetaker to take home) . Shameful for pastors/speakers to use the media’s way of gaining attention. Not to mention that it is not true, God is TRUTH!
Like the old saying goes, if I want to leave them something in the minds of the congregation to meditate on, it will be that God IS TRUE/TRUTH!
Sad thing is he was a Military chaplain preaching in someone else’s pulpit.
Good point Gerry. Sometimes in an attempt to be shocking to get more attention we can send the wrong message.
I think you need to remember that for every pastor who is guilty of the above there are another 10 who are crushed, abused by members, and discouraged by churches who think because the pastor is paid he is fair game and can be roasted at will. Often by people who treat church like a restraint. The spiritual, emotional and psychological difficulties of being a pastor are rarely understood except by pastors. Of course you don’t hear a lot about it because pastors aren’t given to complaining much and do recognise that it’s a desperately hard calling, so it’s their sacrificial Worship to God.
I agree Trevor. I know that feeling all too well. My goal is not add to the roasting of pastors, but out of love, to point out a few things I have seen that may need correction.
Your way to general on #11, as Short Term Missions trips are one of the few options available to many people Pastors included, and I’m sure you have not forgotten its commanded, local/translocal are part of preaching to all nations and making disciples of them as well…
Thanks David. I think you may be right about me being a little too general with #11. I am not trying to suggest that all short term missions are bad. But I have seen my fair share of trips done in the name of missions that waste a lot of money to send people around the world to paint a wall or dig a hole. But this is a short post, so a lot more can and should be said about that. Such as in this great book: http://amzn.to/2iNO41X
I really enjoyed reading the article, but I agree with David on number 11. It is way to general! All of the missionaries I have talked too and have served with on mission trips want people to come serve along side of them. They are able to accomplish more when others come and serve with them for a short period of time. You may have meant that, but again I just believe it was too general of an answer.
Thanks Trey, I’m glad you enjoyed the article. As I agree that I may have been a little too general with #11. Not all short term missions trips are bad. But there are many that are a waste of resources. I am referring more to some of what is covered in this book: http://amzn.to/2iNO41X
Great article! You seemed to have aggravated a few with #11 or at the very least, struck a nerve.. Not being a pastor, I have the advantage of observing and several of the 15 points HAVE BEEN OBSERVED!!!!
There is much said about reaching out to our community as well as a world-wide effort. Being a Methodist Lay Speaker, I feel more like supporting my own local church almost to the point of being an isolationist. I feel there’s enough work to do here in my own backyard!!!
I know what Jesus said about going out into the world, etc, etc., but my calling (in my own mind) seems to be to direct my efforts toward my local church and to disregard all the promptings from our District Leaders to attend workshops and seminars that very well may cause me to spread myself too thin. YOUR OPINION……………………
Many pastors use artificial vocal inflections when they preach. For instance, at the end of every sentence, they say “UH!”, for emphasis. It sounds silly, and it’s distracting. They need to stop trying to impress their congregations and just speak normally.
There is gonna be a lot of pissed off Pastor’s but as the son of a Pastor I see all of these traits even in my father (BLESS HIS SOUL) but it seems like things are done out of selfish reasons, and it’s not according to God’s word and it’s sad. People forget church is a BUSINESS there are rules and regulations you have to follow just like any other BUSINESS. IF THE SHEPHERD IS BLIND, AND HE IS LEADING THE FLOCK WHERE IS THE FLOCK GONNA GO IN THE DITCH WITH THE SHEPARD.
Matthew 28:19-20; I am deaf Christian and study to become teacher biblical for the deaf. Many regions they are deaf, they don’t know about the Word of God and no service for the deaf in the church. Because mostly no interpretation for the deaf. The deaf mission is necessary travel for the salvation of deaf people. Thank you and God bless you. I am from Canada and mission preach, teacher biblical for the deaf in Russia.