Top 10 Things Pastors Do That Bug Me

Let’s start off by making a few things clear:

  • I am a pastor.
  • I love and respect pastors.
  • Every pastor has probably done some of the things on this list. I know I’ve been guilty of several of them myself.
  • Pastors need to be cut some slack just like everyone else.
  • Nothing on this list is aimed at any particular individuals.
  • I really don’t mean to sound negative. I consider this healthy venting.
  • Nevertheless, here are ten things pastors do that bug me:

(10) Don’t grow personally, but still try to lead. Leadership is all about growth. If you’re not going to the next level yourself, you certainly can’t take anyone else there.

(9) Don’t work hard at their preaching. This is a personal pet peeve of mine because preaching is my passion, and I’m sold out on its importance to the Kingdom of God. One time I visited a church where I’m almost positive the pastor was making up the sermon as he went along. I’m not kidding. He kept closing his eyes and pausing for long moments, and the sermon was only about 10 minutes. I don’t think it even had a point. A preacher has about half an hour each week to address God’s people and share a message from the Bible. What an opportunity! There’s never any excuse for wasting it.

(8) Reek of arrogance. Christian leadership has no place for arrogance, and yet so many pastors swagger and sway like they’re some kind of super savvy, spiritual giants who have it all figured out. Usually they’re older guys who think the young guys think they know everything but actually know nothing, or younger guys who think the older guys think they know everything but actually know nothing. (Read that sentence a couple more times and it will start to make sense.) In the Bible we see that Jesus Christ was perfect and knew everything and was perfectly gifted and able, and yet not one single time do we ever see Him acting like a hotheaded know-it-all. Christlike people act like Jesus, not like arrogant fools.

(7) Waste time. I can’t even tell you how many pastors I’ve known who waste more time than they spend working, yet talk all the time about how busy they are. Here’s a hint: If you have time to talk a lot about how busy you are, you probably aren’t really that busy. Stop faking it. You aren’t fooling anybody.

(6) Preach about reaching unbelievers and do nothing about it/ Preaching about reaching unbelievers and then doing everything they can to keep it from actually happening. Okay, so this one’s two-sided. It drives me so crazy that it makes me feel like thumping people. I have no patience to listen to a preacher go on and on week after week about reaching unbelievers with the Gospel, and then not doing a single thing about it. Great example for the flock! And some preachers prattle on with this message over and over but vehemently oppose anyone who tries to make an effort to actually befriend a “heathen.” Five words for these guys: weeping and gnashing of teeth. Figure it out.

(5) Make it all about them. Some pastors have to be the center of everything. They have to be the superstar, the center of attention. They hold tightly to control, which eventually chokes a church to death. Jesus alone is the superstar–He alone is the Hero of the story. He alone is the One who is in control.

(4) Try to act super righteous. Some pastors are two different people: the phony pastor and the real person. There should never be a dichotomy here. There’s no need to pretend to be perfect just because you’re a pastor. From the Bible up to today, God has taken seriously messed up people, changed them by His grace, and allowed them to be His servants. Pastors are not super holy–they’re sinners saved through the atoning death of Jesus Christ, just like every other Christian.

(3) Gossip about and slander other pastors. A good example of this would be if I inserted names into this list. I don’t know if it’s insecurity, jealousy, or just a serious character flaw, but some pastors’ conversation drips with slams against other pastors. Didn’t Jesus pray for our unity?

(2) Act like jerks. Christians should be known for their love, and yet some pastors are just plain mean. I actually saw a church sign once in Tennessee that said: “Boozers are losers.” The pastor put it there. Part of their Overcoming Addictions Ministry promotion, I suppose. Jesus said His people would be known by their love, not their hate. Not sure how some folks get that one confused, especially people called to pass along the message.

(1) Think they’re cool by listening to U2. So you’ve got a thing for Bono. Gee, how cutting edge and culturally relevant of you. Makes you almost as hip as parents in the 1980′s who thought their kids would think they were cool if they listened to Bruce Springsteen.

After all that you might think I have a chip on my shoulder. Well, I did–but now I feel all better. Thanks for listening.

Published in: on March 16, 2007 at 8:37 am  Comments (4)  

Jesus Christ and the DSM-IV

People couldn’t decide if Jesus was insane or possessed.  In Mark 3:21, His own family claimed, “He’s out of His mind”!  But the Pharisees argued, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons.”

Not exactly a flattering argument.

How ’bout a third possibility: Maybe He’s the Son of God?

I have to wonder about Mary’s role in this.  We know from the Bible that Jesus’ brothers were not believers until after His resurrection (see John 7:5), but c’mon–Mary gave birth to Him while she was still a virgin!  Surely she took that as a sign that God was up to something in Jesus’ life.

It’s interesting that shortly after this incident, Jesus’ family came to see Him and He was like, “My family?  Who’s My family?  The ones that obey God are My family.”  I know He wasn’t trying to slam His family or anything, but still I wonder if in the back of His mind He was thinking, “My family are the ones that don’t think I’m nuts!  My family consists of people that don’t feel the need to decide whether I’m whacked out or inhabited by demons.”

Often it seems that my family thinks I’m crazy, so I find comfort in the fact that Jesus dealt with the same thing.   At least my parents never tried to have me committed… although they probably came pretty close.

Published in: on March 15, 2007 at 5:22 am  Comments (2)  

Mission Miraculous

One of the most unique missions in history was given to the women who first arrived at Jesus’ empty tomb.  In Matthew 28:7, an angel instructs these women, “Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead.”

Jesus’ disciples would die for spreading the message that He rose from the dead.  They would commit their lives to preaching this single message, and then they would lay down these same lives to verify its authenticity.  These men would write much of the New Testament. Through the message that these women carried to them, the disciples would be transformed from a gang of terrified, heartbroken fraidycats to an unstoppable apostolic force.

But before all that, there was this tiny sliver of time when God placed in the hands of these women the crucial task of carrying the message of Christ’s resurrection to the ears of the men who would shout it to the world.  The whole destiny of humanity was couched in the mission entrusted to these women.

Published in: on March 14, 2007 at 8:12 am  Comments (2)  

Aww…Awe

The past few days I’ve been reading the Gospel of Matthew.  The stuff that Jesus’ disciples witnessed during their brief years with Him must have been overwhelming.

I mean, think about it–if I saw someone give sight to a blind guy, or lay the smackdown on a bunch of religious big shots right in the middle of their own headquarters, or converse with demons and boss them around, or tell a crippled dude to get up and walk and the guy actually does it…  I would never get over that stuff!  It would totally rock my world.  I’d never stop thinking about it or talking about it.  I would walk around completely amazed all the time.  My mouth would probably be permanently gaping and my eyes stuck wide open.  And that’s just if I saw only one of these occurrences.

Jesus’ apostles saw this kind of thing every day.  They never knew what He was going to say or do next.  He was entirely unpredictable.  But they could be sure that whatever He said or did, it was guaranteed to astound them.

Many of us have gotten so accustomed to hearing these stories about Jesus that much of their shock factor has worn off.  When I learned that Jesus rose from the dead, I still believed that I could be Batman someday.  The divine mystery eluded me.  By the time I grew older and more aware, I was used to the stories.  I almost became immune to the miraculous power of the things Jesus said and did.

I’m going to try to be more intentional about regaining the wonder of Jesus.  You’re welcome to join me on this adventure!

Published in: on March 13, 2007 at 10:36 am  Comments (5)  

This Guy’s Mom Never Told Him Not To Play With His Food

Wow, unbelievable. See, playing with your food can develop important life skills. Not if I could only find a good excuse for licking my plate clean…

Thanks to Jenna for the video!

Published in: on March 12, 2007 at 8:10 am  Comments (2)  

You’ve Got a Right to Rock the Superfly

It’s way past time that I introduced you to the O.C. Supertones, easily the best band ever.  By the way, for you local folks–that’s “O.C.” as in Orange County, not Ocean City.

Enjoy the sample video below!  I’m sure you’ll immediately agree with me that the music world has not this band’s equal.  Unfortunately they are no longer together, but what a legacy they leave behind.  Check it out:

Published in: on March 12, 2007 at 7:16 am  Leave a Comment  

Things You Just Shouldn’t Have to Tell People

Look at the teeny tiny people down on the ground below. And this is with the dealio at only about half its height. Considering the context, this little sign just seems totally unnecessary.

Published in: on March 11, 2007 at 6:33 am  Leave a Comment  

Transition, Part 3

This might sound harsh, but I wish more people would make a transition. I mean really–have you ever noticed how many people are obviously in the wrong job?

I don’t mean to bust on people, but something is not right when the Wal-Mart greeter ignores you, the nurse cops an attitude, the secretary can’t spell (and doesn’t care), the cook sneezes in her gloves, the tailor orders mismatching vests and bow ties, the shipping department never ships the package, and the mailman can’t match up the address on the envelope with the address on the mailbox.

Here’s the good news: everybody was made to do something. Everyone can do something well. Maybe that secretary can maintain sanitary practices while cooking; maybe that nurse can match up addresses; maybe the greeter can spell; maybe the tailor can smile and speak gently to medical patients.

In the church world, we talk frequently about how God wants the best for people. But somehow we’ve limited that to avoiding sin and serving in a ministry. And yet it includes so much more–for instance, being in the right job.

Obviously, we can’t all just jump into the job we want. Sometimes being in the right job means years of training, education, and hard work, plus getting all the right breaks on the climb up the ladder. But even so, many people are not even on the right track, and it shows.

That’s another reason for my current transition. I’m simply not the guy that fits what the church needs most at this point in its growth.  And it shows–I’m not going to kid myself.  It’s best for the church and for me to find the place where I’m shaped to fit, and make room here for the person that’s shaped to fit into my current role.

On a side note: Though I’m no longer the right match for this position, I wouldn’t trade my experience at SonRise for anything in the world!  It’s been more valuable to me than a seminary education.  I can’t imagine anything else doing so much to prepare me for the role that God is transitioning me into.

Published in: on March 10, 2007 at 8:22 am  Leave a Comment  

Amazing Grace, Amazing Movie

Just got back from watching the new movie Amazing Grace. There are a lot of decent movies out there; there are less that are really good; and there only a few that are powerful. Amazing Grace is a truly powerful movie.

The film tells the story of William Wilberforce, the parliament guy who drove the movement to abolish the slave trade in England a couple centuries ago. The script and the acting were good, but the scenery was even better. It made me feel like I was in late-18th-century England. One of the best things about the movie was that it really gives you a feeling for what life was like in that turmoil-ridden period in world history–there are multiple allusions to the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the mental decline of King George III, and the changing face of the globe. That’s the context of the events in the film. The movie really gives a vivid glimpse into this period that marked the birth of the modern age.

The movie also portrays some of the shocking horrors of slavery. Without relying on gory torture scenes or anything like that, the barbarian cruelty of slavery is well depicted.

One problem I had with the film was that it skips around in time quite a bit, which can be pretty confusing. I couldn’t always tell whether we were looking at the present moment, the past, the future, or what. Next time I see it–and there will definitely be a next time–hopefully I’ll be able to follow it better.

For me the highlight of the movie comes during a conversation between Wilberforce and John Newton, the former slave trader who became a Christian and wrote the classic song “Amazing Grace.” The elderly and blind Newton says to Wilberforce something like, “I know just two things: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.” Chill bump moment.

Two other chill bump moments came toward the end of the movie. One is when Wilberforce’s bill to abolish the slave trade is passed, and everyone jumps to their feet and cheers while he sits there exhausted, stunned, teary-eyed, and overwhelmed with gratitude. The other one is at the very end when a military marching band (or whatever it’s called) plays “Amazing Grace” (with the bagpipes at the forefront) at Wilberforce’s funeral.

By the way, Wilberforce was buried in Westminster Abbey, an amazing place that Carolyn and I had the privilege of visiting last summer. I’ll write more about that and post some pictures another time.

Two more things about the movie that are among the reasons I highly recommend it: First, the dialogue was witty and edgy without being hokey. Second, it’s inspired me to learn more about the man and the movement. In my book, that’s always the sign of a good movie.

Published in: on March 9, 2007 at 3:35 pm  Leave a Comment  

Transition, Part 2 (or How to Hire the Right Guy)

As I transition out, the church will be prayerfully looking for the right person to transition in. By “the right person,” I mean someone who will fit three criteria. I can’t remember where I first read about these, but it was probably in The Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley or Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels, or maybe both.

Anyway, here are the criteria:

(1) Character. This is the single most important thing. A lack of sound character will sooner or later (probably sooner) undermine everything else.  The right person will have integrity, be honest, reliable, consistent, selfless, loving, hard-working, and committed.  Who a person is lays the foundation for what a person does.

(2) Competence. The right person must also be able to do the job.  Notice this list does not include anything about formal education or training.  Performance always trumps degrees and lists of impressive initials following someone’s name.  If someone’s passion and giftedness fail to match up with the demands of the job, it ends up with people getting frustrated and hurt.

(3) Chemistry. Unfortunately this one is often overlooked.  Even if a person has the right character and competence, they might not fit with the staff or the organization.  This is especially important at a church like SonRise with a leader like Pastor Daryl, who’s an explosive mix of strong leader and goofball.  Working with him is like working with a combination of Dwight Eisenhower and Larry the Cable Guy.  And someone who comes from a traditional church background and is not very, very open minded would really struggle in this setting.

A good example of these three qualifications in action was when we brought Pastor John on board to plant The Gathering Tree.  He had a very Christlike character, was extremely skilled and entrepreneurial, and fit perfectly with our staff and church vision.  He easily passed all three tests, and we could tell right away.  We all just clicked.  I think it’s often like that when God brings along just the right person, but these three areas of qualification provide some guidance and bring some important standards into the process.

So these three things set the parameters for the search. I know God has handpicked someone for the job, and called them to this position just as He called me to preach.

Published in: on March 9, 2007 at 8:13 am  Leave a Comment  
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