Church Issues #1 Leadership

Issue #1. Leadership.
Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't have church leadership. You should have church leadership, you should have a solid group of leaders who are dedicated to the principles of scripture. What would shouldn't have is the idol of leadership that exists in the church today. Leadership is more important that discipleship these days. You can find a ton of books, conferences, classes. My Master's Degree is in Educational Leadership from an SBC Seminary. Leadership is a big deal, it's big money and a huge focus.

The problem is, it's what we worship. Look at the leaders in your church, look at the people clamoring to be leaders in your church. We have leaders in church all over this country who bought and paid their way into the job. I know pastors who have done questionable things to get or keep their leadership. We know there are pastors being fired because they became abusive in their leadership. Power corrupts, and Pastors are being corrupted. Elders, Deacons, boards, overseers, entire groups of people are in love with their own power and position.  They cling to it like it's a pearl of great price. Most of my ministry career, I stayed in the 2nd fiddle job, this is where I wanted to be. I had no desire to be the lead pastor. From that vantage point, I could see the power hungry fighting to get influence. They used position, education, age, income, or longevity to fight for a claim the spots on the top of the hill.

I have said for years there are two types of people in church ministry and in leadership. The first are those who really love the church and feel a calling to serve God's people. These are in the minority. The second group is the people who just really want to be in charge. They have found a place to be in charge, the local church. They finally get to be in charge, and the often become dictatorial. You see these types of people in a couple of places, they are in charge of the church, homeowner associations (HOAs), and civic groups and organizations. Horror stories abound from these people, they often have a hard time getting along, they get in charge and stay there, they keep the leadership teams closed and tight. The young people that are added to the teams have either been in the organization (church) for many years, are related to the current leaders, or a combination of things. They are abusive, they want to keep things their way. They are not usually concerned with other people, they are not concerned with helping, growing, or supporting anything except their own position. If they want the organization to grow, it's for their own glory. If they want things to succeed, it is usually to make themselves look better.

There is a spiritual reality to this, one that is not comfortable, but we must address. There are many in church leadership today who are not saved. Pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, members who are in control of much of the church who are not saved. They serve with a passion and fire, but this doesn't mean they are controlled by the Holy Spirit. The religious leaders of Jesus day had a passion. Today we see Muslims, Buddhists, cult members and leaders all serve with a passion. People have a passion for politics, organizations, the military, and a host of other things. People can be passionate about the organization and programming of the local church, but not know Jesus.

Jesus told us this would be the case. In a passage we know pretty well in Matthew 7, Jesus tells us about people who serve Jesus without being saved. Jesus says:
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

If we unpack that a little, we see these people preaching (prophecy) and doing ministry (casting out demons) in the name of Jesus. These are church leaders, Pastors, leaders, teachers, and people with influence inside of the local church. These are people who do a lot in the name of Jesus, but their motivation is themselves. They are motivated by leadership. They want to be in charge.

How do you recognize this? People who are in love with leadership focus on leadership. They talk all the time about it, they focus on it. They will talk about their prior leadership experience, they constantly talk about their qualifications. They will protect their authority at all cost, they will even destroy others, and they often do. If they feel threatened by someone, they will gossip, slander, criticize that person. They will seek to have others removed from positions if they feel them a threat. They are often angry or insecure. The position is their idol, and they will do whatever they need to do to protect it. Nothing they do is out of the range of ability for any leader in any secular arena, even if they are claiming God's blessing. Remember, a growing church is not always a sign of God's blessings. Muslims are a growing group. Gangs grow, the Mafia grew, this wasn't God's blessing. Wealth, success, fame, all these things are not a sign of God's blessings. They come on evil men all the time. A follower of Christ will be gentle, meek, and kind. They will not need to try to control or manipulate anything, but will simply do what is right. Of course, in all matters of church leadership, the Bible will be the standard and will do whatever needs to be done to follow the Bible, not the opinion of key or important people in the church.

If you find yourself in a church like this, especially if it's the Pastor or the key leadership, you need to get out. They are not going to step aside or take correction. You can pray for them, you can gently try to help, but if you find yourself in a full confrontation, nothing good will result. If it's not the Pastor, but some other leaders, you will have to decide what the impact will be to you and your family. Remember, Satan is real and he will put people in the church to bring it down from the inside. Paul writes to Timothy about this, and it still happens. If something is becoming destructive to your family, then you need to think about finding a new church. It's not easy, but fighting with these people is never productive. They will protect their power and position above all else. My hope is you will never have to deal with this level of power struggle, but with all the focus the modern American church has put on leadership, it's a real possibility. Power has long been an idol, Satan used it to tempt Jesus. Many in the modern church have fallen under its control.