Ways to Discourage Your Pastor

I know I have been on this “list” kick as of late and so I see no reason as to why I should break the pattern now. While I was at the Shepherd’s Conference I was blessed with a number of books, one of which is entitled, “Life in the Body of Christ” by Curtis C. Thomas. Some of you may already know that Curtis Thomas (attending the Bible Church of Little Rock) is the brother of Bill Thomas who attends Hope CBC. Anyway, as I have been reading through this book on the “privileges and responsibilities in the local church”, I came across this list in keeping with the “pastoral” motif, a list entitled, “Ways to Discourage Your Pastor.”

Now, I submit this list as a resource of things NOT to do. But please understand how grateful I am that the vast majority of these things are not presently evident at Hope CBC. I thought it would just be good to ponder these things. So, below is an excerpt of Thomas’ book:

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More and more good men are leaving the ministry. Their reasons may include a lack of commitment, a serious sin in their lives, a felling of inadequacy, the pressure of public responsibilities, erratic discouragement caused by church members; something which Hebrews 13:17 says should not occur. How do we discourage our pastors? Here are some ways:

• Listen to the Scriptures being taught, but don’t obey the teaching.
• Show irritation when an important point in the pastor’s message lengthens the pastor’s sermon five or ten minutes beyond its usual length.
• Start a gossip chain.
• Always expect other members to do the work that needs to be done.
• Consistently show up to the church services five to ten minutes late.
• Tell your pastor that the nursery is not your responsibility.
• Be mildly negative about most leadership decisions.
• Go to the lake on summer Sundays rather than to church.
• Pay your pastor so little that he cannot adequately support his family.
• Start a church project but let it die by your lack of perseverance.
• Regularly fall asleep during the sermon because your Saturday nights are taken by late activities.
• Look on your pastor as a “hired-hand” rather than as the shepherd of your soul.
• Let your pastor alone do all of the home and hospital visitation.
• Start a squabble within the membership.
• Fear men rather then God.
• Talk frequently about the weaknesses of the church.
• Never let your pastor know that you are praying for him and his family.
• Complain to your pastor about others.
• When the leadership mentions important financial needs, keep billfold tightly closed.
• Refuse to sing any of the new melodies.
• Always want to go back to “what it used to be like” in the church.
• Resent new people who come into the fellowship.
• Automatically assume your pastor’s motives are questionable.
• Fail to realize that your pastor must keep some things in confidence and thus cannot explain some things fully.
• Assume that there is only one way to do things – and your way is the correct one.

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Just some more food for thought.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed