10 Pastors I’m Concerned About
Re-examining the Decline of Pastoral Care Ten Years Later
It was just over a decade ago that I wrote my first viral post. Shortly after, a few different outlets reposted it on their sites, some with my permission and some without: Church Leaders, Sam Storms, and Monergism are a few examples where it is still living. In any event, I’m glad the ideas are still circulating but it’s interesting to me that I still receive emails and comments from readers who are just now reading it ten years later.
Recently, I reread the post myself, just to see if I still agreed with what I wrote a decade ago; mostly, I still do, but with a few caveats. With many newer readers since that time, I thought it would be interesting to share it again with a few minor edits for relevance.
It’s not a secret the church has been in decline for a number of years and for a variety of reasons. You can read some statistics and views on why, here and here and here. Everyone has their opinions.
Abuse, apostasy, and irrelevance are just a few of the words that keep coming up in the search for reasons for the decline. There are a variety of compelling opinions and I even have a few of my own.
But I suggest there is another area of decline more significant and perhaps much less obvious—and one that certainly contributes to the church’s decline in North America.
I think it’s likely that a careful analysis would implicate modern church leadership for this more significant issue.
In Other Words, I’m Concerned About The Decline Of Authentic Pastoral Care And Its Effect On The Decline Of The Church Overall.
By saying so, I’m not suggesting that I had it all together when I was pastoring. (In hindsight, I even find myself cringing at some of my theology and practices.) Nor am I trying to cultivate (or ratify) some dishonest skeptics’ contempt for the church. Rather, I’m hoping to raise these concerns to offer some biblical perspective on authentic pastoral care.
Finally, I’m not claiming to be the expert in all church issues, but I have served in various pastoral roles for more than twenty years and feel I can offer some measure of insight about the issue. So in an effort to pursue this conversation in a healthy way, here are 10 pastors I’m concerned about.
I’m concerned about the pastor who is better at managing church programs than he is at making disciples of Jesus. Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger addressed this topic somewhat in the book Simple Church, but I’m not sure how many pastors paid attention to the message. The church is not better because it has more programs. It’s quite possible for programs to hinder its real mission.
I’m concerned about the pastor who attracts people with fancy self-help sermons instead of teaching people to be students of the Bible and theology. Sure topical sermons can be helpful teaching tools when used appropriately and in moderation. But to pique the interest of the unchurched, church-growth advocates have promoted episodic sermons ad nauseam and to no avail at effectively grounding deeply committed disciples of Jesus, as the statistics provided previously demonstrate.
I’m concerned about the pastor who is a chief executive instead of a contemplative sage. The pastor is called to a contemplative life of prayer and study of the word (Acts 6:4 cf. Ephesians 4:11-16). From that life, his ministry flows to the church. The pastor was never called to be a rockstar communicator or benchmark business leader. He was called to model redemption and shepherd the flock of God (1 Peter 5:1-4 cf. Acts 20:28). Perhaps those serious about pastoral care should consider putting away the John Maxwell and Nelson Searcy books and pick up the Bible and the church fathers again.
I’m concerned about the pastor who uses the pulpit to milk members instead of minister to the saints. It was the angry atheist, Richard Dawkins, who asked Ted Haggard (back in the day) why he needed a multi-million dollar sound system that paralleled that of MTV to teach people about God. I think that’s a question that deserves an answer. Why do pastors need to build bigger and better on the backs of God’s people? I think the answer may be rooted in the human heart. Francis Chan seemed to have caught that vision when he was still pastor in Simi Valley (by some accounts, he has apparently faltered theologically since then. I haven’t followed his ministry since then, so I much reserve judgment at this point in time). And if we think we need to build bigger barns, perhaps we should pray about church planting as a viable alternative.
I’m concerned about the pastor who makes growing the church the goal instead of glorifying God the goal. There is no biblical mandate for growing the church. Sure there is one for propagating the gospel and making disciples. But the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. There is nothing in Scripture, except pride, that drives pastors to drive the flocks they are supposed to be tending. This is the very opposite of pastoral care.
I’m concerned about the pastor who builds his ministry with people instead of building people by his ministry. It seems I’ve said this already, just differently. But here I’m speaking to a philosophy that often underlies many of the abuses in the church. For example, a well-known mega-church pastor once advised me to think of people in seven-year terms. He explained that people generally burn out after seven years. And if I wanted to build a big ministry for God, I would need to leverage those seven years. Funny, I don’t recall God asking pastors to leverage his people for the pastor’s dream of building a big church for God.
I’m concerned about the pastor who cultivates a culture of dependency on himself instead of cultivating a culture of community within the church. Of course, I’m not denying spiritual dependency on Christ is biblical. But the pastor is not the people’s savior. He’s a just man who will burn out and fail himself given enough time and responsibility. Christians should be taught to depend on Jesus as our Savior, the church as our sanctifying community, the Bible as our word from God, and the Spirit as our parakletos.
I’m concerned about the pastor who reads and teaches the Bible literally instead of literarily. This in no way suggests the Bible is any less God’s word. It is to say the Bible is literature, divine literature to be sure, but literature nonetheless. That means it needs to be read and understood as God’s word to us (or for us) in the context of its literary genre. Not all the Bible is prescriptive, and none of it was written to be used as a random list of verses cherry-picked capriciously to beat people up or defend our personal ideas and beliefs. The Bible is the holy canon which reveals God to us through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Pastors who mishandle God’s word are extremely dangerous and will not offer appropriate pastoral care.
I’m concerned about the pastor who contributes to the culture of consumerism instead of combating idolatry. Pastors who pander to the consumerism in the church are no different than parents who give their kids everything they want to keep them from throwing a fit or to get them to reciprocate love. Christianity isn’t a smorgasbord where people get to pick and choose what they like or don’t. It’s a community of believers on a journey and mission of faith who live in communitas with others for the glory of God, the blessing of his people, and the advancement of his kingdom.
I’m concerned about the pastor who sees the church as a stepping stone instead of seeing it as a custodian of Christ’s kingdom. Certainly, God moves people. And certainly, pastors have a right to pursue other ventures as the Lord leads and gives liberty. But the church is the primary agent for the stewardship of the gospel and the redemption of the cosmos. It’s the integral institution for advancing Christ’s kingdom and for shaping culture and society. It’s not God’s second-hand agency. It’s not his “Plan B.” Jesus died for the church and she is significant.
There you have it: 10 pastors I’m concerned about. If you’re concerned about biblical pastoral care, I hope this helps raise good questions for further discussion. Feel free to share your concerns but let’s also be gracious and not use this as an opportunity to personally or indiscriminately disparage church elders, or use it as a platform to air dirty laundry, especially in the guise of a prayer request.
I really enjoyed each point you raised, but especially appreciated #8. It is so vital to help Christ’s sheep grow in their biblical literacy by modeling good interpretive practices.
Thanks for sharing. I think churches that our Elder led rather than Pastoral Paid Staff led seem to be healthier and better safeguards for the staff. Just an opinion.