JEALOUSY HAS NO PLACE IN MINISTRY: PREACHERS

( Mistrust Suspicion Defensiveness Resentment)
I want to establish the underlying principle that using titles such as "Fundamental," "Baptist" "Independent" "Calvinist" "Reformed" "Covenant" "Dispensationalist" or even "Evangelical" have different meanings to different people, but in fact might not describe the individual anyway. Even when one says he is "Biblical". What preacher would say he is not "Biblical?"

{Historic Fundamentalism vs. Hysteric/Cultural Fundamentalism: I will address in the next post)

But for this post I want to address The Senior Pastor vs. Church Staff Minister:

For twenty- seven months I was the Youth Director of the Roanoke Baptist Temple, in Roanoke Virginia, where my father was the pastor. In those twenty-seven months, the pastor gave me liberty to be the Youth Director, and the ability to do ministry was such a great freedom. When my father died, we had seventy-five in our department that Sunday.

I believed this was the pattern for ministry in a church as a Youth Pastor. I had the impression that in my next position the ministry would be the same as in Roanoke Baptist Temple. I believed that my dad was the example who demonstrated the qualities of a pastor and one who I would be working for in a ministry.

I remember well, when I arrived at seminary, I mentioned to a senior student, "I am looking forward to working with pastors and then becoming a Youth Pastor. This senior student, was driving a car at the time, and he almost had a wreck. "Charles, what rock did you come out from under? Preachers are some of the most jealous people in the world."

I am not really sure what happened between my father’s generation and the present generation, but there certainly has been a change.

The time period was 1966, and that student was 100% right. The present time is 2006, let’s see... that is forty years later, and the same characteristic still exists today with preachers.
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JEALOUS Definition:
(1)Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position. (2)Resentful or bitter in rivalry; envious: jealous of the success of others. (3) Inclined to suspect rivalry. (4) Having to do with or arising from feelings of envy, apprehension, or bitterness: jealous thoughts. (5) Vigilant in guarding something:

Summer of 1967: My mother who at this time was living in Danville, Virginia, and was working as Church Secretary of the Southall Baptist Church, told me "Charles if you work as Youth Pastor of Southall, and you are successful, the preacher will have you painting his houses he owns!" I thought that was the most eccentric idea. A Pastor resentful of a Youth Student, who is trying to work with youth in his church. The Pastor said, "Charles, I will hire you to be the Youth Pastor but do not tell anyone." The people were glad that they were going to have a Youth Pastor, I learned. I loved the time I was there. The success was wonderful, and sure enough, the Pastor had me painting one of his houses he owned. Mom was right. Having a successful youth ministry is not the grounds to dismiss a student who was nineteen years old. Jealousy is. Do you think a pastor would admit that? Of course not.

This happened in the summer of 1967, and you know I could give you an example in 1980, 1997 2002 and 2004. Call it by any other name, but the name will still be spelled "jealous." Why do you think, as a general rule, Senior Pastors hire someone who seems less qualified than himself?

Fundamentalist, Independents, Baptist, in any branch of fellowship, my pet peeve is the jealous preacher syndrome. As a general rule, these preachers have been taught: "Preachers are the ruler in the church, without accountablity to anyone but God, and total loyalty is to be with the Preacher." Dr. Hyles would start with the young kids. Each children’s class would have a picture of Dr. Hyles. And the teachers were to say, "This is God.!" No, not really, but almost. And you were never, I say never, to question Dr. Jack about his preaching, never, I say never. He totally controlled First Baptist Church for as long as he lived.

But even in churches where the pastor is not in total control, he controls the staff. In the last church I worked on staff, the outcome was just like the one in the summer of 1967, the Pastor was in my opinion, "Resentful or bitter in rivalry" My understanding, the Pastor asked the Deacons "Should I fire Charles, " and they said on three different occasions, "No, Pastor." But he finally did anyway. He finally said to one of the deacons, "Me and my wife, are going to fire Charles." And that was it. "Fundamental?" to the depth. "Baptist?" to the core. "Gospel preacher?" only as a fundamentalist would be.

But, you know what? You do not need to be a fundamentalist, or a Baptist to exhibit the same characteristic. It’s really not a Baptist syndrome. Many Pastors have this disease.

"Are you angry, Charles?" I am angry at the damage that some preachers have caused in the lives of their church staff. Far too many good men and women have been greatly incapacitated by the jealous actions of the Pastor. I hear about this more often than I wish to.

Fundamental preachers, Reformed Covenant preachers, no title preachers, it’s not your church. It’s not your people. God gave you to the church according to Ephesians 4:12 "for the building up of the body of Christ" and not to get jealous; resentful; distrustful with your church staff, but to build them up and help them be successful in doing their ministry. If Pastors have the privilege to work with someone who loves ministry, then let him work, let him be successful.

"Charles you are reverberating, ( 1. To resound in a succession of echoes; 2. To have a prolonged or continuing effect: Those talks with his teacher reverberated throughout his life. 3. To be repeatedly reflected, as sound waves, heat, or light.) or writing as if you are mad." You bet I am. Infuriated (not quite that bad) with some preachers, but not with the Lord. I still love the Lord and love ministry. I love His church.

Charles
Proof and Truth proofed by Charity Whisnant