The Compliment That Insults a Pastor

By Joe McKeever

“How we treat the preacher, God takes personally.”

A few paragraphs from my journal of Tuesday, March 30, 1993. I had been at that church two and a half years …

At 2 p.m., I had a visitor. A former church member who will go unnamed here wanted to apologize for his being so critical of me in my first year. Couldn’t identify why he was, except a certain resistance to authority.

I forgave him. The pain is that he is a minister of sorts, someone I had a lot of confidence in and did not know he was doing this. He said, “I hear from people in the last month that you have changed.” Why am I offended by that? I said, “I haven’t. I’m the same person I was then.” Which is true. 

Reminds me of the pain in (my last church) when people would write and say, “We love you now, but for your first year here, we hated your guts. You were in our pastor’s pulpit.” (The previous pastor had stayed only three years and had left for another church before they were ready.) And these would be dear people whom I had valued. They got it off their chest and left me bleeding. 

Anyway, I’m making a real effort to leave it with the Father and to go forward. (end of journal)

Pastors know this feeling all too well …

My Notes: Charles:  I didn’t write the above at all. But in my four churches that I have pastored and the number of churches where I was a preacher in that church I certainly can relate to this for sure.

This last church where I am not the pastor has been the worst.  While I have been the pastor now for 7.5 years, and enjoy the ministry, it has been hurtful to see members really tear into me as a preacher.

 

Someone will think they are giving you a compliment by saying, “Your preaching has been so good … lately.” Or, “I was telling someone the other day, you are a far better preacher than when you first came here.”

 

Those kind of compliments are better left unspoken. What they do is stick a knife in the heart of the preacher. What they are are digs and jabs over his perceived failures previously. What they accomplish is to ease the conscience of the speaker while adding more burdens to the preacher.

Why do some people think they need to confess a sin they harbored in their hearts but shared with no one? I do not need to know that someone disliked me “then,” and thinks I’m worthier “now.” (Note: The usual formula is that the confession should be as public as the sin. So, if my transgression was only “in my heart,” then the confession may be limited to the Lord in private. Imagine the fallout if a man confesses to a woman that he had harbored lustful thoughts of her! Horrors!)

 

One wonders how church members came to see their job as issuing progress reports on the preacher’s pulpit abilities. “He’s better.” “He’s the same.” “He’s worse.”

Show me that in the Scriptures.

 

I suspect the answer has to do with the Reformation when the pulpit ministry became central to worship. Previously, the Eucharist (the Lord’s Supper) occupied center place in worship, as it still does in Catholic and more liturgical churches. But Protestant churches—even down to their architecture—are centered on “the preaching of the cross.”

 

From there, I suppose it’s a short leap to the flock deciding some preachers are better at this sermon delivery thing than others. Doubtless, even in the 16th century, after Martin Luther’s followers had multiplied and preaching became more prominent, people must have gravitated to the churches with the best preachers.

 

So, maybe I’m railing against something as permanent and fixed as the rising of the sun in the east. But it’s still worth saying.

 

Let us pray for the pastor and …

—let us keep our critical opinions to ourselves, or give them to the Father in prayer. (If the sermons are truly disasters, every church should have a small team of leaders who are able to work with the pastor on this or any other problem. Church members do not take this upon themselves.)

—give thanks to the Lord for every good thing God does through our pastor.

—ask the Father to attend to his daily schedule since conflicts rise from every side, and daily the Lord’s pastor is forced to choose which needs he will meet and which to ignore.

—let us speak well of him to other people. Let us not demand that he be perfect or flawless before earning our commendation. Let us show grace to the pastor by speaking well of him to others.

—let us speak up when someone is unfairly characterizing or criticizing the pastor. Let us not stand idly by when God’s man is being attacked by someone who is clearly out of fellowship with Christ.

 

What “speaking up” means …

Perhaps we could include a note here on how to “speak up” when we hear someone running down the preacher.  Assuming they are not addressing you, but you overhear the remark, then I suggest you walk over to where they are talking and do nothing. Do absolutely nothing. Just stand there. Button your lip. Say nothing.

 

Walk up close to them, as near as the talkers are to one another. In silence.

Your silent presence will convict the culprit of his/her wrongdoing more than anything you might say.

 

If yours is a church where this scenario might well play out—that is, if people criticizing the pastor happens from time to time —then I suggest you rehearse before going into action. Imagine you come upon a small group in the hallway and hear them running the preacher down. Imagine walking over and standing uncomfortably close to them. Imagine saying nothing but just looking at each one, in turn. Imagine standing there in silence as long as it becomes necessary. (The longer the silence, the deeper the conviction will penetrate and the longer it will endure, I promise.)

 

Do not misunderstand …

I’m not urging anyone to concoct a praise report about the pastor out of thin air. Praise and encouragement should be given only when appropriate. What I am suggesting is that we find ways to encourage the ministers without attaching a barb to the compliment, without using the praise as a bait to sink the hook into the Lord’s man.  How we treat the preacher, God takes personally.  I did not make that up. The Lord takes personally how His spokesmen are treated. It’s straight out of the Scriptures, in two easily remembered passages, Matthew 10 and Luke 10. “He who receives you receives me …” (Matthew 10:40). “He who hears you hears Me; he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16).  Who among us would not like to brag on Jesus? Imagine having the opportunity to tell Him what a great job He’s doing and how much you appreciate Him. It’s far easier than you might think. Go tell the servant Christ sent how you value his ministry. And show him, even.

Preachers Should The Church Pay Them?

Pastors are for churches, not churches for Pastors. Churches do not exist for our benefit or for our livelihood. We exist rather for their good." Derek J. Prime

Today I am still right or wrong angry at the way the mentality of Christian people think about taking care of the man of God who has given his life to serve the body of Christ and preach the Word of God in their church's. 

Back in the 70’s when I took my first pastorate, and had a family I was ready to pastor a church with all the zeal I could have. I didn’t care the size of the church, I didn’t care about the money they were going to pay me, I just want to preach. So I took this little church of about 12 that first Sunday, and they gave me $5.00 per week. And I was really glad to have a place to preach.

My wife said, “Look we can’t live on looks, and if you can’t provide for us by preaching, go out and get a job.” I said why don’t you go out and get a job. That didn’t go over well. But she did and got a very good job. So I got a job driving a school bus, and then selling insurance

. And trying to pastor a church and work on sermons each week. 

In both jobs, they said to me, “You either have to work for us full time or work full time for the church, but you can’t do both.” I must say at 23 years old, they were right. So after three years of this, I resigned the church. My wife was about to have a nerviest breakdown due to all the stress.
What is sad, I never took a public job without asking what was the pay? I certainly would not take a job and not get paid for the service I was given them. But somehow we have this idea that as a preacher we are not to work for pay and our services is free. Where did that come from anyway.
I am so bad that my Dad killed himself by working so hard at providing for his family. I love every one in our church for the most part, and they loved Dad. But they were not trained to provided the means whereby Dad serve with some income to live on.

I get angry that my Dad died at 64 years old when I was 17 years old.

I SHOULD NEVER BE WILLING TO WORK FOR A CHURCH THAT IS NOT WILLING TO PROVIDE FOR MY FAMILY.

· Charles E. Whisnant I would totally disagree with that statement some what

Charles E. Whisnant There are a group of people who believe they should get any kind of services free. Tell this statement to a medical doctor, or a college professor or basketball coach! Preaching is a profession as much as any.

Chris Harper Charles E. Whisnant check out the book "Brother's we are not Professionals"

Charles E. Whisnant " a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification". In this case you might say a pastor is then not a profession. Little pay, no prolonged training and not qualified

Chris Harper Charles E. Whisnant I would hope a Pastor as well as every believer is not striving to accumulate wealth here on Earth, but instead is striving to bring honor and glory to their Heavenly Father.

Ed Franklin Perhaps a reading of Ezekiel 34 is in order.....a reading which includes:
Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep.... “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them."

I'd say this does not bode well for the false shepherds, the "professional preachers" who view this as a "job" done for income and as a "career"--educated or not, seminarian or country bumpkin is not the determinant--The distinction is whether a man is called of God and equipped by God for the ministry of the Word, or is he just someone who decided preaching looked like a good gig, had a facility for speaking perhaps and a passing acquaintance with the church world....."hey, presto! I'm a preacher

Charles E. Whisnant Back in the 1040's and early 50's my dear old dad, was an planting a church tent evangelist. Go somewhere and set up a tent and preach for a month in the same location. Mom said he never took up an offering. She said they almost starved to death. When three children came alone, and Mom did not work, he still wanted to have tent meetings and pastor a church as well, and at time two churches. And he had a hard time asking for money. He didn't. People took advantage of my Dad for years, and he trying to provide for his family, died of three heart attacks due to pressure.

Ed Franklin Good for him! Go thou and do likewise......my income from my congregations is absolutely z.e.r.o. but God manages to provide for me and my family. I'm sure it's difficult for Him........

Ed Franklin And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. (Matthew 10)

Charles E. Whisnant Well I thought that is what I was going to do likewise. I was not interested in getting paid for what I loved to do. Good thing I was not going to be a Doctor. I never ask what I was going to get paid to be a Youth Pastor. The churches wanted me to be full time and not have another job. So when I got married and had four children, Charity said "How are we going to have a place to live and a car to drive, and food on the table." Never thought of that? Honey why don't you go to workl! That didn't work very well. I remember back in 1970 I took a position to be a youth pastor and the church paid me $50.00. Charity didn't work then. Well I had to take a part time job. But I become so under false conviction I quit the job to work full time for the church. Charity told me we are going to have our first child,. Well great I said. And a few months later the pastor wanted me to quit.

Charles E. Whisnant Well to be truthful I would never change our journey that the Lord has give us. My wife would and my children would. But today we are all doing just wonderful. God has been good.

Albert Mohler was one the key-note speakers at the 2012 Shepherd’s Conference. While there were several excellent speakers throughout the event, this message from Mohler was timely and relevant to me personally – and seemed to resonate with the two or three thousand others gathered there as well. Here is an excerpt from his introduction, full message in video below,

Let’s admit it. There’s a lot of mysteries in the christian life, but one of the greatest mysteries is why God would in His sovereign, omnipotent and omniscient, and wisdom and righteousness, and mercy choose the likes of folks as we… to do this. You might think that if we were orchestrating this, we might have angels doing the preaching. Everybody would listen to an angel, wouldn’t they? Of course,  not American angels. We domesticate little angels, we paint little pictures of cherubs and hang them in the bathroom. It’s a completely different reality. Just remember in the Gospel of Luke, the angelic hosts showed up to the shepherds and the first think they had to say is, “First of all, don’t die” – “Fear not, we bring you tidings of great joy”. Meanwhile, most Americans, in our weirdo, fake, postmodern spirituality think they’re channeling with little cherubs in the bathroom.

But God doesn’t assign angels to do the preaching. He assigned human preachers, men whom He has called because when an angel shows up to preach you don’t ask, “How did God do that?”. But, when we show up to preach you’re looking at me going (saying), “He’s just flesh and blood. He’s nearsighted. He only speaks one language. He’s gonna be hungry soon. He fell asleep during a Greek lecture, thirty something years ago and you’re letting him preach?” Well, it’s as the apostle Paul says, “It’s so that the glory would be all of God’s and not ours. So that the excellence would be His excellence that’s demonstrated and not ours.”

Admit it: you’d love to be doing this, and then admit it: That’s a good thing. And then let’s just admit it together, it’s just a priceless thing that we get to be together for these days and these hours, to preach and to hear preaching and to be encouraged, not only by each other, but by the Holy Spirit of God in this calling that has come to us.

The Preachers Message Keeps In View?

“Many preachers are tempted to identify themselves with the congregation in preaching, rather than with God. This may be the most significant reason for their feeling ill at ease in speaking to their congregation in the second person. Such preachers do not want their people to get the impression that the preacher is holier than them — for preachers know they are not . . . If a man, even for the most noble of motives, identifies himself primarily with the congregation in preaching, rather than with God, the best he will be able to do is speak as one sinner to other sinners about God. He will not be able to speak from God to them” (Wagner, Tongues Aflame, p. 74).

LET US AS PREACHERS NOT GET CAUGHT UP IN SELF

SEMINARY DAYS OF PREACHING

Wednesday of this week Bill Smith and his wife Sharon was visiting us and spoke for us. I remembered our Seminary days and found this picture of us preaching in chapel. Bill and Sharon are still in ministry, teaching and preaching in Boavista, Roraima since 1973.

A PREACHERS WIFE

A PREACHERS WIFE Charity has for the last nearly forty years submitted to the call of Christ on our lives.

Even while we were dating, if I really felt that I should attend a church, she would say, okay. I remember once saying, "Charity, I believe we need to go to Gideon Baptist Church and work with Dr. Norris. " And without question she said okay. And that was really a wonderful experience, and she and I really had a wonderful time working together on the Bus Ministry and the Children Church ministry. And in almost all churches that we have worked in, Charity and I have worked as a team.

Too often the Pastor's wife doesn't really enjoy the work of the ministry, and comes across loud and clear. Too often the Pastor's wife many think she is the co pastor, or the church might think she is the co pastor. So there is a balance in the live of the Pastor and his wife. She works along side the Pastor as his help mate, first in the home, as a wife and mother. And this is really the role of any wife and mother.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT ABOUT PREACHING

THIS IS NOT HOW TO LOOK WHEN YOU ARE TEACHING A LESSON

BUT IT WAS OCTOBER A FEW YEARS BACK

Why Are Pastors So Interested in Expositional Preaching?

Here's the answer J.I. Packer gives:

• What troubles us, I think, is a sense that the old evangelical tradition of powerful preaching--the tradition, in England, of Whitefield and Wesley and Berridge and Simeon and Haslam and Ryle--has petered out, and we do not know how to revive it. We feel that, for all our efforts, we as preachers are failing to speak adequately to men's souls. In other words, what lies behind our modern interest in expository preaching is a deep dissatisfaction with our own ministry.There is a delightful seventeenth-century tract by John Owen entitled The Character of an Old English Puritane (1646), in which we learn that such a man "esteemed that preaching best wherein was most of God, least of man."

Our own constant suspicion, I think, is that our own preaching contains too much of man and not enough of God.

• "We have an uneasy feeling that the hungry sheep who look up are not really being fed. It is not that we are not trying to break the bread of life to them; it is just that, despite ourselves, our sermons turn out dull and flat and trite and tedious and, in the event, not very nourishing. We are tempted (naturally) to soothe ourselves with the thought that the day of preaching is past, or that zealous counseling or organizing or management or fundraising makes sufficient amends for ineffectiveness in the pulpit; but then we reread 1 Corinthians 2: (NKJV)--"my speech and my preaching were... in demonstration of the Spirit and of power"--and we are made uneasy again, and the conclusion is forced upon us once more that something is missing in our ministry. This, surely, is the real reason why we evangelicals today are so fascinated by the subject of expository preaching: because we want to know how we can regain the lost authority and unction that made evangelical preaching mighty in days past to humble sinners and build up the church."

In Ryken and Wilson, Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching in Honor of R. Kent Hughes (Wheaton, IL: Crossway), p. 142.

When I read this today, I had to take a look at my preaching/teaching. I need to remember its God's power to change lives. Its all about God and Christ and the Holy Spirit, not about me. Getting cute is not cool. But my speech and my preaching needs to be in demonstration of the Spirit and power.

I am not sure why preachers today believe they need to dress down in their looks, and speech. Its not in our appearance that the power reigns but in the word of God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I really don't need to add myself into the conversation. I need to allow Christ to be the focus of the message. Really its not about me, I need to keep saying, its about Christ.

Expository Preaching, verse by verse preaching, keeps me on Christ.

Some preachers today believe if they use the harsh language of today, that there is some power in that. The power is not in our voice, or language, but in the Words of God.

Some even believe the power is in the language of the old 1611 or 1768 KJV. The power is not in the translated words, but in the power of God in the Word. The power to change lives is the work of the Holy Spirit.

There is no magic in the KJV, NKJV, NASV, ASV, or NIV, or RS, or the ESV. I don't care how simple you dress, or how simple your message is, its not its power. The effective work of the Holy Spirit in our spirit become the reason there is change in our lives.

Preaching is about Christ, His glory, His gospel, its not about me and my personality. Expositional Preaching/Teaching, helps me focus on Christ and His Word, rather than me. It is about what Christ has done in my life. If I can keep focus on Christ, I have accomplished my purpose.

WHAT IS A FUNDAMENTALIST AND BIBLICAL SEPARATION

SOME GOOD OF FUNDAMENTAL PREACHER BOYS IN 1968

A BRIEF HISTORY, AND BACKGROUND OF THE FUNDAMENTALIST MOVEMENT

1. · Fundamentalists remained united in their separatist stance against modernists until the 1940s. The term "New Evangelicals" was first used by Harold Ockenga in the late 1940's to refer to himself and a splinter group of fundamentalists. Before this time the term "Evangelical" could be applied to a fundamentalist. But within the fundamentalist movement there were those who thought ecclesiastical (church) separation was wrong. Instead of Bible Believers separating from modernist churches, they proposed a new strategy of "infiltration". The attempt was a miserable failure, for in the past 50 years almost all the churches which took on the "infiltration" approach with the modernist churches have themselves become modernist churches. Unfortunately this includes a large number of the mainline Protestant Churches like the Methodists, Presbyterians and Lutherans and Anglicans.
2. · So today, Fundamentalists not only must separate from modernist(Apostate) churches, they also must separate from former fundamentalist churches(New Evangelical) that now intermingle with Modernist churches.
3. · Another type of separation among Christian Churches is one based upon differences in interpretation and application of the Scriptures. This refers to separation that is among Bible preaching, Gospel preaching churches. The differences here are not ones in the Gospel, but ones that deal with things like church structure, baptism and prophetical view points.
4. · It is an undeniable fact that many mainline Protestant Churches which once preached the Gospel do not do so any more today because of the effects of modernism and more recently New Evangelicalism. Their churches are no more than glorified social clubs. Having said that, there are bastions of conservative, Bible believing Christians still among these churches. The Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists are just some of these groups that while larges portions of their denominations have stopped preaching the Gospel, they continue to remain faithful. It is a mistake and an error for some Baptist preachers to stand up in their pulpits and proclaim that only the Baptists now teach the true Gospel. There are still faithful remnants left in some of the other Christian denominations.
5. · These differences though among Bible believing Christian denominations, cannot be ignored. For instance, ABC Baptist Church cannot send out Missionaries with ABC Lutheran church down the street (even if they are conservative Bible believing Christians) because of differences in how we would teach church structure and Baptism as well as some other things. The scriptures tells us "Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?"(Amos 3:3)
6. · Romans 16:17(NIV)"17I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them." Paul teaches us to "Keep away" from those who teach things "contrary to the teaching you have learned.". Some have tried to say Paul is only speaking of the Gospel here. But it is much more than that, or else he would have said the Gospel as he clearly did on other occasions. He is speaking of all the doctrines he delivered. This means if someone teaches a doctrine that we do not see in scripture although they may be correct on other things we must not join in with them by doing things such as exchanging pulpits or doing cooperative evangelism.
7. · Take for instance infant baptism, this is something that we as Baptists believe is "contrary" to the teachings of the New Testament. Therefore we cannot engage in cooperative evangelistic activities with the Presbyterians or Lutherans down the street even if they are preaching the true Gospel.
   
8. THE ARTICLE ABOVE IS FROM THIS .

PHOTO: From Bible Bapist Semiary in 1968. There are some good fellows in this photo.

OLIVER B. GREENE A MAN THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION FOR CHRIST

My father really liked Dr. Greene, and we had the radio on each day to listen to him teach verse by verse the Word of God. My heart and mind was stirred to know the Word of God in such manner.

^

Oliver B. Greene1915 - 1976

"See the river of blood that ran from the slit throats of innocent animals through four thousand years of time from Eden to Calvary. See the vast multitude of weary, sin-laden souls as they went to altars of sacrifice with their offerings...But now, see Christ, the Lamb of God...and the offering in His own blood made once for all....Only Jesus could make the announcement, 'It is finished!'""From disgrace to grace" is not our title for one of America's greatly used men of God-that was Oliver Greene's own appraisal of himself. He was born on February 14, 1915 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Oliver's youthful life was that of a wastrel, living in wanton wickedness. Drinking, stealing, bootlegging, immorality-he was a veteran of all those vices. But at age twenty, God saved that wayward youth when he attended a revival meeting (solely in an attempt to date a pure country girl) and heard a sermon on "The wages of sin is death."

That night he was convinced, convicted and converted! He got a mighty good dose of salvation! Five months later God called him to preach. To prepare for this, he attended North Greenville Baptist College but was expelled in his second year because of his reluctance to cooperate with the denominational program.

Early in life it was immediately evident Oliver B. Greene was an independent Baptist. Through all of his ministry he carried the honor of being one who "could not be bought." In 1939, the 24-year-old bought a tent, and for 35 years he conducted revivals all across America, until failing health forced him to stop.

Carefully kept records reveal that over 200,000 found Christ under his ministry. Perhaps his single greatest campaign was in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where 7,000 professions of faith were registered. He held his last tent revival in Bel Air, Maryland (this tent was 100 feet by 300 feet).

Surely another genius of Greene's labors for Christ was his radio ministry, which grew from one station in 1939 to 180 stations at his death. The Gospel Hour is still heard coast to coast by his taped messages. He prepared these taped messages "to continue on the Gospel Hour hopefully until Christ comes back."

Dr. Greene was called Home to be with the Lord on July 26, 1976, but he "being dead, yet speaketh," not only by radio but by his writings. His books, pamphlets, tracts, totaling above 100 titles, are still mailed out by the thousands.

Aye, DISGRACE TO GRACE, a fitting appraisal as well as a fitting epitaph for a great man of the Gospel and the greatly used messenger of the Gospel Hour-Oliver B. Greene!

OLIVER B. GREENE, EVANGELIST, TEACHER

A office and library to die for.

Now "The Gospel Hour" headquarters is the new home for The Jay E. Adams Ministry

As a boy I grew up listening to Oliver B. Greene on radio in Roanoke Virginia. Dad had most of his books on the Bible. In 1966 I meet him at the Baptist Tabernacle in Danville, VA.

• Dr. Oliver B. Greene founded the Gospel Hour, Inc. in 1956 as a Christian outreach using radio, personal appearances, books and audio tapes. The radio program, which began on one station in Georgia, spread through syndication until it reached across the nation. At one time the program was heard on more than 150 stations. The program is currently heard on more than eighty stations in America; on Caribbean Radio Lighthouse, which carries the program throughout the Caribbean area; and worldwide by way of the internet.


• Dr. Greene began preaching as an evangelist in the early 1940's and went wherever he was invited to preach. This eventually led to his standard practice of holding revivals in churches and arenas during the winter and holding tent campaigns in the summer. His tents were quite impressive, the largest one being 300 feet long and 150 feet wide. He also travelled extensively overseas, visiting and raising money for missionaries in many different countries. He was truly a "triple threat", spreading the gospel through public speaking, the written word and the medium of radio. His personal ministry ended suddenly on July 26, 1976 when he died of an aneurism in the heart. However, through the prayers and donations of many friends the ministry has continued and reaches thousands daily throughout the world.
• The Gospel Hour check this out.
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