Yesterday, I dealt harshly about the problems that I've experienced, seen, and heard in my local community with pastors performing at their churches. I truly believe in the following three things to why pastors have become domineering, have an elitist mindset, controlling, manipulative, irresponsible, prideful, and the list goes on:
- Lack of training - I know of many pastors from my past and present who just up and started churches. Although they have some type of training, nothing is formal. You weren't taught to reach a variety of people (we live in a melting pot of culture now more than any other time in history). Some of you just took a ministers' training course that only dealt with "revelatory" information but doesn't teach on how to treat people ethically and morally, the principles of the Bible than the revelation of the Bible, and how those principles can be used in everyday life. Many of of you so called pastors have never been to seminary school. Although "book knowledge" through formal training doesn't teach everything, these programs urge daily application to make things click. Too be honest, most of you pastors, especially you all running local churches don't have a license to be a pastor but expect "your ministers" to have one. Where's your license to pastor or, pastor? Many of you suck in conflict management, which is the cause of many people leaving your churches with problems unresolved. Most importantly, your lack of training (and unethical practices) will spill over into the people you are or will "train" for leadership positions. As Jesus said, "the blind will lead the blind into a ditch" and that "they'll become twice the devils in hell than you are (wow, even Jesus calls people like you the devil, think about it)."
- Wrong Intentions - Many of you pastors I've seen are just horrible. You start churches with the wrong intentions, one is to make money and get rich. Their are many "pastors/leaders" who've started churches and religious organizations just to indulge in their love of money (which is the root of all kinds of evil). For example, look at COGIC or PAW, their nothing but cash machines for leaders who hoop and holler and make the people pay tribute to them and keep them broke as well as blind to the truth. Some of you pastors start churches so you can "rule over people" and become someone's boss. Some of you like the feeling of having the power and "lordship" over another person's life. Some want to be a pastor but don't walk in the responsibilities of one. I know of one who is the "senior " pastor of a church but hasn't walked in the responsibilities for a couple of years. He comes back now and again, takes control of everything, and rants about nothing but his personal feelings instead of giving the people what they need, that is, the tools to survive in a crazy world. Heck, the man is so stuck on himself he won't check on anyone else other than his family. Some of his "brotherhood" put on a front claiming they support him but deep inside they feel abandoned. Since his "vacation" has started (word on the street, it only takes some paperwork to get him back home) he uses his poor spouse to do all the dirty work and though they won't admit it, the church is one the fast track to sinking like the Titanic. Why, because they started and currently run everything with the wrong intentions (because it's not about them, it's about them). Wrong intentions breed "un-fixable" problems that only result in "closed for business."
- Out of your league - To be honest, some of you are "called" to be a pastor. Yep, God "blessed" you to become one but that doesn't mean He wanted you to be one. Some people have said I'd be one someday but looking at the facts of my own life, I totally disagree. You guys and gals in these position have no idea what you're into. It's more than "laying out before God", long prayers, preaching, laying hands on people, pouring two bottles of oil on people's weaves, and making money to keep the lights on, you're dealing with people's lives. People are looking for answers in this thing called life, not another prayer meeting, altar call, or 3rd heaven mess that they can't apply in their lives (forgiveness, fixing their marriage, kicking a drug habit teaching is what people are looking for). Some of you are so ill equipped, it's a shame. Yep, some of you got knowledge but no love, no respect, or a care in the world for your fellow man. Don't you remember what Paul says, "knowledge puffs up but love strengthens?" So what you know a lot of scriptures, do you think that qualifies you to be a pastor? He (double) naw!!!! (sorry for the "street" linguistics). If you don't know how to love, with perfect love, your position is nothing but a fart in the wind. It stinks and makes people run away from you.
After saying all this, there has to be a solution, right? Yes indeed.
- It's not about you: Just recently, I had to confront some "hirelings" (which they won't admit to this very day) who call themselves pastors about some issues that's been going on for over a decade. Not necessarily about what they did to my family and I but what I've seen openly done to others. However, they used their favorite line to evade taking any responsibility for their immoral and unethical practices: "If I've done anything to offend you or anybody else..." (ooooooh a messsss!). Does that sound sincere? Nope. It sounds like evading (one of my degrees is in Communication, n----s can't fool me now) the situations and taking responsibility for their actions (that's what spoiled children do). Hirelings and con artists pretty up themselves in the eyes of the people and make every single event, problem, drama, and issue about them. Pastor appreciation days (when done wrong) drowns the pockets of the congregation, which puts people in a disposition of choosing to pay or not pay for their bills. Every single decision that needs to be made in every department of the church has to go through you. People can't get a "breakthrough" in life unless it comes through you. You put fear in the hearts of "your people" by telling them if they live, their in sin and will "surely die." They keep people at church from 9am to 430pm to "push in the spirit", holler to God (who ain't listening to your rubbish no way), and multiple, long, idiotic, emotional altar call sessions. Who the he (double) are you? Are you God? Did you die on the cross for the sins of the whole world, past, present, and future? Are you omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent? Are you the Vine? Are you the Lifeline to human life? Are you the Source of all life? I don't think so. The solution to your pride problem is re-realize that it's all about God and that you are easily replaceable. With the flip of His finger, you turn to dust, then he'll "raise up" a bum on the street to do a better job than you could ever do. Stop seeking celebrations from your congregations all the time, celebrate them. The people make you and the same can break you.
- There's no "I" in team: This leads me to my second point, some of you think the "show" revolves around you. Some of you like long winded prayer services to hear your own voice and want a "certain atmosphere" to be set before you can preach. You want the people do work for you but you are unwilling to work for the people. You are a dictator, a pharaoh, a hireling, and every other smack in the face you need to hear. Have you forgotten that the greatest leaders are the one of the best servants? Steve Ells, CEO of Chipotle goes around the country working with lower (functional) level employees. He's there not to teach but to actually learn and even gather new information that can better help the company become a greater dominant power in the fast food industry. At my job, our supervisors are called coaches which leads to team of people. Although we have to meet our production standards daily, coaches work with us in the trenches to get the job done to help our veterans. There are many times I see coaches looking for advice from raters and service representatives who work for them to get a situation handle. They realize they don't have all the answers. Do you see where I'm getting at? Your ministries (which really doesn't belong to you) cannot function without teamwork. Okay, you're the figurehead but you ain't nothing without the people. Don't start pipe dreams and "Godsent visions" without conferring with your team first. Set up a meeting. See where everyone is at. See what capital (money, labor, materials) you have available before you begin a venture (and make sure you close out past ventures, some of you got a lot of projects but haven't completed one). Once people start leaving your churches by the droves when "the funk hits the fan", who's going to pay for the lights, mortgage, and pipe dreams they once funded? You are and soon enough, you'll lose everything (look at the Lakers...., enough said).
- Be willing to heed to advice: Some of you pastors have become crooked, corrupted, delusional, and exclusive because you are unwilling to take advice from anyone. You want to do all the talking, you have all the answers, but you are unwilling to sit your narrow behinds down and listen. Didn't James tell us all, "be slow to speak and quick to listen?" Some of you have totally lost your humility. I have multiple times tried to talk with my former hirelings information that would've benefited them greatly and everyone else. Many others, including their former ministers and even one of their best friends tried to kick knowledge to them. Of course, we all told them things they didn't like and look where we're all at now (all 80+ of us)? Of all people, you need all the advice, experience, and wisdom you need from others, no matter what religion, social status, race, creed, culture, or sexual orientation they come from. God has given everyone on this planet a piece to our puzzle, we just have to become open to it. Wasn't Moses open to Jethro? Wasn't Darius open with Daniel? Isn't Obama open with his vast array of counselors? Isn't Vin Diesel open to his fellow coworkers? You will never amount to anything if you're unwilling to heed to advice, even if it hurts your little Pre-maddona feelings. If you are a Pre-Maddona, you need to resign from your position.
- Conflict management: Within each organization in the "secular" industry (which I believe there is no difference between secular and spiritual since they all come from the same place, note: Abraham was not a Jew but a "pagan" leaving a "pagan" nation, hello somebody), there has to be conflict management set in place. Certain people, especially all those in leadership positions require training in handling conflicts (of course not all organizations have this in place). Conflicts will occur, whether you like it or not, pastor. Despite your 55,000th heaven lifestyle, you do not live in a utopia. The world is a jungle filled with good, bad, and vicious species. This world is a world imperfect filled with imperfect people. You need training and must have skills in conflict management. Case and point, do not be the orchestrator of conflicts because in the end, the people will get on you. There are various types of conflict management you need to set in place in your churches. Mediation (many times, you don't need to be involved, stop being nosy and thinking you can fix everything) and various forms of outside intervention (if problems have gotten to the point nobody can resolve them, ask for help even if it means bringing someone who's not quote, "religious" but has the skills and experience to resolve conflicts) are conflict resolution processes that work; tried and true. If you don't these skills, it's okay, you're not God's gift to the world. There are too many people, even people in your congregation who can assist you. Church is no different from Apple, Inc., each business' design comes from the Big Man upstairs. Last point, no one should leave your church bleeding. You need to be a man/woman, stop acting like a middle school valley girl, stop with your games, stop with your lying gossip, lower your pride, and make it right with that person. You never know, that bleeding sheep may be your achilles heel in the future. They might have information that will destroy your religious profession, livelihood, and reputation for years to come. Especially if there's financial impropriety involved (which is common in religious organizations that become cultish), you might find yourself sitting before a grand jury and getting scolded by a prosecutor; following a guilty conviction with hard time.
- You need to be accountable to others: This last solution is so important. Without accountability, pastors and leaders do whatever they want, whenever they want, no one can tell them nothing. Unaccountability is the hotbed of all pride, financial impropriety, selfish deeds, robberies, manipulations, controlling methods, dictatorships, and degradation of the human soul. Recently, my wife and I talked with a counselor and he said one thing that makes sense, "Every pastor needs a pastor." So true. This reduces the likelihood (if that mentor is right in the head) of you, pastor, to bring up yourself above measure. Someone will call you, sit down with you, and jack you up with a some good ole' grown man talk. Can't none of your ministers, elders, or people protect from the lashings of wisdom. You need someone you need to answer to. Many of you local pastors say the only one you need to answer to is God and no one else. However, you want "your people" to come to you on accepting a job, starting a new ministry within your church (that is needed might I add), or take time away from church to just relax, but can't start without your approval. Hmmm, this sounds like control, doesn't it, pastor? However, you won't be doing that with a mentor regularly and routinely performing surprise inspections of your work ethics at your local church, would you? I don't think so. Not only do you need to be accountable to a mentor, you need to be accountable to the people, too. My wife and I went to a church last week and the lead pastor told everyone where the money was going. He said some other interesting things and the first thing that came to my head was that he wasn't saying all this to keep people coming to his church for their money. He told people this information because they represent the internal and external stakeholder-ships of the organization. They have a right to know where their money is going. Many businesses you see post current information on how they are performing in the consumer market. Why won't you do the same thing, pastor? I'm not saying you need to post financial information on the church website (but innovative since most religious organization don't share this information, that's an idea-f). I am saying you need to be more accountable, more open, more sincere, and more truthful to the people you say you're serving. Accountability goes both ways. When David, with his old behind, tried to fight with his soldiers against Goliath's family, they told him to go back to the castle and sit down somewhere. Guess what David did, he heeded their advice. He got chin checked and became accountability to his grunt soldiers. Guess what, pastor? You're not exempt! Plus, you need to be accountable with the government laws like Human Rights, etc. (you people love to preach against), your community you say you're serving, and to the ethics found in the Bible (that means you need to read it and let it smack you a couple of times a day to get you focused, humble, and accountable).
There's so many other things I could have pointed out but I think this is all some of you can take (haha). Well, I hope I'm helping some of you out because a lot of you need it. As I said before, it's time someone pulls your card and I'm one of those people without any reputation or status that has the liberty to do so. Please, if you do try to quote Psalms 105:15 on me, it will backfire. I'm a Williams/Overton/Royal, and history has proven, every time we've had to check pastors and they along with their members tried to retaliate in any kind of way, it backfired. Whatever heart I had left for people like you, I'm sharing you with because I don't want you to face the "greater damnation" Christ refers to in the gospels for corrupt leaders.
Til next time, Spc. Pot Stirrer.......
P.S. - I encourage you to check out the links below from people in the same position as you. Please take heed because you can be the stairs helping people go up and be successful. Or you can be the person who is a stumbling block and causing people to fall and fail.
http://blog.restoringkingdombuilders.org/tag/pastors-who-admit-theyre-wrong/
http://www.biblestudytools.com/pastor-resources/archives/9-warning-signs-of-a-pastor-losing-his-way.html
https://bangordailynews.com/2013/11/18/news/midcoast/ex-brunswick-pastor-admits-having-church-pay-income-to-his-wife-to-keep-his-disability-pay/
http://www.davidcox.com.mx/usa/our_promo/guidelines_for_discerning_a_bad_pastor.htm
http://ex-pentecostals.org/whatswrong2.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment