By blog, for some reason, seems to really get to some people. I hope they like this one from Thom Rainer
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (BP)--For years I assumed that criticisms of pastors and other church
staff was just part of leadership. Indeed, no leader to my knowledge has ever
been spared the verbal or written jabs of the critic.
So my advice
has been for the leader simply to move on -- to focus more on the vast majority
who are supportive of him than the relatively few not-so-well-intentioned
dragons. Now I'm not so sure my former advice is sound. The level and frequency
of criticisms toward pastors and other leaders has increased significantly in
the past several years.
I call this
resurgence in criticisms "the Great Distraction" because it often
causes leaders to lose focus on leading their churches in the Great Commission.
And though any rationale used to explain the increased negativity is
subjective, my observations of working with churches for over 25 years lead me
to a couple of conclusions.
First, the
standards of church membership have been low in many churches for many years.
As a consequence our churches have more and more unregenerate members. Frankly,
I would be not be surprised if some of the most vitriolic criticisms come from
those who are not Christians.
Second,
church members have been unwilling to take a stand when they see and hear
unwarranted criticism toward the pastor and other leaders. This silence is
shameful and sinful. Belligerent critics remain critics often because other
church members are fearful of rebuking them. In some ways, the silent majority
is just as wrong as the constant critics.
SOME LESSONS FROM ACTS 6
The first
seven verses of Acts 6
tell the story of complaining by a group in the early church. In this case, the
concern was warranted because a group of widows was being neglected. The Twelve
appointed seven men to take care of the widows and thus, stopped the
criticisms.
Though it may
not be the central thrust of the text, we see clearly that a divided and
critical congregation was a serious concern for early church leaders. The
ministry had to continue, and the divisiveness had to stop. We also see that
the entire congregation had a stake in this issue (verse 5, "The proposal
pleased the whole company"). There was no sinful and silent majority
unwilling to tackle this issue.
A CALL TO ACTION
At least in
principle, the solutions are simple. The standards of church membership must be
held high, and the benefits are numerous beyond just dealing with critics. We
can't expect unregenerate church members to act like Christians.
Second,
church members must be willing to confront the sinful behavior of the perpetual
and ill-intentioned critics. While no church leader should be above legitimate
criticisms, the tide has turned too far in the other direction. Criticisms are
paralyzing too many good leaders.
I am aware
of some churches that actually have a formal system in place to deal with
illegitimate critics. Some of these churches utilize an existing organization
with the church, such as the diaconate, to deal with these critics. Other
churches have an informal system because they have members with theological and
moral backbones who are willing to confront the nagging naysayers.
The Great
Distraction is a real and serious problem in our churches. It can no longer be
denied or ignored. Satan undoubtedly loves the division and loss of focus it
causes. The time has come for church members to speak up. Too much is at stake.
It is truly a sin to remain silent when it is our God-given responsibility to
confront those who ultimately would hinder the spread of the Gospel with the
poison of their words.
--30--
Thom S.
Rainer is president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist
Convention. This column first appeared at his website, ThomRainer.com.
Copyright
(c) 2011 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
901 Commerce
Street
Nashville,
TN 37203
Tel:
615.244.2355
Fax:
615.782.8736
email:
bpress@sbc.net
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (BP)--For years I assumed that criticisms of pastors and other church
staff was just part of leadership. Indeed, no leader to my knowledge has ever
been spared the verbal or written jabs of the critic.
So my advice
has been for the leader simply to move on -- to focus more on the vast majority
who are supportive of him than the relatively few not-so-well-intentioned
dragons. Now I'm not so sure my former advice is sound. The level and frequency
of criticisms toward pastors and other leaders has increased significantly in
the past several years.
I call this
resurgence in criticisms "the Great Distraction" because it often
causes leaders to lose focus on leading their churches in the Great Commission.
And though any rationale used to explain the increased negativity is
subjective, my observations of working with churches for over 25 years lead me
to a couple of conclusions.
First, the
standards of church membership have been low in many churches for many years.
As a consequence our churches have more and more unregenerate members. Frankly,
I would be not be surprised if some of the most vitriolic criticisms come from
those who are not Christians.
Second,
church members have been unwilling to take a stand when they see and hear
unwarranted criticism toward the pastor and other leaders. This silence is
shameful and sinful. Belligerent critics remain critics often because other
church members are fearful of rebuking them. In some ways, the silent majority
is just as wrong as the constant critics.
SOME LESSONS FROM ACTS 6
The first
seven verses of Acts 6
tell the story of complaining by a group in the early church. In this case, the
concern was warranted because a group of widows was being neglected. The Twelve
appointed seven men to take care of the widows and thus, stopped the
criticisms.
Though it may
not be the central thrust of the text, we see clearly that a divided and
critical congregation was a serious concern for early church leaders. The
ministry had to continue, and the divisiveness had to stop. We also see that
the entire congregation had a stake in this issue (verse 5, "The proposal
pleased the whole company"). There was no sinful and silent majority
unwilling to tackle this issue.
A CALL TO ACTION
At least in
principle, the solutions are simple. The standards of church membership must be
held high, and the benefits are numerous beyond just dealing with critics. We
can't expect unregenerate church members to act like Christians.
Second,
church members must be willing to confront the sinful behavior of the perpetual
and ill-intentioned critics. While no church leader should be above legitimate
criticisms, the tide has turned too far in the other direction. Criticisms are
paralyzing too many good leaders.
I am aware
of some churches that actually have a formal system in place to deal with
illegitimate critics. Some of these churches utilize an existing organization
with the church, such as the diaconate, to deal with these critics. Other
churches have an informal system because they have members with theological and
moral backbones who are willing to confront the nagging naysayers.
The Great
Distraction is a real and serious problem in our churches. It can no longer be
denied or ignored. Satan undoubtedly loves the division and loss of focus it
causes. The time has come for church members to speak up. Too much is at stake.
It is truly a sin to remain silent when it is our God-given responsibility to
confront those who ultimately would hinder the spread of the Gospel with the
poison of their words.
--30--
Thom S.
Rainer is president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist
Convention. This column first appeared at his website, ThomRainer.com.
Copyright
(c) 2011 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
901 Commerce
Street
Nashville,
TN 37203
Tel:
615.244.2355
Fax:
615.782.8736
email:
bpress@sbc.net
