9 Warning Signs Your Pastor May Be Building His Own Kingdom

[bgwilkinson]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

What would you advise someone to do if their Pastor fit this criteria?
Leave immediately, I would assume.

 

[Reformed Guy]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

Or this...

 

[bgwilkinson]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

What would you advise someone to do if their Pastor fit this criteria?
Leave immediately, I would assume.

No. Quite the opposite, stay, dig in and raise generations of children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Teach them what the scriptures say not what some MOG says the scriptures say as he impresses his own private interpretation on the scripture text.

The problem with hundreds of people leaving a congregation over the years can be put in perspective when you realize that if they had stayed in the congregation they would have become the majority in a couple of decades. They would then have the numbers to easily make a difference, when one leaves he is effectively irrelevant to the health of the body.

These are the people who show greatest interest in the operation and edification of the body and are very likely to be older more mature christians who tend to be most faithful and the most generous givers. This was and is the case with a huge number of people that left FBCH over the years.

If all the people that left FBCH quietly were still at FBCH there would not even be any question, the thinking of the whole congregation would be vastly more healthy than at present as we try to recover from yet another scandal.

I do not believe in leaving quietly but rather staying and doing all one can to correct the errors. In our day it is so much easier, as every person can have their own outlet for getting out the facts.

When you are the majority you can easily make the changes that are necessary and scriptural.

If all the people like Mr. Minas had stayed, FBCH would have been a balanced congregation instead of a quirky temperamental locally despised and ridiculed organization.

I taught my family to stay and tough it out. Give it decades. Teach your family the same. Serve the LORD with gladness and don't obsess over the pastor and his errors. Kindly write him and point out his errors and by all means pray for him and his family daily. God Bless our dear pastor and his family.

By all means teach the Baptist distinctives and the reasons why we even have them today. If Baptists believed and practiced what they say they believed Man of God ism would dissolve and not afflict us as it does today.

Bro. Hyles used to say don't quit. As for me and my family we will not quit even though we do not always agree with the nuttyness that still exists and so thoroughly stunts the growth of so many members of the body.

 

[Reformed Guy]

OTOH, a quick looks at that guys website (or blog or whatever it is) reveals a host of some pretty serious error.


You know- examine everything carefully....

 

[bgwilkinson]

OTOH, a quick looks at that guys website (or blog or whatever it is) reveals a host of some pretty serious error.


You know- examine everything carefully....

Ah, that's the whole point.

 

[subllibrm]

OTOH, a quick looks at that guys website (or blog or whatever it is) reveals a host of some pretty serious error.


You know- examine everything carefully....

From a general human nature standpoint, those nine things (with minor variation) could also be used to describe megalomania in the local Lions or Rotary Clubs and the City Council. Even with all of his Mariology error, the Pope is still correct on abortion.

 

[prophet]

First sign...you call him "your pastor", instead of "a bishop" or "an Elder".

O what a tangled web we weave, when we ignore Scripture.

 

[bgwilkinson]

First sign...you call him "your pastor", instead of "a bishop" or "an Elder".

O what a tangled web we weave, when we ignore Scripture.

Yes you are correct. The system is a bit pervasive. After almost 50 years in the same congregation where this line of thinking is taught one must always be on guard against it. The struggle for truth never ends.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

 

[praise_yeshua]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

I don't think he's expect him to stay that way.... but change.

I will say... that think pastors usually need to change as much.... if not MORE... than their congregations.

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

I don't think he's expect him to stay that way.... but change.

I will say... that think pastors usually need to change as much.... if not MORE... than their congregations.

So those 'items' simply mean the pastor needs a little tweaking and maturity?!
That's like saying Hitler simply needed more time to mature and grow as a leader....
How long would you remain in a church where that was the 'norm'?

 

[Escapee]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

Gotta agree with you here Tarheel!

 

[FSSL]

Follow the money....

.... does the preacher own the church property?

 

[praise_yeshua]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

I don't think he's expect him to stay that way.... but change.

I will say... that think pastors usually need to change as much.... if not MORE... than their congregations.

So those 'items' simply mean the pastor needs a little tweaking and maturity?!
That's like saying Hitler simply needed more time to mature and grow as a leader....
How long would you remain in a church where that was the 'norm'?

For some... decades. People should change instead of resorting to ..... moving on and have it your way somewhere else. This is one of the reasons you pastor a church in an area with many other churches...... all claiming to be the one doing work for God.

In all honesty..... I see division.

Exactly what do you see?

 

[Tarheel Baptist]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

I don't think he's expect him to stay that way.... but change.

I will say... that think pastors usually need to change as much.... if not MORE... than their congregations.

So those 'items' simply mean the pastor needs a little tweaking and maturity?!
That's like saying Hitler simply needed more time to mature and grow as a leader....
How long would you remain in a church where that was the 'norm'?

For some... decades. People should change instead of resorting to ..... moving on and have it your way somewhere else. This is one of the reasons you pastor a church in an area with many other churches...... all claiming to be the one doing work for God.

In all honesty..... I see division.

Exactly what do you see?

Using that logic you could lead your family to join a cult.
Domineering leadership, false doctrine, psychological pressure......but give it a few decades and you never know what might happen?

Sorry, but I think that is a ludicrous  position.

 

[Walt]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

What would you advise someone to do if their Pastor fit this criteria?
Leave immediately, I would assume.

No. Quite the opposite, stay, dig in and raise generations of children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Teach them what the scriptures say not what some MOG says the scriptures say as he impresses his own private interpretation on the scripture text.

The problem with hundreds of people leaving a congregation over the years can be put in perspective when you realize that if they had stayed in the congregation they would have become the majority in a couple of decades. They would then have the numbers to easily make a difference, when one leaves he is effectively irrelevant to the health of the body.

These are the people who show greatest interest in the operation and edification of the body and are very likely to be older more mature christians who tend to be most faithful and the most generous givers. This was and is the case with a huge number of people that left FBCH over the years.

If all the people that left FBCH quietly were still at FBCH there would not even be any question, the thinking of the whole congregation would be vastly more healthy than at present as we try to recover from yet another scandal.

I do not believe in leaving quietly but rather staying and doing all one can to correct the errors. In our day it is so much easier, as every person can have their own outlet for getting out the facts.

When you are the majority you can easily make the changes that are necessary and scriptural.

If all the people like Mr. Minas had stayed, FBCH would have been a balanced congregation instead of a quirky temperamental locally despised and ridiculed organization.

I taught my family to stay and tough it out. Give it decades. Teach your family the same. Serve the LORD with gladness and don't obsess over the pastor and his errors. Kindly write him and point out his errors and by all means pray for him and his family daily. God Bless our dear pastor and his family.

By all means teach the Baptist distinctives and the reasons why we even have them today. If Baptists believed and practiced what they say they believed Man of God ism would dissolve and not afflict us as it does today.

Bro. Hyles used to say don't quit. As for me and my family we will not quit even though we do not always agree with the nuttyness that still exists and so thoroughly stunts the growth of so many members of the body.

While this may sound noble, ultimately it will destroy your family.  Are you going to point out to your family every time you think the pastor is wrong in his interpretation?  Such tactics WILL get to the notice of the pastor, and then he will preach at YOU, and you will not be in his "inner circle" (if you ever were).  What do you tell the children THEN?  They will grow up to despise all pastors as hypocrites and stay away from church entirely, or they will become ultra-critics, always on the move looking for the "perfect" church.
In my opinion, staying in such a church will ultimately destroy you and your family.


The choice of staying or going is not always easy, and part of it depends upon what your other choices are.  If the church is the ONLY one in your area, you may need to stay there or else consider moving.

Oh, quoting Bro Hyles isn't a good authority.  One day I'd like to hear someone preach a topic like "Let's Hear It For the Quitters" or something like that.  "Never quit" is absolutely ridiculous, and comes out of Bro Hyles' unscriptural leadership philosophies.

 

[Bruh]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

I don't think he's expect him to stay that way.... but change.

I will say... that think pastors usually need to change as much.... if not MORE... than their congregations.

Correct, but sadly they preach it the other way around. It's pretty much always the people's fault.

 

[Mathew Ward]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

I think before one makes the decision to move him and his family he should meet with the pastor to address those issues.

If the Preacher is approachable and having his views challenged Biblically, then that should be added to the list. Along with using guilt as a motivator.

 

[praise_yeshua]

These are some things that were very noticeable in my two former pastors.

You might want to use this test in your current congregation and if you're its leader you might want to reevaluate your own motives.


http://www.stevehackman.net/9-warning-signs-your-pastor-may-be-building-his-own-kingdom/

1) The Pastor is more vocal about taking the nations, country, or city “for Jesus” than loving individual people.
2) Family members seem to fill key church job openings.
3)  The Pastor is not enthusiastic about uniting with other churches in their geographic region.
4) Your proximity to the Pastor is directly related to your ability to further the church’s vision.
5) The Pastor positions himself as having just a little better revelation of God’s will than everyone else.
6) In the Pastor’s eyes you are viewed as either “in” or “out”.
7) There is passive or aggressive pressure by the Pastor not to associate with others who have left the church.
8) The Pastor requires you to have your understanding of God, the Bible, and “the world” be in total agreement with his.
9) The Pastor uses pulpit teachings to address conflicts that should be dealt with personally or privately.

So, if your pastor, is a megalomaniac.
If your Pastor perverts the Great commission.
The Pastor uses the church, and you as a cash cow for HIS family.
If he instills a siege mentality in the congregation, and in your family.
If he uses and abuses you, and your family.
If your Pastor perverts Scripture as to HIS position.
If your Pastor forces you to be 100% or an outcast.
If your Pastor seeks to manipulate you to see those who left the church as enemies of the faith.
If your Pastor teaches false doctrine and expects you to be in lock step with said false doctrine.
If your Pastor violates Scripture about confronting a brother.

You should stay?
And rear your children in an atmosphere of false teaching, false doctrine and a poor example of what a Pastor or spiritual leader should be?

Sorry, but I think not!

I don't think he's expect him to stay that way.... but change.

I will say... that think pastors usually need to change as much.... if not MORE... than their congregations.

So those 'items' simply mean the pastor needs a little tweaking and maturity?!
That's like saying Hitler simply needed more time to mature and grow as a leader....
How long would you remain in a church where that was the 'norm'?

For some... decades. People should change instead of resorting to ..... moving on and have it your way somewhere else. This is one of the reasons you pastor a church in an area with many other churches...... all claiming to be the one doing work for God.

In all honesty..... I see division.

Exactly what do you see?

Using that logic you could lead your family to join a cult.
Domineering leadership, false doctrine, psychological pressure......but give it a few decades and you never know what might happen?

Sorry, but I think that is a ludicrous  position.

I wasn't saying that someone should stay decades. I was saying.... that some stay decades in just such a situation. All the while.... just as much a child of God as yourself. A child of God trying to serve Him.

This is often lost on both sides of the issue and I must admit that I've lost focus of this truth at times. Its one of the reasons I don't think always about be absolutely "right". Yu can't really know what the absolute right thing to do apart from following the Spirit of God. Often times, we have to have patience. Often times we have get "stuck" where we are to get where we are going.