Pastoral Pitfalls

God. Please save us from these pastoral pitfalls....

The common pastoral pitfalls that are found in many of the accounts of pastoral failures were summarized in an internet article titled Red Flags (http://pureprovender.blogspot.com/). The pastor practices elitism where he comes to believe that his church is the best. It has the best and purest doctrine. In his mind his church is superior to other churches and he is also superior to other pastors. The article next mentions “milieu control” which is limiting the amount of information available to individuals. It his attempt to portray the church in the best possible light. Image is everything. There is an “in” crowd that is in the know and only they are trusted with the correct interpretation of the facts. It is interesting to note that many times this control starts with preserving the church’s pure doctrine, a trap our church body can easily fall into. As the pastor and his special “in crowd” take over the organization hey can get more and more authoritarian. It’s their way or the highway. Next comes the lure of financial power and he and his crowd lavish them selves with luxuries. One pastor had air conditioned dog houses for his pets. “How does this happen? Possibly, these once godly leaders have sacrificed much over the course of their lives while watching other Christians live luxuriant lives. When the church begins to do well, they see this as a sign that it’s “their turn now,” that they deserve some blessings because they have served so long and so hard for very little. Soon, that feeling of dessert takes over and they feel entitled to more and more” (Provender – Red Flags). Then the pastor can become convinced that his mind and God’s mind become fused. “They soon begin to see their own actions as God’s. Anyone who opposes them is opposing God. When this happens, watch out. They won’t phrase it that way. They may not even realize what they are doing. They feel they have a special place as God’s best spokesperson. Because they are so special, they have a role in rooting out imperfections among lesser Christians” (Provender – Red Flags). Down the spiral the pastor and his followers go. They become harsh and very demanding. They are constantly calling for unity as they seek to root out those who question their decisions. Finally people begin to leave in droves as they wake up to the fact that they are being abused and are following false doctrine. [BKS1] 

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 [BKS1]I think this is a repeat of something that you had earlier so I didn’t go over it again.