{"id":32393,"date":"2022-09-10T16:07:50","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/10-most-ridiculous-things-said-to-pastors\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:07:50","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:07:50","slug":"10-most-ridiculous-things-said-to-pastors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/10-most-ridiculous-things-said-to-pastors\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Most Ridiculous Things Said to Pastors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Matt Henslee<\/em><\/p>\n

Recently, a post on a Facebook group asked pastors, \u201cWhat\u2019s the most unbiblical thing someone has said to you?\u201d Sadly, within 24 hours, the post had accumulated well over 100 comments.<\/p>\n

We love the work faithful pastors do \u201cin the trenches\u201d of gospel ministry, even if it’s ignored or maligned by a knucklehead or two.<\/p>\n

Here are ten ridiculous statements people have said to pastors:<\/p>\n

1. \u201cYour church family comes before your personal family.\u201d<\/strong> Friends, while you shouldn’t sacrifice your ministry on the altar of family, don’t you dare sacrifice your family on the altar of ministry.<\/p>\n

2. \u201cJust don’t forget; you’re only the preacher. You’re here to marry, bury, and preach, but not lead or make decisions.\u201d<\/strong> Do you even Hebrews 13:17?<\/p>\n

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3. \u201cWithout committees, we\u2019re not a biblical church.\u201d<\/strong> Hey, committees are great, but a biblical church they don’t necessarily make.<\/p>\n

4. \u201cI\u2019m not talking about the Bible; I\u2019m talking about the bylaws.\u201d<\/strong> As it’s written, \u201cFor the bylaws are living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword.\u201d CSB, updated.<\/p>\n

5. \u201cQuit quoting Scripture; the Bible has no place in a business meeting.\u201d<\/strong> I got nothing.<\/p>\n

6. \u201cWe’re NOT going to go door-to-door and evangelize; that’s what we pay you to do.\u201d<\/strong> Somehow, I missed that part of the Great Commission.<\/p>\n

7. \u201cI want you to close your Bible and open your heart.\u201d<\/strong> No, no, no. Don’t do this. Jeremiah 17:9.<\/p>\n

8. \u201cI know what the Bible says, but we have to do what\u2019s right.\u201d<\/strong> Translation: “We’re wrong.”<\/p>\n

9. \u201cThe church shouldn\u2019t need to change its traditions, style, or music. If the lost world doesn\u2019t want to come to the church as it is, they can stay lost and go to hell.\u201d<\/strong> Sigh. I got nothing. That’s just bad.<\/p>\n

10. \u201cWe\u2019re already saved. We don\u2019t need to hear the gospel every time someone gets up in the pulpit.\u201d<\/strong> As John Piper wrote in When I Don’t Desire God, \u201cHearing the word of the cross … is the central strategy for sinners in the fight for joy. Nothing works without this. Here is where we start. And here is where we stay. We never outgrow the gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n

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See also  What Do Churchgoers Want to Change About Their Churches?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Oh, and here’s a bonus story:<\/p>\n

I had a pastor want to bring me on staff with a part-time salary to work with the church’s students. He asked me what the minimum salary was my wife and I could live on (at the time, she was staying home with our six-month-old child). I said we’d need about $500 a week to pay the bills and that I’d also need to seek another part time job.<\/em><\/p>\n

He asked why my wife couldn’t work, and I explained the cost of daycare would negate her pay and that she felt led to stay home. His reply? \u201cYour wife is sinning if she doesn’t get out and help pay the bills.\u201d It might go without saying, but we passed on the job.<\/em><\/p>\n

Stories like these help us know we’re not alone. I encourage you to take a moment today and call a pastor friend or two, pray for them, and build them up. If you’re reading this and aren’t a pastor, well, please don’t say any of these things. Instead, take a moment to send a note of encouragement to your pastor.<\/p>\n

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Matt Henslee<\/h2>\n

@mhenslee<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Matt and his wife Rebecca have four daughters. He is the Associational Mission Strategist for the Collin Baptist Association in Texas, and coauthor of Replanting Rural Churches<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n