Day 36: Lesson 1 of 3 in Church Politics

I have been thinking quite a bit about how church politics can kill a body of believers. After a couple of days in a row I have been exposed to some stories of “church politics.” In my opinion there are three things that I would tell any pastor or pastor to be to watch out for. This blog will be in three sections spanning three days.

Today I want to hit on the topic of zealous first time visitors. When I was still a rookie in ministry I always thought it was amazing. You know…the people that come to visit and give big right away. They usually catch the pastor’s attention after the first visit and tell them how great the church is AND THEN….they say how they don’t agree with some things, “but I am not telling you how to do things.” After a few weeks of giving big they move in for the attack and ask some pretty bold things. They tell you what needs to change, etc. This is not always the case but I have seen it many times. It is sad when you have a new person visit and right away because they give big that it is a red flag. Now I am not saying this is the norm but pretty close to it.

So how do I process it? When this kind of thing happens and a person thinks because they are giving they can run the place….I have to say no. My friend who is a business owner in Waupaca told me, “You know…churches are like country clubs. People become a member and right away they think they can run the place.” I would rather say no to something off the wall than say yes and have a miserable church experience. These types of people go from church to church until they are free to have a power trip. Once the pastor says, “no” or disagrees…they leave and go to the next church. It is a vicious cycle. I would rather have these controllers out of the church and work on a tighter budget then say “yes” and wonder why I ever did that.

When I was asked to pastor the church I am at, I remember the head hancho of the Assemblies of God district for our state told me, “you have tough times ahead of you…but you are the pastor so pastor the church.” FYI….just because you are a church does not mean you have to rollover to those wanting to pull a power trip. Keep the church alive and vibrant!

Tomorrow night in my church politics series I will talk about pastoral changes.