Thursday 27 March 2014

18 signs of an Overbearing CEO-like pastor


This was my church pastor’s FB post yesterday:

This may cost me some friendships & speaking engagements. But no matter!
The church is not a commercial business for the Lead Pastor to be CEO; it's not a fashion boutique where being hip is the mission. It's not a social club for hobbyists. It's not a political party for lobbyists. It's not a disco; nor is it a playground.
The church is the people of God! Called out of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ. The church is the Bride of Christ. The church is made up of sinners who have been redeemed by the Savior!” (Pastor Pacer Tan)

I personally salute him for his honest leadership and the same  inspired me with the following write-up:-

When does a once humble pastoral servant of God in a Church become an overbearing CEO-like leader?
Here are 18 non-exhaustive signs to lookout for.

1) When nothing happens without his approval.

2) When the pastoral staff under his leadership are more eager to get on his good side than to be scripturally sound.

3) When the same pastoral staff
 rarely openly raise any objection to his ideas or opinions even when they have reservations about its long term feasibility and acceptance by the thinking section of the Church.

4) When he wants exclusive and complete control over all ministries and departmental heads and when his mind is made up, he expects full compliance and unquestioned execution.

5) When he expects full deference 
to him in respect of all short and long term projects related to the church, be it discipleship, evangelism, mission both local and abroad, marketing, church maintenance and planting, partnership with other churches, and even monthly administrative expenses.

6) When he shows explicit, if not implicit, bias in favor of programs
 that fit his own agenda, whether his agenda is still practical, effective or sound, and seeks to dismiss programs that do not fit in; and for this reason, he is not prepared to let the benefits of those subjectively-despised program be canvassed for further discussion or to see the light of day.

7) When he carries with him a certain immutable set of ideas from the time he laid the first brick towards the building of the church and these ideas have ossified into cemented masonry 
stones and he is not prepared to review them even when the time for internal church renewal urgently calls for them to be reviewed.

8) When he is opposed to any modern scientific discovery that threatens, whether openly or by implication, his pre-set thinking about biblical narratives/explanations in the same way that the Catholic Church was once opposed to the heliocentric theory during the pre-Reformation times.


9) When he views world events and developments through the narrow lens of morbid biblical eschatology and his interpretations of the apocalyptic events in the book of Revelation are purely and uncompromisingly literal rather than purposively metaphorical or adaptively allegorical.

10) When he is of the covertly held view that he is indispensable to the Church and the Church therefore cannot grow in quantity and quality without
 his leadership or guidance.

11) When he is suspicious of the rising meteoric stars of individual pastor and the growing fame of lay leaders in the Church and he views their popularity with arresting prejudice and sore vigilance.

12) When he is eagerly looking for signs and wonders in the Church to draw the crowd in and he will not hesitate to associate their apparent occurrences to his ministry or personal influence.

13) When he controls the church funds and the pastoral and administrative remuneration, including his own salary, via a contrived system of trustee-like oversight that is ultimately under his sway, and he channels the funds to finance his own pet projects and missions.

14) When his messages are largely recycled, rehashed and recursive and they revolve around the same theme and he 
hoards the pulpit ministry as a means to direct corporate attention and compliance to himself to the exclusion of other equally-worthy preachers/teachers, whether locally or abroad.

15) When he exhibits a certain obstinacy of posture towards new ideas that seek to redefine certain ministries in order to make them more relevant to the times without compromising spiritual integrity.

16) When he seethes with indignation against the rising 
popularity and growth of other Churches and goes militaristic when his own members leave his Church to join the other Churches (instead of wishing them well under an understanding ecumenical mindset).

17) When he engages in the various forms of spiritual disciplines and rituals as ordinarily expected of him only by virtue of his public office of leadership and not because he truly desires to humble himself before God, in complete submission, and he refuses/neglects to consecrate quality time to examine himself, his
 heart and his motive, for the purpose of seeking out and dealing with his personal pride, narcissistic leanings, and self-elevating ambitions.

18) When he works behind the scene to ensure longevity of his leadership in name and legacy by engineering a succession plan that favors people of his own election, preference and trust without much regards for independent merit, objective devotion and earnest commitment. Cheerz

* Image from "churchpastors.com".

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