Are you wondering how to recognize a bad pastor? There are a few characteristics that you may want to look for. These traits will tell you if the pastor has a tendency towards control or arrogance, or if he tends to blindly protect his tribe.
An arrogant pastor tends to have control tendencies
If you’re the pastor of a church, you’re going to be dealing with a plethora of challenges. A few are easy to identify, while others are more complex. The good news is that you can usually manage them.
One of the best things you can do is to learn how to recognize and mitigate the effects of arrogant leadership. Here are a few things to look for.
There is one obvious metric to measure arrogance: the degree of control you exert over others. Being in control of others makes you feel secure and powerful. This can translate to good or bad depending on who you are.
Another metric to measure arrogance is whether or not you see yourself as the superstar in your organization. Do you think other members of your staff and volunteers see you as someone they can trust or just a number? You must be someone who can lead people to a common goal and not just someone who has your own agenda.
Finally, a well-rounded pastor is more than just a spiritual leader. He or she is a human being, with flaws and limitations, just like everyone else. That being said, you must be willing to forgive and forget. For example, a good way to handle a minor infraction would be to apologize and ask for forgiveness.
As you can see, an arrogant pastor can be a drag on your organization. Learn to deal with difficult individuals and develop your pastoral skills. In the end, you’ll make better disciples and grow your church in the process.
The Bible tells us that humility is the best policy. It means you must put yourself in the shoes of those you serve and treat them as you would like to be treated.
They don’t rely on the congregation
There are several common mistakes made by bad pastors. These mistakes are based on the misconception that they are above everyone else. They have a need for the spotlight and prefer to be seen as perfect. However, they don’t rely on the congregation.
Some pastors have an unhealthy tendency to look down on people who don’t have as much astute knowledge as they do. This can lead to a variety of problems in the church.
One of the biggest issues is their inability to control their emotions. In addition, they can be impatient with church conflict. While they try to hide their feelings, they often find ways to make others’ business appear like Scripture.
The biggest problem with this type of leadership is that it can cause division and abuse in the church. To be able to avoid this, the church needs to arm itself against the schemes of the devil.
One way to do this is to encourage the church to rely on the Word of God for its leadership. This means making sure that the congregation is paying its pastors a fair amount. It also means letting them focus on their ministry rather than their finances.
Another thing to keep in mind is the importance of extra-local help. These are individuals who have special skills and talents in the church. Their role is to give special status and to help with various aspects of the church.
Another way to avoid a leadership mistake is to be humble. You can’t expect others to be humble and to treat you with respect if you’re not a humble person yourself.
Finally, don’t let yourself fall into a rut of self-pity and self-protection. Instead, a good pastor should strive to be a light to those around him.
They surround themselves with a system of layers
Most pastors have plenty of fodder to choose from. The baffling choice is to whom. Thankfully, there are plenty of pillars of prudence in the closet to help the baffling choice along. Luckily, the most egregious offenders are few and far between. Having said that, the most egregious offenders may be in a bind. A re-write of the script may prove to be the only way out. After all, no one wants to be the only person in the room. The above egregious offenders need to be tamed down. Hopefully, the above egregious offenders can be identified and culled from the flock.
They doubt the Lectionary’s fit or doubt the preaching plan or just don’t know what to preach
If you are a bad pastor, doubt your Lectionary’s fit or doubt your preaching plan or just don’t know what to preach, you are not alone. Many smart Christians shy away from public discussion and hold back from Bible study because they fear being accused of being “know it all” or “overly humble.”
However, being humble does not mean you have to be insecure. In fact, it is a hallmark of healthy preaching. When your sermons are based on a foundation of solid exegesis and application, the congregation will understand how the truth of the text is being applied in your life.
Some people are motivated by conviction. Others are motivated by the knowledge of God’s word. Whatever your audience, you should consider their motivations as you prepare your sermon.
You should avoid sensationalizing passages. This is especially true if you are preparing an expositional sermon. Instead, you should focus on the main point of the text and connect it with the feelings of the hearer.
It is also important to focus on the setting of the text. The setting will influence the role of the characters in your message. A good example of this is the story of Goliath.
While you should use other people’s material, you should always make it your own. For example, you can use a practical commentary that provides illustrations and challenges your theological position.
Don’t forget to record your sermons. This is not only a great resource for future reference, but will also help you learn from other preachers’ styles and techniques.
One of the most helpful things you can do to prepare for an expositional sermon is to choose a single book of the Bible. This will allow you to focus on a topic that is not controversial and help your congregation grow.
