Good Questions

 

He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Titus 1:9

 

Is he faithful to the scripture? Does he teach sound doctrine? Does he love his neighbor?

People who complain about their pastors are not always wrong.

Pastors make mistakes. People, even Christians, like to point out mistakes. We all need to be concerned about taking our complaints to others, lest we turn our concerns into gossip.

Complaints can run the range of the color chosen for the new carpeting, to whether or not to borrow money for a building project, to how a serious matter of church discipline was handled. Sadly, they all seem to receive the same level of emotional energy.  (This should not be.)

Ultimately, it seems the pastor of the church is held responsible for every decision people disagree with. Don’t get me wrong, the work of the church should be challenged, if the leaders are not adhering to biblical standards.

The most important work of the church comes from the pulpit. The preaching is essential teaching to how the “flock” will live their lives before a Holy God. Understanding of God’s grace and mercy, our own requirements for righteous living, and even how to serve and love our neighbors, all come from the pulpit.

The Bible has specific qualifications for pastoral and elder roles. Do you know them? Check out Titus 1 (here), and 1 Timothy 3 (here). Do your Pastor and elders fit the qualifications?

There are other questions to ask:

1. Is there a high view of God taught and lived out (is God more important than any man)?
2. Is serious sin in the church exposed and disciplined biblically?
3. Does the pastor Shepherd the flock? Is he concerned for the spiritual and material needs of the people (the ones he knows about)?
4. Does he encourage the flock to obey the scriptures and apply them to every area of life?
5. How does he, and how do the elders, treat their own families?
6. Do they live out the command to love their neighbors?

Faithful preaching is not just about the words coming from the mouth of a pastor. Faithful preachers live in a way that sets an example of the words being preached. If we have pastors who preach and live according to God’s Word, then we have faithful pastors.

Being a pastor can be a thankless job, not always, but often people are quicker to criticize than they are to analyze what he has said, comparing it to what the Bible says.  Some of the things Christians want to complain about are inconsequential. Some may be pointing to a real problem.

When we answer the questions about the preaching being faithful to the scripture, we will know whether or not to proceed with any complaint. In the shadow of a preacher who isn’t faithful, the inconsequential become completely meaningless.

Real problems need to be addressed. A Pastor’s preaching is a matter of life and death.

Is he faithful to the scripture? Does he teach sound doctrine? Does he love his neighbor?

Good questions.