WHERE ARE THE PREACHERS?" By Dr. Kidd

Man Has NO Authority in the Church

Sadly, the authority in many churches today is an arrogant board of directors, a greedy pastor, a pompous pulpit committee or some other power-hungry governing body. Anytime men are in charge instead of the Word of God; you don't have a church, you have a cult.

The Bible gives us basic instructions concerning what church leadership is supposed to be like...

"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." —1st Peter 5:2-4

Here are FOUR Biblical principles on church leadership:

Pastors are to Feed the Flock. Titus 1:3 states: "But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour." It is the preaching of the Word of God that changes men's lives, brings sinners to Jesus Christ for salvation and causes a community to repent.

The average so-called "church" nowadays is a big joke, more resemblant of a Las Vegas entertainment club than a church. Rock music has no place in the church. The average churchgoer is woefully ignorant of the Scriptures because of a lazy, scoundrel pastor who preys upon the flock; rather than feeding and nurturing the flock with the Word of God. The Bible is Truth and any preaching that avoids the Truth is NOT Biblically preaching!

Tragically, most churches today are woefully lacking a genuine man of God who faithfully teaches the Word of God. This is why so many churches are merely social clubs were elderly people gather to sing a few hymns and then have coffee after the service while they gossip. A pastor can only preach what he is, and that's the big problem in America. Preachers are dime-a-dozen; but where are the men of God, who walk with God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, and having a burning insatiable desire to preach the Truth?

Pastors Must be Sincere in their Calling. No pastor should enter the ministry who is merely looking for an easier way to make a living, i.e., filthy lucre. I know a pastor who used to be a used car salesman. He decided to enter the ministry as a pastor so he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty anymore working on cars. He's a bum! He doesn't belong in the ministry. He doesn't have a pastor's heart; sadly, he pastors his church the same shifty and dishonest way that he sold used cars.

The Bible teaches that a man of God who desires to pastor should do so—not as a means to escape working a secular job, nor as a means to bilk people out of their money—but rather, from a good and honest heart that loves THE TRUTH and desires to reach people for Jesus Christ. Honestly, I think it would be a wonderful thing if 100% of all the churches in America lost their tax-exemption today. It would force pastors to become more honest. The church is not about owning millions of dollars in property and buildings. That is an organization. The church reaches beyond earthly religious kingdoms built by men.

I am not against owning property and buildings; but that is NOT what the Church is about. No pastor should live "high-on-the-hog" at the expense of his congregation. I am leery of church leaders who make frequent trips to places like the Holy Land and Hawaii at the expense of their members (most of whom could never afford such a vacation). If anyone needs a vacation, it's the poor guy stuck in a factory 48-hours a week, working with a bunch of God-hating heathens. Why should ministry leaders live so good? It's selfish.

Pastors are NOT to Lead as if They Own the Church. I once heard a pastor get angry and exclaim, "This is my church!" Well it must have been because it certainly wasn't God's. In his own self-righteous eyes he was the big honcho, the big man on campus, Mr. Big Stuff. In reality, he was a very little man with an big ego, a short fuse and a serious spiritual draught in his life. The Bible didn't matter to him, which is why he regularly critiqued my stand for the King James Bible.

Now please don't misunderstand me, I'm 100% for hellfire and damnation preaching from the pulpit. I don't have a problem with a preacher who calls sin by name, yells from the pulpit, and gets mad about evil (In fact, I have a problem with a preacher who doesn't do that). I'm all for Billy Sunday style rip-snort and hollering preaching against sin that uplifts Jesus Christ, exposes sin by name, and gets the Devil on the run. But the Final Authority of the church is God's Word and NOT what the pastor thinks or does.

Catholics have woefully perverted the Scriptures to teach that their priests have extensive powers to forgive sin, fabricate their own doctrines and even require sexual-favors from innocent children and nuns. Though not official dogma, the preponderance of over 12,000 sex-abuse claims against the Catholic Church since 1950 is irrefutable evidence of their sick abuse of priestly power. This is what happens when men take control of the church. Ministers are not supposed to take advantage of their congregation in any way.

I have a problem with is any ministry leader that directs his people away from the plain teachings of the Bible. For example: Thousands of preachers all across the U.S. and Canada idolize John MacArthur, who teaches the damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation. Consequently, the heresy of Lordship Salvation has woefully infiltrated many of America's churches because of his heretical influence. If ministers would follow the Word of God instead of John MacArthur, then they would know that salvation does not require one to forsake their sins to be saved... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

Pastors are to Lead by Example. Ministers should be Christlike examples for their congregations to follow. The pastor is to be the greatest servant of the people... "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). In most churches today, ministry leaders help themselves more than anyone else. The little bit of pocket-change that Pat Robertson gives to the poor is peanuts compared to the money they're raking in at The 700 Club. Perhaps that's why he refuses to disclose where the money's going to the Better Business Bureau... "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you... And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not" (2nd Peter 2:1,3).

I know a pastor who continually pressures his congregation to give more money, even at one point pressuring them to cash-in their children's college savings. That's just unchristian. It doesn't reflect our faith in God very well when we make money AN ISSUE. Pastors who insatiably want to build more buildings and start new projects, at the expense of placing heavy financial burdens upon his church membership is wrong. We're experiencing an economic recession in America at this time; but the average pastor is still living high-on-the-hog at the expense of his church. This is not Christian. There's nothing worse than a money-grabbing pastor. A genuine man of God won't bilk his people for money, or teach strange doctrines to lure them into giving more.