By Niyi Adebayo
If social media had been in place when Ananias and Sapphira got killed for lying to the Holy Spirit the day Apostle Peter confronted them in Acts 5, I'm sure Peter would have been called names: a cultist, a pseudo pastor swindling the innocent worshippers of their hard-earned money, a greedy pastor etc!
NO PASTOR OWNS A CHURCH. I HAVEN'T HEARD A GOOD NUMBER OF OUR CHURCH LEADERS IN NIGERIA CLAIM PERSONAL OWNERSHIP. JESUS IS THE OWNER OF THE CHURCH. HE DIED TO HAVE SOULS SAVED. THE PASTOR IS JUST THE ADMINISTRATIVE HEAD.
THAT BEING SAID, A SPIRIT-FILLED PASTOR CAN MAKE ADMINISTRATIVE MISTAKES. IT DOESN'T MAKE HIM A FAKE PASTOR. IT ONLY REVEALS OUR IMPERFECTION AS MEN IN THE VESSELS OF CLAY... The popular Moses was corrected by Jethro, a man simply introduced as a Priest of Midian (Exodus 18). That error didn't invalidate Moses' calling. Let's drive slow when we think our leaders err (in our opinion).
There can only be two sets of people in the church: The Pillars and the Caterpillars! Loyal pastoral associates and faithful members are pillars in the church. Disloyal elements are the caterpillars. By loyalty, I mean loyalty to the Lord, the vision and ideals of the denomination that you chose to worship with. I don't mean idolizing the leader of the church.
However, as Pastors and overseers, we are accountable to God and responsible for the welfare and needs of those who labour side by side with us as paid workers. More importantly, the health and growth of the church are pivotal obligations of the administrative head. This is different in some mainline denominations where the Pastor/Superintendent has a board or council to report to. They can bridle his errors and tame his actions where that becomes necessary.
Church growth in this dispensation doesn't answer to prayers alone; it requires a combination of personal integrity, tenacity and skills too. While a Pastor should be vibrant in prayers, versatile in the word, He should equally not play down training and re-training.
When you are 'fired' from your Pastoral obligations and your next port of call was social media, you didn't understand the celestial protocols of your calling in the first place. Social media is a court of public opinion. It's doing wonderfully well with social audits. I like that. It's been a great weapon in tackling some social maladies and political maladjustments.
Nevertheless, I think we should treat Divine Calls with some sort of nobility. Soon, social media friends will empathize with the Pastor and possibly get him a good job or raise him some funds. Ministry is a calling, not a career! It's done by vision not by ambition. If you feel unjustly punished by your leader, seek redress under denominational covers first. If it's not working, there are Christian bodies that have some level of ministerial oversight on the head of your denomination that we know of. Protect the dignity of your calling and the sacredness of the mission. If it's not working, go back to God who called you and ask Him what next to do. He will definitely tell you what next. Let's stop all these baby things in Christian ministry. We are called to be child-like not to be childish. I don't expect a carnal mind to understand this. It's not a denominational principle but a biblical approach to conflict resolution.
NEXT: CAN A PASTOR FIRE HIS MINISTERS FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO GROW THE CHURCH UNDER THEIR MINISTERIAL WATCH??? THAT'S A TALK FOR ANOTHER DAY. THIS POST IS MEANT TO CAUTION YOUNG UPCOMING MINISTERS LIKE ME FIRST.
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