Featured Is Pastor WRONG?

Hi All, I haven't been on here in a hundred years, but thought I'd run this by you folks.

It's sort of a two-part question involving TWO pastors.

1) One pastor made a special appointment with a Godly man to ask him NOT to ever come to his church again. There was NO reason for it, except that the man knew too much about some of the members of that church.....sort of like where the skeletons were buried. Three or four of the members complained to the pastor, I suppose, but the pastor never did tell the man why he asked him never to come back. Oh yes, the times the man was there everyone was very friendly with him. Actually, the man had been a member of that church a few years before and was on good terms, or so he though, with everyone, but knew a lot about how they had treated the previous pastor. This is the first time I had ever heard of such a thing, and the man is of good report...............except with a few, I guess.

2) So, the man never went back to that church but visited another church where he had visited previously and had a good report with the pastor and the members there. He shared what had happened with the pastor and the pastor informed him that he had never heard any negative remark about him, only positive remarks. The pastor prayed with him and counseled as best he could with him, but told him not to tell anyone else; to just let the Lord handle it. Good advice? Maybe. However, now the man now is wondering about the pastor because or that remark and because the pastor is still affiliating with the church of the offending pastor, attending missionary conferences in the church etc, etc.

So, how do we advise the Godly man about the church he is visiting and considering becoming a member of, inasmuch as he now has doubts about the pastor.

We have prayed about it, but God hasn't yet made it clear what he should do.

Pray about this and make any suggestions that would help me advise this man. I must say that it left me in a quandry about it as well. I know that I would never attend a church pastored by a man who had asked someone not to come back. Apparently, the members had threatened the pastor with leaving or withdrawing support, but the pastor never did ask to hear anything from the man he was banning from his congregation. Odd, isn't it? I don't want to advise him wrongly.

And, like we are to condemn false doctrine, shouldn't this pastor be exposed for what he is?

In His Service,
Jim

 

Ever been to Deming, NM ??

 

1) I know both sides of the story, but don't really know how they managed to get the pastor to react as he did.

2) No, not false doctrine. I was comparing exposing false doctrine to exposing faulty pastors. That is just how I feel about it and I could be wrong and would not want to advise based on my feelings alone.

 

There isn't, but I wish there was!

I know the pastor there and liked (past tense) him. It's all I can do not to expose him for what he is, but he's God's man and the work there is God's work.
It certainly has looked like God hasn't even visited that church in a number of years, so maybe it isn't His work, but I still pray for it, just in caseraying:/

 

Good question. I posted to get some feedback. I already told you that I would never attend a church pastored by such a man. What do you think about him?
Do you know any pastor that would do such a thing? Would sit under him? I know the man and I would never have thought he would handle anything in such a manner. We all err and perhaps he had a lapse in spiritual leading or got in the flesh. However, a pastor should be held to a higher standard. Does he handle God's work in such a manner as a general rule? Who knows?


In His Grip,

Jim

 

Apparently three or four did. Those are about the only ones left from the original church. It's very small.

No, he said the pastor would NOT DISCUSS ANYTHING ABOUT IT other than to ask him not to return. That didn't seem like the man at all, but who knows what a man will do to keep his job or keep his congregation, when three or four members make up the majority......especially the controlling majority.

I agree about the horse, but if he refused to get up and DIDN'T have a broken let, I'd still shoot him :laugh:. In other words, if this isn't made right, the pastor is wrong all the way.

BTW, he wrote the pastor and thanked him for allowing God to use him in his search because he was searching for God's will about a church, and when one door is closed another is will be opened. Said he enclosed a check and told him to treat himself and his wife to a nice dinner, or donate it to the missionaries. Don't think that he has ever heard from the pastor since.

He's still searching and wondering about the pastor who is still cooperating with the offending pastor. Since I have never experienced anything like this, I'm not sure how to advise, other than suggesting a lot of prayer and reading God's word. As an IFB, I know we are to be separated from a lot of folks and my judgement would be to separate from the offensive pastor, but I don't know everything.

In His Service,

Jim

 

Never heard of such a thing.

Doctrine is one thing, neither of us will compromise on. I might accept a modern Bible Version (depending on which one, but NEVER on doctrine).

Neither he nor I would compromise on that. I wouldn't even attend most non IFB churches. They are just too liberal and ecumenical.

Like I said, never heard of it.

I've almost always been in a position of leadership within the church and when we moved to NM from a young and growing IFB, I've had all sorts of calls from folks who were considering leaving because of the new pastor there. I could certainly identify with them, but most were young in the Lord. My advice was always to 1) Speak with the pastor and try to work it out. If that couldn't happen 2) leave, but leave quietly. Now those were questions never involved doctrine, rather the personality/bedside manners of the pastor. I didn't like them either, but I'm more mature, I hope .

Actually, we'd move in a second if we could sell our property. There simply isn't but one or two churches in the area I would attend (I already stated my convictions. I left a church once where I loved the pastor and the people, but the pastor just wouldn't condemn false doctrine....and he was a Baptist, although a SBC Baptist ). He may like the area more than I do. It's ok, but a church is more important and my wife isn't exactly happy here in the middle of the desert).

I know only one. No, not me. I was a conservative Baptist before there was any such thing as an IFB and it was years before I ever even heard of them. Wish it had been fifty years sooner . I believe my friend's background was pretty much the same, not sure about where. Being from Ky, and a long time ago, everyone was pretty conservative. For example the only difference in our belief system and the Methodist teaching was that they "sprinkled". As a matter of fact, John Wesley would turn over in his grave if he knew how far they had come!! I never want that to be said of any IFB church where I have any leadership position. The whole church world is sliding to the left, but soon, I hope, Jesus will return to claim His own.
Sorry, I don't know how to split up the quotes so I can reply to each point as I go, so I just did it in color. Hope it works.

 

NEW INFO ABOUT OFFENSIVE PASTOR

To day my friend got a quick, polite, note from the pastor with his check back saying it could not be accepted at this time.

So, that means one of three things and possibly two of three things:

1) My friend is an absolute Godless man who had hurt the church before he left
(I'd stake my own reputation on that being false)
2) The pastor has absolutely no discernment when it comes to his members
3) The pastor is not qualified for the job (and he had never pastored before). He either saw an opportunity or the accolades of the people of the church were overwhelming, causing him to accept the job.

So, is he BEHOLDING to the members because they gave him the job? Is his lack of discernment about the intentions of the members causing him to do irrational things?

In either case, I feel that he is unqualified to stand behind God's pulpit. I've seen "opportunity" ruin many a good man. Can't say the cause.

In His Service,

Jim