Featured How does one walk away from a pastor?

Welcome to the BB,

It is hard to suggest anything based on just a few sentences that you offered.
You only need to please God in how you conduct yourself here. If no public sin is involved you are free to search out other local assemblies to see if God would have you serve somewhere else.
You do not want to harm this local assembly;

if this local work is of God...it will continue...if not God will close it down.

If it is a doctrinal issue, search for an assembly that teaches more in line with your understanding. if it is just your personal feeling about this elder and no personal sin is involved....you should leave him to God in prayer.

So you are to keep yourself pure ...and yet not accuse this man unjustly,

The best of men are men at best.....men will disappoint many times...so keep your eyes upon where Jesus might want you to grow and serve HIM.

 

You are upset with your pastor for being "sincerely traditional"?

What does that even mean?

 

Based on your post, the answer is within your post.

"I was sent to this church for a reason. That seems to have been fulfilled."

If the Holy Spirit has convicted you that you have fulfilled your calling to this church, you also should know what to say when you leave.

I believe that God is calling me to another church. ​

Nothing else needs to be said.

 

:thumbsup:

 

Well said, my friend. So often the answer is right in front of us.

 

In Acts, when certain needs, i.e. taking care of the widows, were not being met, the Elders decided to elect some Deacons to service in some areas of ministry so the Elders could teach.

Many Baptist churches are organized as follows: The Elders report to the congregation, the Pastor and other staff report to the Elders.

If your church is so organized, then you could write a letter to the Board of Elders saying you feel called to start a mid-week Bible study for new believers. Ask for permission and help, i.e. mention from the pulpit and a sign-up method. Indicate the teaching will be fully consistent with the "What we Believe" statement in the constitution of your church.

If the Elders decline your offer, then you would have a basis for leaving, and a testimony concerning a servant's heart.

 

A Board of Elders?

That would be another reason to leave.

 

Taerzik, welcome to BB.

First let me say that you should not make a move without receiving a definitive word from God.

Second, I didn't think you had really identified what the ISSUE is between you and the pastor, but your post to Iconoclast helped.

You sound relatively young and the pastor sounds like he may be set in his ways. :laugh: But this is a spiritual issue that can only be seen by way of the Holy Spirit.

There are a lot of churches, and I might even venture to say most of our churches don't look anything like the church Christ left in Acts. There is a lot of tradition but not much obedience to the word because folks have become comfortable doing what they want to do instead of what God says to do.

This can be corrected all at once if the church is spiritually mature to recognize it and the pastor calls the church to repentance. That doesn't sound like a possibility here.

A possible approach may be to try and deal with one thing at a time but you have to get the pastor onboard.

I'm also under the impression that God has not released you from this church. You're frustrated. But I imagine Moses got pretty frustrated at times too. :laugh:

Persevere and try a different approach where you're maybe not making cataclysmic changes. Until you've established yourself and the people trust you to not steer them wrong, you need to work with the pastor and not just leave or it will look like you're just bitter. And that's not the sort of reputation you want going before you or following after you.

 

You put one foot in front of the other and then repeat.

 

And don't turn your back on him.

 

THe Pastor is the leader of the church and he has his own ideas of how to implement efforts within the church. I suspect the church is meeting needs of people that are personal in nature, and that you are not aware of (nor should you be). I also suspect that many of the five items you mentioned above are being taken care to some extent, but not in the format or separate programs that you identify with.

Remember, he is the pastor, and it is not your job to run the church, or to run these programs in the church. I would suggest that you look into the existing church efforts for how these needs you see, are being met in other ways; and to see how you can help fit into and support those other existing efforts. Just because the church does not have formal programs in these five area, or does not advertize it as such, does not mean that many of these needs are not being met.

 

I took a look at where you are located.

It's a big state, so my suspicions may be 100% off the wall and wrong.

But I bet I could drive myself right to the front door of your church.

If I am right, you are in one unhealthy situation and nothing is going to change.

If I am right, you are under leadership that would usurp the place of Christ in your life.

Only took me a few weeks to beat feet, if we are talking about the same church.

 

Based on this I would immediately look for a better situation.It sounds as if you are in a fundamentalist church......and not a good one at that.

This is very sad.These are vital to the life of any church.
Some fundy churches make an idol of separation. It is important...yes, but not to the neglect of the whole of scripture.
Legalism and programs can crowd out the word of God,grieving the Holy Spirit.
What this pastor is doing is acceptable to many today so to be questioning as you are makes you out to be the "bad guy".

Contact Nodak by private message...see if he has found something more scriptural:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

Brother, you asked for advice, and, overall, IMHO (as a non-preacher/pastor but w/46+ yrs in God's family & serving in various "non-pulpit" capacities under 8 different pastors) you've been given some excellent advice.

I'd especially consider what drfuss pointed out that, in some (not all, mind you, but some) cases you may not see "everything" that is happening w/your pastor's ministry simply because some pastors may do things in a more private, behind-the-scenes way.

Not saying that IS the case in your situation, but only that it could be.

Have U done ALL of what I call "the Mt.18:15-16 thing," and have another (very spiritually mature church member or two) who share(s) your concerns about what you percieve is the "status quo state" of your church's overall ministry go privately to your pastor?

If you already have humbly considered and completed these, then IMHO you've probably done all that can be "humanly possible" to do.

If so, then (as you've indicated that you most likely will do) all you can do is leave this man in God's hands and move on to where God will lead you.

I had to do something like that some 40 years ago (when I was only about 5 years "in God's family"). It wasn't easy for me either, but, in the end, it worked out for the good for both him and me.

It may sound simplistic, but sometimes you just have to break "the tie that binds" and leave up to "Our Always-Faithful Father in Heaven."

(BTW, that's one reason for my signature verses below.)

 

I agree with ktn4eg that another conversation with your pastor is warranted. If you are unhappy to the point that you are considering leaving this church, then you owe it to your pastor to tell him, and tell him why. Do not leave him in the dark when you just down show up any more.

 

From personal experience this may not be the best thing to do. Did it once. Decided that next time I'll just leave and send them a nice letter explaining why later. The emotional abuse just wasn't worth it.