Ministry Politics
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? James 2:1-4
During my short time in the ministry and my even shorter time in the pastorate, I continue learning about the role of politics in the ministry. When I became a pastor, I found out that I had a lot of new friends. Pastors that I have helped before did not remember me in my lesser role in the ministry, but now they are inviting me to be apart of their meetings. Evangelists that didn't give me the time of day a year ago are now my shadow. Missionaries who were former pastors that never cared to use me as a young preacher are begging for meetings now that I am a young pastor. There are few men in the ministry who are concerned about anyone who cannot give them a boost. Unless you can help a preachers offerings, crowd or ego you are wasted time.
I want to make a public cry denouncing these unholy trades. I denounce the "you scratch my back, I scratch yours" mentality. There was a time when the ministry was about helping people who could not help you. A man with a message is not enough any more. The ministry is more about the man than the message. I will not say that I will never have a "big name" in my pulpit, but it will not be for political reasons. It will be out of response to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor, I feel sorry for you, because if God ever moves you out of your pulpit, you will lose many friends who were using you. Evangelist and missionary, I am sorry for you because it is all about talent and connections. Let me be an encouragement to you not to give in to the peer pressure and the political climate of the Independent Baptist movement. Rely on God to put you where he wants you and to open doors in your life. Truly, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. If you spend your life doing what you are supposed to according to the Word of God, you will trip over the will of God at every turn. I have a small church numerically, but I know this is where God wants me. Let us reflect on our text verse from the book of James and reach out to everyone who needs a hand, and not just those who offer a hand up.