May we never become too big for our spiritual britches:
You might have missed the following, but I think it comes from somewhere in the book of Acts: After a long afternoon of preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to a large crowd, the Apostle Paul stayed around to meet and greet the people. As a part of this, he had a sign made which said the following:
MEET THE PASTOR
Please observe the following:
No photos with pastor
(time constraints)
No handshakes or hugs
(wellness)
Pastor is unable to receive any items at this time
Thank you for understanding
OK, if you are really sharp and especially cluey, you might have determined that this story is not completely true. No, this was not an episode from the life of Paul. But yes, this sign appears to be quite true, as found in a Christian church – likely in America.
A photo of a line of people, with this actual sign in front of them, has been making the rounds on the social media. I assume it is a real photo, although I do not know for sure where or when it was taken. But it sounds exactly like the sort of thing we would expect from all sorts of celebrity pastors and big cheeses in the Christian world in the West.
And for what it is worth, while it is always possible it is a photoshop job, I did sniff around online a bit, and found that some folks said it is from a church in Dallas, Texas. If so, it is a real worry indeed. If not, it is still quite illustrative of how some many big-name Christian leaders might regard themselves and their ministries.
I shared that meme online, and added these words to it: “I am glad I will never get to be an uppity Christian celebrity who resorts to this sort of carnality and idiocy.” I did not mean to imply that I am completely immune from becoming arrogant and vainglorious – we all have that proclivity and tendency. But I am certain I will never become such a big deal in the Christian world that I would even need to contemplate using such a sign.
Related to this, let me briefly mention a personal experience I had with a speaking engagement. I was recently asked to speak to a smallish group of people (around 35 or so) on the topic of cultural Marxism. I gave a strong critique of it, utilising a PowerPoint slide show.
It was a mixed audience, featuring Jewish, Christian and secular folks. After it was over some folks came up and thanked me. Then one gal came up and said that she basically disagreed with almost all that I had to say! So we chatted for a while about this. She shared a number of concerns.
On most matters, I explained that we seem to agree (yes, we should be concerned for the poor, we should be less greedy, we should take responsibility for things, there are religious extremists, etc). I said the differences often arise when we seek to deal with these issues, when we speak in terms of legislation, public policy, and the like. How much should the government do, and how much should we do? I told her we really agreed much more than we disagreed.
After that chat, this gal kindly offered to get me a plate of food (everyone else had long ago gone to another room to get afternoon tea). And when I was leaving, she said ‘God bless you.’ So what could have been a nasty and argumentative confrontation driving us even further apart turned out to be a chance where I could explain to her more fully where I was coming from. So hopefully we ended up leaving as friends, and not enemies.
That is but one example of the value in hanging around and speaking to folks. Having a public Q&A at the end of a talk can be quite helpful indeed, but often a one-on-one discussion can be even more beneficial. Yes, some of the more well-known and busy Christian leaders may not have the time for that sort of thing.
So in various ways just being an ordinary Christian worker without a megachurch or massive audiences can be the way to go. Ministering to a few folks, but more closely and intimately, can be of more value than speaking to thousands of people, where you can only see the speaker on one of the many large screens set up in the auditorium.
So never look down on your ministry if it seems to only impact a few. God knows your work and he will not forget the sacrifices you make for him. I know of one elderly couple who travel all around Australia, speaking in so many places to so many churches or home groups. They will post pics of this on the social media, and usually I will see just 10 or 20 people in attendance. Bless these Christian champions. They might be the only real deal Christians these small groups of people ever get to see and interact with.
Celebrity Christianity
Three more things can be said about all this. Sure, some important Christian leaders and pastors may well be too busy to sit around and chat with hundreds of folks after every sermon or conference talk. Many of them do have very busy schedules, and they do not have the freedom to just hang around and chill and chat. So I get that.
But secondly, there are indeed too many fat cat Christians who live the good life and think they are royalty to be waited on hand and foot. They expect to be treated like kings, and think that us mere peons simply exist to serve them and exalt them.
More than once I have shared this true story of one such leader who thinks he deserves only the best, and will dare not minister to those who cannot meet his lofty and highfalutin list of ludicrous demands. Here is what I said when I first shared that story:
F. Lee Grady begins with these words: “Some bigheaded preachers demand rock star treatment. If the apostle Paul were around today he might throw rocks at them. Just when I thought we had finally taken enough abuse from the egomaniac ministers in our midst, I’ve learned that some of our leaders are taking things to a new extreme. We’ve moved beyond the red carpets, limousines and entourages of the 1990s. A new strain of the celebrity virus is spreading in large segments of the church.”
He provides several examples of this. One really takes the cake: “One friend of mine in Texas recently inquired to see if a prominent preacher could speak at her conference. The minister’s assistant faxed back a list of requirements that had to be met in order to book a speaking engagement. The demands included:
-a five-figure honorarium
-a $10,000 gasoline deposit for the private plane
-a manicurist and hairstylist for the speaker
-a suite in a five-star hotel
-a luxury car from the airport to the hotel
-room-temperature Perrier”
The apostle Paul would be rolling in his grave if he heard of such foolishness. Indeed, as Grady rightly comments, “This really makes me wonder how the apostle Paul, Timothy or Priscilla managed ministering to so many people in Ephesus, Corinth and Thessalonica. How did they survive without a manicurist if they broke a nail while laying hands on the sick?” https://billmuehlenberg.com/2008/05/26/celebrities-charlatans-and-the-kingdom-of-god/
In this regard I can say this if I may: when I am asked if I will speak at a church or some conference, sometimes they will ask me what my speaking fee is. I will laugh quietly and say it is the same as the Apostle Paul’s: nada, zilch, zippo. I have no speaking fee. If I can get a bit of gas money or whatever to cover my costs I will be happy.
And it should be pointed out that not all busy church leaders are demanding to be treated like a rock star, and not all busy church leaders are too busy to be with us normal folks. As always, the church is a mixture of real deal shepherds with a servant spirit, and those who seem to think they are God’s gift to mankind – or at least to the church.
A third thing can be said. One fellow recently posted online words to the effect that if you are a pastor but you are not regularly visiting people then you might be a preacher but not a real pastor. Well, maybe so. I immediately thought of one of the great Christian leaders of last century, A. W. Tozer.
Those who know about him would know that in his pastorates what Tozer wanted and asked for was to mainly preach and teach and write. He was not really into home visitations or even shaking hands with folks at the end of a church service. But this was NOT because he was aloof, standoffish, or too haughty to hang around with mere mortals.
It was a matter of what he felt called and gifted to do. He preferred to read and study, and above all to pray and worship alone on his face before God. That is what gave him such power and authority in his ministry. And in his Chicago church he DID have an associate pastor who did all those other things, including home and hospital visits, and so on.
So some pastors at least might sense their ministry is to have more of an emphasis in one area than in another. But if he is wise, he will ensure that he has co-workers around him to do those other vital works of pastoral ministry. Tozer was like that. Yes, his ministry style may have been more the exception than the general rule, but his churches were quite willing to abide by that.
The truth is, there are all sorts of Christian leaders and pastors out there. Some really are far too full of themselves. Some are happy to be put on a pedestal. Some do not have time for the masses – for the hoi polloi. But others do. Others are people persons, and do desire to spend time with others when and where possible.
I have encountered both over the years. There have been some that you know it is not even worth trying to have a quick word with them. They seem too self-important, or they are whisked off the stage when done speaking. But there have been some important figures who when I went to hear them speak were willing to chat with me briefly.
A key lesson is this: all that we can do in our own Christian ministries is remain on our knees before God and ask him to keep us humble and teachable. We should give him permission ahead of time to deal with us when he sees too much pride or flesh creeping in. And often he will deal with that in us even if we do not first give him permission to do so!
