During appointment season, very rarely, a small and hateful group of people in a local church will start a vicious and hateful campaign against the pastor. They will make phone calls, circulate slanderous letters, repeat false information in the hope that they will get what they want - for the pastor to be moved. These kinds of individuals might talk in private to a member of a committee, but they rarely go to their pastor and share their displeasure face-to-face. These kinds of people can create such an oppressive atmosphere that it can become a consideration in whether or not the pastor should be moved to another appointment. Ive always wondered if these church dragons understand that they will be held accountable for having torn up their local church. Ive also wondered if they understand that they will be held accountable for all of the love and care that the pastor would have shared in the name of Christ if she or he had stayed. Ive also wondered if they understand that they will be held accountable for the unjustified pain and suffering they have caused their pastor, and just as importantly, the family of the pastor. To be clear, I am not throwing stones here. I know that God will continue to hold me accountable for the harm that I have done, both as a Christian and as a pastor. I know that God has forgiven me but because God loves me, God calls me to a more Christ-like life. I know how much it hurts in my heart to feel Gods disappointment in me - and to feel Gods redeeming grace at the same time. I simply wonder if these church dragons have any idea of what it is going to feel like when God holds them accountable for what they have done.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 06:08:40 +0000