By Eddie Lowen
We both know I can”t really speak for Jesus. But you have to admit””my title makes a compelling claim, and for the moment, I stand by it. If Jesus had to suffer being an employee at many churches, there would be more than one table-throwing incident credited to him.
Before you conclude I”m one of those hipster church haters, wait. I don”t hang with that crowd. People who love the church more than me are tough to find. I even loved the church during the mauve-colored pew era, but that”s a theme for another article.
Do you suspect I am carrying baggage from my own employment history in the church? You”re wise to ask, but I”ve been treated so well, I wouldn”t know what offenses to cite. I stand before you with no ax and no grinding wheel.
Only once (long ago) did it appear I might get burned by a church. But just before the point of no return, the situation improved dramatically. It was like an unrealistic movie ending: attitudes softened, apologies were offered. After being nudged to leave, I was repeatedly asked to stay!
A leader then stood before the church and celebrated my decision to remain on staff. I still choke up when I remember the scene and the church”s response. In what other work setting would such a humble and complete reversal occur? Working for a healthy church is the best gig on earth.
Another Pastor”s Shoes
Sadly, my experience is not the norm. I”ve heard from ministry colleagues who”ve been subjected to inexplicable and inexcusable things. In some cases, volunteer church leaders tolerate an “open season” mentality, failing to support the paid staff when unhealthy church members oppose them. Sometimes the culprits are leaders and their families.
Admittedly, the other side of the church employment coin also is tarnished. Since the first generation of preachers, there have been troublemaking ministers who, as Paul observed in Philippians 1:17, “preach Christ out of selfish ambition.” But bad orchards are a greater shame than bad apples. There are responsibilities that accompany sacred designations like “church” and “the body of Christ.” One of them is the responsibility to be a model employer.
Here are some reasons Jesus would decline to work at some churches.
Some Churches Are No Fun
The Gospels record that Jesus wept, but there is no mention of him smiling or laughing. What should we conclude from that observation? Here is my take: The Bible is a single volume (in size, anyway) and doesn”t exhaustively transcribe the life of Jesus. The Bible doesn”t record that Jesus bathed, or that he embraced friends and family, or that he played with friends as a child, either. But who would argue that Jesus did not do those things during his life? (See John 21:25.)
Do we really believe Jesus lived in disobedience of Old Testament instructions to “shout for joy”? We teach that Jesus was fully human, so wouldn”t his life have revealed that there is “a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)? I imagine Jesus telling jokes, teasing friends, and making everyone around him wish for more time in his presence.
Some might prefer to picture Jesus as somber because he had a serious mission and a heart that broke for lost people. But the Bible tells us Jesus was “full of joy” (Luke 10:21). When we are full of any emotion, it is obvious to others. Jesus prayed his followers would receive “the full measure” of his joy. That prayer would have lacked credibility if his life didn”t reflect joy. Sure, there”s a difference in both definition and depth between joy and fun, but I contend they overlap at important points, perhaps at many points.
If you want to lead the type of church for which Jesus would work, evaluate the level of joy around the church office. Gauge the fun quotient. Don”t be ashamed to invest resources in training leaders to enjoy one another. Don”t underestimate what the fun people are adding to your team.
Employee Dignity Is Not Valued
Jesus selected a group of disciples, then allowed them to die for his cause””which sounds similar to the employment life cycle at some churches, right? Hire them, treat them like disposable razors, blame them for the cumulative deficits they inherited, fail to celebrate their wins while magnifying their losses, send them away, and then do it all again.
An associate staff member at a distant church confided that he asked a senior staff leader for help with some unruly church members who were resisting his leadership and damaging his reputation with others. His supervisor responded that such experiences would teach the young minister to be more like Jesus. That”s an epic fail in leadership, with a side order of rationalization and overspiritualization. I don”t think Jesus would continue working in that type of leadership culture.
Of course, the big difference between what that young minister endured and the type of persecution faced by Jesus and the apostles is that the latter came from the enemies of God. There are times when speaking God”s words and advancing God”s agenda in the world become hazardous duty. However, from the time of Moses forward, God has always treated invalidation and verbal abuse from within the community of believers as serious sin. The New Testament is more than clear that hypercritical and dysfunctional people are to be confronted and disciplined, even to the point of expulsion. Obedience to this instruction can be costly in the near term, but over time, it produces a peaceful church and attracts high-quality staff.
Many Churches Covet Their Neighbor”s Pastor
This is an obvious appeal to the commandment not to covet a neighbor”s wife. But even when it was first delivered, God extended it beyond marriage to a neighbor”s house and land, even his donkey. (No, ladies, “donkey” is not code for the neighbor”s husband, but the thought may raise the fun factor at your next women”s Bible study.) Deuteronomy 5:21 opens and closes this way: “You shall not covet . . . anything that belongs to your neighbor.” God condemns coveting across the spectrum of our lives.
I believe the no-coveting command can be violated corporately, as well as individually. And I believe it can be violated by churches and factions within churches. What is covetousness? At its heart, it is discounting and nullifying what God considers a blessing, while setting your heart on what belongs to others. It is failing to celebrate blessings in order to justify dissatisfaction.
I”m not suggesting churches should never take steps to remove ineffective staff members. But over time, a church can take for granted the multiple strengths of its ministers and unfairly turn the focus on their weaknesses. Frankly, even when a church is accurate in its unflattering assessment of a pastor”s gifts, it should wonder if he is a better pastor than they are a congregation. Metaphorically, Homer Simpson is lucky to have Marge. There may be better women out there, but Homer has already married over his head and ought to count himself fortunate.
Because Staff Members Aren”t Trusted
If there is one thing Jesus desired above all else, it was for people to believe in him. Of course, the fact that he was perfect made it easier and wiser to do so. No doubt, the far from perfect condition displayed by most of us pastor types is good reason to retain accountability of some kind. Although I hope to never give my elder team reason to overtly exercise authority over me, having that authority in place deters abuse. God knew what he was doing when he structured the church.
However, there is a lot of room for most churches to gravitate toward trusting staff more. Somehow, it doesn”t occur to most churches that one reason they haven”t developed or grown further is that they repeatedly trust their own instincts over those of the pastoral staff they hire.
Most churches claim they will trust staff members more when trust is earned. I think that”s an excuse for heavy-handed control. Let”s turn it around: if you trust someone enough to hire him or her, grant some latitude. That leadership model works well throughout society, so why do we look for reasons to ignore it in the church?
Teach your church to support the decisions made by hired staff. Grant authority, not just responsibility. Restrain aggressive elders from using their God-given role to meddle and micromanage (do this by requiring eldership overrides to staff programming to be team decisions, not just individual wishes).
Even though you”ll never hire anyone you can trust as much as Jesus, you”ll never find out how trustworthy and productive some of your pastors are, if you never say, “I”ll follow you as you follow Christ.”
Eddie Lowen serves as lead minister with West Side Christian Church in Springfield, Illinois, and on Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee.
I’m just glad Jesus still works IN His church.