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Getting Things In Order About Church Leadership
Pastor Floyd's second sermon in the series "Getting Things In Order"
$6.00 — $12.00
Last Sunday we launched an in depth, expositional series from the book of Titus. The Apostle Paul had been to Crete, and while he was there many came to faith in Jesus Christ. He was authorizing Titus, that’s why he wrote him a letter, to go and to organize the new believers into churches. And that’s why he writes Titus chapter 1, verse number 5.
“This is why I left you in Crete so that you might put what remains into order.” This is the purpose statement of the book of Titus, and it is why we are calling the series “Getting Things In Order.”
The word “order” means to set straight thoroughly, literally it means that you might set right the things that are lacking. Now when he was saying set right the things that are lacking, do not interpret that as a negative statement. That was not a negative statement. Paul was just saying listen God has done a great work and now we need to get our arms around it, put leaders there, organize it, and let it launch and be the church that God wants it to be.
In our time in the Word last week in Titus 1:1 through 4, we learned about the importance of getting things in order with God. That’s where it all starts. We learned last week that when we understand God correctly, and we understand the Gospel clearly, it is then and only then that we can begin to understand ourselves completely. I want to make clear today the real key to you ever understanding who you are and what you are about in your life will only be understood in terms of God and the Gospel. You have no understanding who you are apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The text for today is Titus 1, verse 5 through verse number 9. I want to read it for us today and I’ll be reading it from the English Standard Version. “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
This Scripture teaches us about what it means to be getting things in order about church leadership, and that’s what I want to talk about today. Getting Things In Order About Church Leadership. Unquestionably it was the priority of the Apostle Paul that Titus begin to appoint elders, or church leaders. It was Paul’s conviction that the quickest way to bring order was to appoint the right kind of leaders, and organize them into churches. And it was the quickest way to begin to deal with the issues that existed now in Crete because that had not existed.
Issues like false teaching and false teachers. Issues like living for the Gospel in a worthy manner. And issues like doing good deeds in the community. Now my friends today I have prepared this message believing when I finished it it is one of the most important messages I have ever preached in my almost 25 years of serving in this church. Over the next few minutes I have a huge task that has burdened me greatly over the last couple of weeks. I have been overwhelmed with the Word of God, and overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit’s conviction upon my own life concerning the passage.
You see when one has served a church as long as I’ve served a church; the church has seen me fail miserably personally, and even publicly. I am aware today that what God has done at Cross Church is in spite of me, not because of me. If I could make decisions today that I made years ago, and if I could go back and remake those decisions, many of them I would have not have made knowing what I know today. But you know what? I’m talking about decisions personal, personal decisions. I’m talking about decisions about our church and the way I’ve led the church, and what I’ve led the church to do. And some of those decisions, they were wrong decisions. And I know that now. Or perhaps at times they were right the decisions but perhaps I did not articulate them and communicate them in the right spirit, and in the right way.
Well please know today that I am well aware of where I am and of my need. And I want to ask you today as a church forgive me. I mean that. Forgive me. Because I want you to understand that while I know that after 25 years of ministering in the same place whether it be me or someone else, or any leader that served any people for 25 years, he could easily say what I just said. That there are needs, I know that I’ve not always done it right, and I need forgiveness. I know that! But today I humbly ask that of you, and I mean it with all of my heart because I do want to be everything God wants me to be. I want to be the man God wants me to be. I want to be the pastor that God wants me to be.
I walk on delicate ground today. Whatever I say, however it is said, it will be parsed and analyzed thoroughly. However, this is really no different than any other Sunday in that regard, but because of the subject at hand it is what it is, and it may exist more. Sadly, leadership in America today, boy it is tough. It is tough leading in this country! It is tougher than I have ever seen it before in my life. Our own President recently finally made a courageous decision to take on Osama Bin Laden. And even now that the victory is subsiding in the nation, he is under the critical evaluation of the masses of the people.
You see, it doesn’t matter whether you serve in government, or whether you serve as a leader in corporate America, or whether you serve as a leader for the next generation as a teacher, or as a coach. I am convinced that the idol of personal opinion, and I want you to hear what I just said, the idol of personal opinion, which is now made publicly so easily, I’m convinced it is absolutely eroding our nation. In this ruthless environment, and I’m telling you it is a ruthless environment in this nation, even I have to lead.
But whatever it is worth it today, I want to remind you of a few things. I want to remind you today that we are a Gospel church, not a governmental agency. We are Gospel church, we’re not corporate America. We are Gospel church ruled by the Word of God, not by the latest public opinion poll. And we are Gospel church and a church that should be different in every way.
You know, can I just talk to you today? I mean one day you know what? I’m going to die. One day I’m going to die suddenly, or one day I’m going to be killed, hopefully accidentally, or one day God may lead me to serve another ministry, or one day I may walk away from this church into a new era of life. Our church needs to be prepared for that day. And biblical preparation is the highest preparation for that day because one day the church will call a new spiritual leader here, and you need to know what the Bible says. And it’s not about personal preference, or you know Ronnie was this, and we sure don’t want that. We had that all those years so we’re going to go way over here. It’s not about any of that personal preference stuff, that is also shallow, but it’s about what the Bible says, and what the Bible says the kind of leader that needs to serve the church.
Now I want you to keep everything I said in mind this far because I want to begin today by giving to you:
1. Three interchangeable words about church leaders that our used in the Scripture. Three biblical words about church leaders that are used interchangeably in the Scripture. The first word is:
(1) Elders. It is found in the 5th verse. He was telling him Titus bring order and appoint elders. Remember what I said a moment ago? He believed that the quickest way to deal with the issues was to appoint elders to the church.
The word elders here in the Greek language is the word “presbuteros,” and it is referring to mature spiritual leaders. That’s what the word means if you were looking at a Greek New Testament. He has told him to ordain, to appoint, to set apart presbuteros, mature spiritual leaders.
I personally like seeing that a little bit more when it says maturing spiritual leaders because the most dangerous thing in the world in the church is someone who imagines themselves to already be quote “mature.” That’s a sign of high immaturity. Number two is the word:
(2) Overseer or bishop. What’s really interesting in the, in the Bible is that in verse 5 he uses the presbuteros. Here he uses in verse 7 the word “episkopos,” in the Greek language, which is a word that is referring to the pastor or the overseer, or the bishop, or the elder who is exercising oversight and leadership and management of the church. You cannot escape that. I mean that’s what the word means, and Paul was telling uh Titus you’ve got to appoint men who, who exercise some leadership. They are responsible. They, they have to exercise management over the church. And they have to oversee the church.
Now you’ve got to get this, this, these two words along with the other word that I’m about to give you are all referring to the same office. Are you with me church? It’s not talking about three different offices; it’s talking about one office. What we would call the Office of the Pastor. While the first two words are used here in Titus, the other word regarding it is used over in the 4th chapter of the book of Ephesians, and it is the word:
(3) Pastor or shepherd. We read in Ephesians 4 the following words. Listen carefully. “And he gave the apostle, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (or pastors),” depending on the translations, “and teachers.” Most translations use pastor, and really in reality that’s what I believe it should be. But the pastor is to be a shepherd.
The Greek word here for that word pastor/shepherd is the word “poimen” in the Greek language, which means and refers to caring for, or protecting, or leading, and leading the church. Not an/or, but an and. So here you are God is using and God is giving us in the Scripture, in the New Testament three terms all referring to the same office. He’s given us the term “presbuteros,” He’s given us the term “episkopos,” and He gives us the term “poimen.” Now, now if that was the English language let me tell you what it would be. He would, He would just say hey now I want you to be a pastor. This is, we’re talking about the pastor, but the Greek language is so much more descriptive, and if you don’t get into understanding the Scripture, you rob the text of its meaning. And you misinterpret something that should never be misinterpreted.
For example, when you look at Acts 20, which I don’t want you to look at now, but sometime look at, you will a section of verses there, remember when Paul was telling the church at Ephesus goodbye? He was really telling them I’m about to go, and I know where I’m going and I’m probably going to die, but you guys have meant so much to my life. It’s one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I guess you have to be a pastor to really appreciate that story because here he has, he’s invested his life in those people, and I mean they, they all weep, I mean there’s just great travail that goes on. And they know they’re never going to see his face again, but in that passage, he uses three words, all three of those words referring to one office. Therefore, the biblical responsibility of the pastor or elder or overseer, depending on what you want to call him, here it is! This is the biblical responsibility; this is not drawn up by some personnel committee. This is what the Bible says: He has been charged to be a maturing spiritual leader that exercises oversight, leadership, and management of the church, as well as to care for and protect the church.
All of that comprised in that definition. If you want to break it down: maturing spiritual leader. Do you want to break it down further? A man who is exercising oversight, leadership and management of the church. He’s responsible. He has been called to do that! Not anybody else has been called to do that. As well as to care for and protect the church. Now that is a job description that is absolutely very challenging to fulfill. As churches have grown in size throughout the history of the church, the pastor calls fellow pastors to serve alongside of him, to ensure this office is carried out fully. These pastors serve as an extension of the lead pastor, and they are there to serve at the will and by their giftedness they have.
There is no way in the world a church our size would ever be able for me to fulfill this office, therefore, the church has charged me with the responsibility to call a team of pastors, or elders, or overseers, to ensure that we fulfill the leadership and the responsibility given to me in Scripture to do so. Now much is made in 21st Century church world about how the pastor, the church should be either pastor led, or elder led, and when it’s referring to elder led, usually it’s referring to a group of elders, multiply elders, more than one elder leading the church.
Arguments could be made either way biblically and historically, but let me tell you where you come down with it when you study it all. Variation has occurred since the early days of the church. Therefore, there is no authoritative pattern, and the bottom line is this: that God wants His church to have everything done decently and in order. The Bible does not command single elder rule, nor does the Bible command multiple elder rule. Now we are a Baptist church, Baptist churches have operated for years believing that single elder rule is right, and that’s what we’ve done historically even though there are Baptist churches that would do multiple elder rule.
Without any question though folks, when you look at the Bible, the Bible clearly points out that God raises men up for a season and for a time to lead his people. That cannot be denied. Dr. Adrian Rogers who mentored me from a long distance, pastor in Memphis, he said it this way: he would say these words and I laugh every time I think about this because I’ve heard him say it pretty well every year. I’ve heard him say it at least once. “Anything without a head is dead, and anything with more than one head is a freak.”
Now when you understand that, what he just said is he was saying that he really believes in single elder rule. That’s what he really believed, and that’s what he practiced, and it’s very important we understand the importance of leader. Personally, I could, I could serve a church, I really believe I could serve a church with a plurality of leaders, or a plurality of elders. In fact, in reality, that’s what we have here. If you really want to break it down, I call people here who are called to ministry and they are pastors, and I call them to fulfill their God calling beside me because I’m accountable to the church that none of those things are forsaken.
I could also serve a church that has co-pastors. I don’t really think I’d have a problem with that. I really don’t. I think I could flow in and out of that, understanding all that, and who knows one day we may do that.
Um, I also believe I could serve as the single elder. I did it for years. I did it for years. Listen to me very carefully, no one works harder than a single elder pastor in some of our smaller churches in the country, and you need to applaud them, and you need to give God the glory for them, because I’m telling you that, that, that’s the guys. It’s all on them. It’s all on them.
Now, with that said, I agree with other theologians that it appears that the emphasis of the New Testament, and even in the passage today it is much more on who can serve as an elder, overseer, or pastor more than how many should serve. Therefore, this is why Paul discovers, and Paul relates to us in great detail the qualifications of these elders, or these pastors, or these overseers. And again, all are interchangeable terms referring to the Office of the Pastor. Therefore, there are
2. Four distinctives in the life of a church leader that I want to talk about with you with the rest of my time. Now before I go down on these for a moment, I want to admonish you and encourage you not to develop a checklist as I go through about me or any of our pastors. Well he’s good at this. He ain’t worth a flip at that. You know, please understand that we know that this should be aspiration, while accountability should exist; I want to let you know accountability does exist. And the accountability ultimately is that these pastors need to be distinctive from their people. You say what do you mean by that?
Well the word distinctive is chosen very intentionally because that’s what Paul is telling Titus. They’ve got to be different. They have to be recognizably different, is what the word distinctive really means. You know there’s a lot made in the 21st Century church world about how leaders need to be just like the people they serve. Therefore, it should not be a big deal if a pastor wants to go out and drink alcohol because then he can identify with more of his people. Or it should be no big deal for him if he’s in some event and all of a sudden he starts cursing. Since his people curse, he can identify with them even better. Or if he even would become divorced because you know we’re all under grace anyway, and he could really identify with half of his church if he were divorced because probably half, or almost half or a little bit more than half have already been through a divorce, and what does it really matter anyway because we’re under grace anyway? Therefore, you know, he ought to look like us, and he ought to be like us.
There’s a real problem the New Testament would have with that mentality because everywhere in the New Testament it talks about church leaders. It talks about them being distinctive, recognizably different. It was not like he was giving to Titus the prerogative. Titus now listen, you guys and gals get in a room, y’all vote on it, y’all decide who’s going to lead, no big deal what the past is, what the present is. No really hey man y’all just go and decide what’s best and go! No! He told them exactly what to look for, what they need to be, and how they need to be recognizably different from the rest of the people.
Therefore there are four distinctives given: Distinctive number 1:
(1) He needs to be distinctive in his family life. Distinctive in his family life. Verse 6 talks about that distinctiveness in his family life. The Bible here uses a phrase that uses a later verse called being above reproach. Look at verse 6. “If anyone is above reproach,” this is not refer to being sinless by the way, but it means that the pastor should be above public scandal, or any indictment that should ever forfeit his leadership. He is to be called to be a man of high integrity, high character, and high morality. That leader should be worthy of imitation.
It is mentioned in verse 7 again when Paul is talking to Titus. He also mentions it in Paul’s letter to Timothy. Mentioning the family with this distinctive quality of integrity shows again that this pastor, this leader needs to have all church leaders need to have whatever qualifies themselves as pastors, they need to have a distinctiveness in their family life.
He should be the husband of one wife, that’s what the Scripture says. This means that the, that the pastor should be a one-woman man. That’s what it literally means. A one-woman man. What does that mean? Committing himself to purity inwardly and outwardly with his wife. He’s not only committed to his wife publicly and outwardly, but he’s committed to his wife privately and inwardly. Are you with me? This passage would not disqualify a single man from serving as a pastor, however, it would disqualify, could disqualify a divorced man, especially for the role as the lead pastor.
And also, this one phrase even speaks to women in ministry. I believe women have a place in ministry, I really do, we have them serving on our staff team, but this verse does not give any permission at all for the woman to ever be the leader of the church. Therefore, our church will never license, we will never ordain a woman for ministry. You say well golly pastor, that, you wouldn’t even be open to that? Our church under my leadership will never ordain or license a woman to ministry. This is not about being culturally relevant anymore than it’s about being politically correct. It is about biblical fidelity. That’s what it’s about.
The Bible says his children will be believers. That means that they need to be true Christ followers that have been changed by the Gospel, listen carefully, and are living by the Gospel. And then he talks about how they do not need to be his children do not need to be open to a charge of debauchery or insubordination. What does that mean? This means that the children of a pastor that are living at home do not need to be rebellious or living wildly, but they need to be submissive, and they need to be obedient to their father or else, here’s what the Bible says, he could be forfeiting or disqualifying himself from serving as the pastor or the elder or the overseer. You say boy that’s a pretty tight qualification there Pastor Floyd. I’m very aware of that, that’s why I’ve told you God expects us to be recognizably different.
You see a Pastor who cannot control his own home, how in the world can he control the church of God? The Bible says over in the book of 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 5, it says, “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” You see the standard is set high but let me make it real clear today, it is only by the grace of God, only by the grace of God, that the pastor and his family can receive favor in these areas to where they are recognizably different in marriage and family living. Distinctive in his family life.
He also is to be:
(2) Distinctive in his leadership style. Verse number 7 speaks to the leadership style. He uses the word overseer, for the overseer, remember the, the uh, the adjustment that comes from elder to what? Overseer? Same word, same office, uh, different word, same office, but he is God’s steward, the Scripture says. The overseer is to exercise leadership, and oversight, and management of the church, but he is there, listen to what the Scripture says, he is there as God’s steward. It’s really clear in verse 7. But you have to understand in the New Testament what a steward is. A steward does not own anything, but the steward has been given to manage what God has entrusted to him. Therefore, the church is God’s. The church doesn’t belong to the pastor. Are you with me? Yet, the pastor is called of God, and he is placed of God to serve and to lead the church. That’s why he spoke to his leadership style.
Listen to what it says about his leadership style. He must not be arrogant. The word arrogant here means he should not be so obstinate in his own opinion, or so driven by his own self will that he will not be led by God. That would be arrogance. Or quick-tempered, meaning that he would demonstrate quick anger towards the church in a habitual manner. Nor does he need to be a drunkard, the Spirit says, meaning what? Giving to drink, or any other substance that would erase from him the possibility of having self-control in his life. Nor should he be violent. You say you mean there are pastors that could be violent? What does that word violent mean? One who loves to fight with others. Let me tell you something, I know some pastors they just like a good fight. That’s why they leave and go to this church and that church, this church, that church. They love to fight! You know? But we don’t need to be people who love to fight.
Nor do we need to be people who are greedy for gain. This is a very interesting phrase, and I studied this phrase very diligently this week. This phrase greedy for gain means that the pastor and the pastors should not make money in a dishonest way. In other words they do not need to pursue financial gain in a dishonest way! This is why years and years ago when our church began to emerge in the early 90’s I went to our team, our financial group of men who oversee that. I told them, I said listen we need to start doing extreme detailed audits every year. We’re under scrutiny. The church is always under scrutiny. We’re the big fish in a small pond, and boy I tell you we’ve got to be clean, we’ve got to be squeaky clean in every way. Those men embraced that all these years; I mean 15, probably close to 20 years now. Every year we do a very detailed, high costly audit of the books of this church, everything this church does. And we’re clean. You try to hand me money in the lobby, don’t hand it to me, you find another pastor. I guarantee you I’ll say you’ll find. I don’t want to handle anybody’s money. I stay away from all that. I don’t want to be any part of it because of why? Because I want to be above reproach in those matters.
A pastor has to lead God’s church because it is God’s church, and he must lead by the Word of God, empowered by the Spirit of God, in order to lead the people of God to do the work of God, and he cannot let his own personal sins rule the church, or discredit his leadership. That’s why he spoke to being distinctive in his leadership style.
Also the Scripture calls us to be:
(3) Distinctive in his personal behavior. While verse 7 tells us what not to be, verse 8 transitions us in a highly contrasted way to share what the pastor should be. He should be hospitable. Do you know what the word hospitable means? A lover of strangers. He is able to talk to strangers. Do you know what? The Scripture talks to even Christians about being hospitable. Do you know why? Because we need to be able to entertain strangers because you never know Hebrews says we may be entertaining what? Angels unaware.
We need to be a lover of good, a lover of all that is good, a devotion that is best. The pastor should have a good heart, and should surround himself with good things, and good people. He needs to be self-controlled. A control over oneself, one that is mastering his own impulses, the Scripture says. A sensible man who is willing to die to his own will to follow the will of God. He needs to be an upright man, the Bible says. That word upright means he needs to have pure integrity through and through in his heart. He’s not a liar. He does not; he does not purge the truth. He does not, he doesn’t shade here, shade there, no, no it’s truth! And he needs to practice what he preaches, and he needs to be just before the people.
He needs to be disciplined the Scripture says. That means that he is keeping his mind and his body under God’s control. He is keeping his leadership under God’s control. He is keeping his tongue under God’s control. He is taming himself. He is disciplining his time and his desires to honor God. Here’s what it’s saying in another way. The pastor’s got a lot to do, and notice what I said a moment ago; those three terms together mean that’s a lot to do if you take it seriously! And what Paul was telling Titus these people have got to be disciplined people because the work has to demand them to be disciplined, or they’ll disqualify themselves from leading.
So pastors should strive to be all that verse 8 is, and instructs us to be. Do you know it’s difficult to lead if those kinds of characteristics are not emerging from the heart and the life of a pastor? That’s why we need to pursue them intently, and passionately. Therefore the pastor or elder, or overseer, or church leader needs to be recognizably different in his family life, in his leadership style, in his personal behavior, but also he needs to be recognizably different and:
(4) Distinctive in his biblical comprehension, his biblical communication, and his biblical conviction. Verse 9 talks about that biblical comprehension, biblical communication, and biblical conviction. Show it to me Pastor Floyd. Look at the Word of God. He must hold firmly, firm to the trustworthy Word, listen to this, as taught. In other words He can’t teach what he does not know. The pastor must hold on to the faithful, trustworthy Word that he has been taught, and teach. Yet, he will only hold on to the level that he has been taught, and that he comprehends, that he understands.
Now church I want you to listen. We do not need to underestimate the need for the pastor to have a great comprehension of the Bible. We cannot let this be diminished in our day. I am convinced that as Senior Pastor, or a lead pastor, needs to be all he can be, be taught as much as he can be taught, and be trained in the Word of God. DO you know what? I said this earlier, a few months ago, you know, I have, I have really gotten in to listening to pod casts, and do you know what I listen to? I don’t listen to music, even though every now and then I do, but it’s rare, I listen to messages, sermons, I listened to two this morning while I was out running. Why? I’ll tell you why, because I need to be fed! And I listen to 4, or 5, or 6 a week because I need to be taught the Word of God! Are you understanding? Are you with me?
So anyway, I tell a minister who says to me I want to be a lead pastor. I tell him you want to be a lead pastor? You go and you want to serve as that, you get your education, you get every bit of your education, and you go as far as your intellect is helping you to go. You say well my pastor years ago didn’t have that. Hey I don’t think I had a pastor growing up that hardly had any education. That’s not the issue. That was a bivocational church. We’re talking about a different kind of church here. But I’m telling you today’s world is different than it was 30 years ago, 40 years ago, 50 years ago because of the web every one of us can be wiser in the things of God.
I’ll never forget what a prof told me years ago. This is why I’m so convicted that pastors need to do this. He said the sharper the ax, the bigger the blow. The sharper the ax, the bigger the blow. The pastor needs to be sharp, sharp, sharp, and his, and his, and his power to make a difference will be increased greatly. Why? So that he may be able to give instructions in sound doctrine.
Notice what the Bible says here. The pastor has to be able to communicate the Bible. He’s got to be able to articulate healthy doctrine, sound doctrine that will disciple the church, and equip the church in the highest manner. The pastor must be able to communicate the Word of God effectively, or else he forsakes his highest calling! Why is this important? Because the pastor must understand that he governs the church by the Word of God. Nothing else or no one else has a responsibility to lead the church but the pastor needs to lead it by the Word of God. Therefore, we cannot diminish the pastor’s comprehension, his communication, of his biblical conviction of it! We don’t need to dumb it down! We’re talking about a high calling that needs to be taken very, very, very seriously.
Therefore he needs to be able to communicate the Word of God effectively, but also accurately. And also able to rebuke those who contradict it the Scripture says. The pastor has to be able to speak against, to object to, and oppose any false teaching, any false doctrine, or any false teacher. He must have biblically grounded convictions that he can articulate not only with passion, but also with great confidence because otherwise he embarrasses the church.
Do you know what? WE live in a weird day in church life. Today all over the church of America people are saying, I’ve had it said to me in our church, “well you know pastor Floyd we don’t need doctrine. We don’t need doctrine in the church. I mean we just need to love everybody. We just need to kind of come together and have a little sloppy agape, and everything’s going to be fine.” Let me tell you about that statement when somebody uses that statement. And the nicest thing I can say about it is the following: if somebody ever says that statement to you, they are revealing the height of spiritual immaturity, and the height of biblical ignorance.
The church must be able to articulate not only the Gospel, but the great doctrines of the faith. I must be clear because it is highly significant and cannot be underestimated or minimized, he must be able to comprehend the Bible, communicate the Bible, and with great conviction stand against anything that the Bible does not teach. This is why Paul told Timothy the following words in 2 Timothy chapter number 4, verse 3 and 4, “For the time is coming,” I believe that time is now, “when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and they will turn immediately to myths, they will wander into myths.”
Junk. Crud. Spit, if you may. You know in our day church shopping and church hoping occurs in an unprecedented way. I’m absolutely astounded by it. People do leave churches for various reasons, and they do leave churches through various seasons, but nothing breaks the heart of a pastor anymore than when he knows that he’s lost a family in this church. While that happens, you know, I’ve just got to be clear about something today because I think the church needs to hear the clarity. As long as I serve as the lead pastor, and only God knows when that stops, I don’t know, but as long as I serve as the lead pastor, here’s what you can count on: I will be faithful to always preach the Word just like it is written. I will do so in love, and I will never back off from it. I will hold up its truth in spite of the cost that it may be to me personally.
You know here’s what I’ve found through the years of being a pastor, people who love the Word want the Word! People who do not, they don’t want it. Some people just don’t want to be called up in their faith, called up in their commitment. Therefore they rationalize or you know bow to the personal issues that they are facing. People will do everything they can to escape the Word of God. They will do everything they can to excuse the Word of God. They will do everything they can even in many churches in our nation expel the leader who preaches it accurately, literally, and completely. That’s an indictment on the American church.
In closing the Bible tells us these words in Hebrews 13, verse 7. It says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the Word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate its truth.” That’s what it says. That’s a very important text because the Scripture here is calling God’s people to remember their own spiritual leaders. Those people who have deposited the Word of God in their life. Now why is this important? Because he has just taken all of their attention in chapter 11 to the great heroes of the faith, and he said listen guys you are, you are hollowing them, you are making them special, but just as special are the leaders that are now serving you in this generation.
And what he was telling them is that you need to be all over it. They are teaching you the Word. They are putting their lives into you. And they are portraying to you a faith that is hopefully worthy of you pursuing. Hebrews 13, verse 17 goes on to a different level. It says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are,” what? “…keeping watch over your souls,” remember what those three words were? The pastor is there to protect the church, to nourish the people, to shepherd the people of God in the Word of God, “…as those who give an account.” The pastor has to give an account. “Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage for you.”
This is kind of a, it’s a very convicting, powerful verse, compelling. But it’s also got a little element of humor for me because pastors serve as God-called and God-placed leaders. They will give an account of their service and stewardship before Jesus one day, just as you do as a layperson, you will stand and give an account to God for your stewardship one day. What you do with what you have, and what God’s entrusted to you. You will answer one day for it. Listen, not only will I answer for myself, I’ll answer for all of you. That’s right. I’ll answer for the church. That’s what it says. He will give an account. And pastors will answer to God for the church! And God is saying this: listen to this, God is saying get behind all the pastors and their calling because they are investing in your souls! Help them to fulfill their calling to your church without groaning or murmuring, or griping! Encourage them to lead with joy and satisfaction because if they’re not leading with joy and satisfaction, listen to what he says, there’s not going to be any advantage to you whatsoever at all. That’s really a truthful statement.
I think back through the years, months, weeks when I’ve had to crawl into this pulpit. Crawl. There are pastors here that have been pastors before. You know what I’m saying. You crawled there. You didn’t walk, you crawled. You were dying; you were struggling because of God’s people and their response to various matters. And you had to gird up your loins to impart the truth of God. That’s what he was saying. There’s no advantage when the pastor has to lead like that. None at all. It doesn’t help the church at all, but he puts it back on the church there, not on the pastor.
So from the heart here’s what I want to close with today. What I’m about to say don’t think has anything to do with me. All right? I’m not doing this for me; I’m doing it for you. I’m doing this for what I’m about to do for the pastors who serve alongside of me. And one day you’re new pastor whenever God would so call him. Because I want to tell you what everything I said leads to today, are you ready? This is on you.
Pray for those pastors by name daily. Pray for them by name daily. Ask God, get those four distinctives, ask God in your prayer time make that pastor recognizably different in these areas. You know what I found in my personal life, and I think you’ll find it also? The people that you pray for, you won’t have a bad attitude toward, and you won’t criticize. It won’t, it won’t last long because you know you’re not getting through to heaven. That’s why the Lord’s Prayer tells you you go with a spirit of forgiveness because that’s the way God does with you. He forgives you. And you forgive those who may have sinned against you. Pray for them by name daily.
Encourage our pastors regularly. We have several. Encourage them. Listen folks I know they’re not perfect. This is not about perfection. And I know they can do better at times than maybe they do at times. But be honest with them. If you believe they can do better, and you are concerned about an area, then in humility you come and you sit down with them. You don’t deal with them in the lobby of a church; you come and you sit down with them. Ladies if it’s you, you bring your husband. Don’t be outside of the authority of your husband. You bring your husband into that pastor’s office, and you talk to him in love.
I want to challenge you today to understand it doesn’t matter who it is, the longer a pastor serves anywhere, any one of these pastors, the more their taken for granted. Regular encouragement will keep that heart fresh and pure. And you know what I’m, what I’m really want us to get today? You know when we think about encouraging pastors, you know, most of us we don’t look at it like that. We look at it like well you know they’re here to help me, here to serve me, here to do what I need to do. And they are. I mean you know within biblical standards, I might add. But, but you know what? These guys go through personal issues. They deal with personal things. I mean they, they’ve got issues that you never hear about, and you expect them to operate at the highest level, even when they’re dying.
I mean I use as an illustration this morning our new Worship Pastor at Springdale. He’s been with us 4 months. He still owns a home in the greater Memphis area that he needs to sell. He and his wife are in a rental home. His mother was just diagnosed with cancer. He’s got two children, one middle school, one high schooler that is now adjusting, and a wife that is adjusting to our region, and to our church. Are you getting what I’m saying? We’ve got pastors in our church right here, I mean they, they, they’re still trying to sell their homes. They’re even under water in their homes where they came from to serve our church! Are you with me church? That’s a burden they carry!
They, they may have family problems. I mean look, I mean you know I carried my mom’s cancer everyday. Why can’t I be there? I need to be with her. Well I can’t always be there. I mean you know I do that. Jeana and I have aging parents just like some of you have aging parents. We deal with those dilemmas. You can’t escape all that. Are you with me church? And you have to understand that these pastors deal with stuff.
Last night Jeana and I we had, Meredith had some eye surgery, she’s down for 4 or 5 days, and we had their two babies here. They’re not babies. Reese she’s about to be 4 in a couple of weeks, and Beckham, he’s a year and running fast and hard. And you know we had them, and got them yesterday afternoon, and so here we are. We, we, I get up this morning at 3:00 and I’m out here studying, praying at 4:15, 4:30, and all of a sudden Beckham wakes up. I’m trying to get a hold of God and here’s Beckham in there crying. I know Jeana’s coming. Thank God. And she’s coming to get him, and then all of a sudden Jeana comes in and here comes Reese trotting along. It’s 4:30 in the morning.
Have y’all ever noticed about preschoolers that’s when they’re really a lot of fun because they wake up just as happy, you know it’s good. And they say hey can we play? And they start dragging out all the toys, and you want to say. I told them don’t you dare drag those toys out. I decided forget this deal, I’m going for a run! And, and that’s what I did.
You know what? Now I want you to listen church. We’ve got staff members all over this staff that are young, and they’ve got preschoolers. Do you have any idea what that challenge is? All I have to do is keep my grandchildren for one night, or for 3 hours and I all of a sudden just think oh glory to God my kids are raised, and I start praising God because I know it’s you know! I mean you get my drift folks! But yet they’re called to lead! They need you to encourage them!
Love them unconditionally. They’re not called to be perfect. Everybody got that? They’re going to make mistakes. They have made mistakes. And they will make mistakes. And if their mistakes forfeit their right to lead because it’s some mistake that they should have never made, then we will deal with it and we have dealt with it even in the past year, and we will deal with it, and we will stand with them and love them, and meet their need, and to the glory of God we’ll see them through it! And we’ve seen and done it!
And for whatever it’s worth, I really want you to understand our pastors do a lot more right than they do wrong. And God hasn’t called you to identify their wrong. He’s called myself along with a team of people to do the personal evaluations. If there’s something we need to know, then we’ll find it out sooner or later.
Just this past week our staff wives were shooting a video where they were asked this question, and I quote, “What is the worst thing about ministry?” Many of them answered these words on video, are you ready? “Being expected to be perfect. People expecting my kids to be perfect all the time. They’re kids! They’re not any more perfect than your kids.” They’re fallen, sinful, carnal, they’re kids. And until Jesus transforms them, and they’re old enough to live the Gospel, it’s going to be that way!
Honor them. You go out of your way to honor them. A church never loses when they honor their leaders! This is why we do it. I mean it gets a little wearisome. I mean last year we had a ton of people I mean that we honored. They’ve been here 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, one of them 25 years. And we honor them. Couple of weeks from now we’re going to honor one of our folks that’s been with us 20 years at our Springdale location. 2 or 3 weeks later we’re going to honor another one that’s been there 10 years, and we’re going to honor Bob Ryan for being here 10 years in the month of June. Honor! Honor! Honor! Nothing is greater than honoring a leader, a person who has poured into your life. Honor them.
Why is this important? I’ll tell you why it’s important, because you’ve been saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you’re called to a different way of life. And we are Gospel church that is not only supposed to have leaders that are recognizably different, but we are to treat leaders recognizably different than the world treats leaders! Why? Because we’re all saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All sinners destined to hell until Jesus came in and He transformed everything. And now we’re under a new covenant, a blood covenant that brings equality in those areas.
- SKU:
- 2AA220L
- MP3:
- http://www.ronniefloyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2AA220-Getting-Things-In-Order-About-Church-Leadership.mp3
- Vimeo:
- 23820261