Modern Idols in the Church | Our Pastors
I grew up in a church under the leadership and teaching of a very popular pastor, and it showed on Sundays that he did not preach. Attendance would often be a fraction of what it typically was when he was not in the pulpit. What’s even worse is that this would happen despite his own personal irritation when congregants only showed up for him.
Don’t get me wrong, he is an extremely gifted preacher, and I consider him as one of the most influential men in the shaping of my own faith, but I never considered my own involvement in the local church as dependent on this man. This is because I knew his proper place in the grand scheme of God’s providential plan, as did he.
God has graciously given his church pastors and ministry leaders to function as vessels in his kingdom to build his church. These vessels, however, only serve the purpose to hold a rich and glorious treasure within them, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, in our sin, many marvel so much at the vessel that they never bother to look inside and see the many riches that the vessel holds.
“Look at the structural integrity of this vessel!” they say. “Look at how wonderful it is, how good it is, how strong it is, how alluring it is.” If we’re not careful, we begin to love the vessel more than the fortune inside. The bleak container that was only designed by God to serve as a plain conduit for the riches inside replaces such riches as a cheap substitute.
That’s exactly what idol worship is: any created thing that takes the place of the creator. And this is not limited to objects, but expands to people as well, even pastors that you hold so near and dear to your heart. This is not healthy for you, and this is not healthy for them.
It is not healthy for you, because like all idols, pastors can and will leave you with much to be desired. A pastor very well may be wonderful, and wise, and kind, and smart, and loving. He could shepherd his people to the best of his ability which is to be commended. But as I’ve heard it said, the best of men are men at best. As much as a pastor is a gracious gift of God to lead, and teach, and shepherd you, there is a higher leader, teacher, and shepherd in the person of Christ that all of us long for and no human can fully live up to.
Your pastors will let you down. They will say and do things that hurt you. They will sin against you and fall short of your own expectations of them. And when that happens, you will experience hurt. And though pastors should never be absolved from their own wrongdoing in such situations, the amount of one's hurt can be greatly influenced by how high a pedestal you’ve placed your pastors on. The higher the pedestal we put our pastors and leaders upon, the harder the fall and more devastating the fallout. Do yourself a favor and put your pastors in their proper place, not on a pedestal. This won’t completely alleviate the pain you feel, but it may cushion the fall.
Not only is this not healthy for you, but it is not healthy for them. It’s actually not fair to them to elevate them beyond their proper place. The temptation for pastors to develop a public persona and build a platform is very real, and your exaltation of them does not help. In the process, many leaders fall in love with their own voice as they swallow the praise from their followers, which is a recipe for disaster.
This is not a problem unique to our time. In the first century, John the Baptist was a very popular teacher and he had some pretty loyal followers. So loyal in fact, that when a new teacher arrived in town and began making a name for himself, John’s followers grew concerned. They were greatly disturbed and offended that some would leave John’s ministry and begin following this other guy. Little did they know that this other guy was Jesus … you know, God in the flesh. Savior of the world.
John’s response to his own faithful followers, however, serves as the model that all ministry leaders—and believers in general—should strive for: “He [meaning Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” That is the antidote for idolatry of a person and should remain the mantra of all pastors.
Truth be told, the many pastors I have met who have sincere hearts and pure motives don’t even want a pedestal. They’d much rather have a mirror in which they can reflect any praise and glory to the only one who deserves it, Jesus Christ. If they desire a pedestal and platform for their voice and opinions to be heard, they should not be in ministry. Desiring the pedestal is the anti gospel.
The temptation of sinful pride remains, and the pastor must work ever harder to decrease which becomes infinitely harder when there are people trying to increase him. If you idolize your pastor you are complicit in their sin. Pastors are individually responsible for their own sin of pride, and need to deal with that in their own heart individually, but I would encourage you to not feed the monster of pride that still resides in their heart.
If you read this wondering if you are accidentally idolizing your pastor, consider the following practical questions. These are not a foolproof test in and of themselves, but they may be symptomatic that you are idolizing your pastor.
Is your attendance on a Sunday morning solely based on your pastor’s preaching?
Would you leave your current church automatically should your pastor resign without giving the next called man a chance?
Have you ever checked what your pastor says against what God’s Word says?
Is your pastor the only one feeding you, or are there other influential Christian voices in your life?
When you talk about your spiritual journey, do you talk about your pastor/church more than Jesus?
Are you too quick to overlook and pardon your pastor's own sins?
Do you find yourself wishing that the closest people in your life (spouse, family, friends) were more like your pastor?
When we treat our pastors as idols, it is not healthy for us, it is not healthy for them, and it is not healthy for the church. Love your pastor. Encourage them often. Support them regularly. Respect them. Shower them with kindness and care. Speak well of them behind their backs and to their face. Obey and submit to them when spiritually required. But do not elevate them.
—Pastor Mike Kaczorowski