Following the Pastor

I've been thinking about your situation; here's what I'd do. If you feel the ministry you're doing there is important—important enough to stick with it—then bite the bullet and carry on without grumbling or complaining. Otherwise, get out and find another group.

This is the way we have been going so far. we love the work we do, seeing the ministry we are involved with grow and flourish. we started running extra events for the children's and youth work which have been successful, it's the only thing really keeping us there.

but there is a limit to how much we can take.

it feels like we are fast approaching a crossroads in which a very difficult decision will have to be made
I just hope that God will give us the wisdom to make the right decision

Is there any way you can start a separate ministry that does the same things outside of this church?
Or, could it be time to finish this ministry & go independantly with another?
Something to think about.

You know you just described every cult out there.

and your snarky behavior in this post fits every quality of being a troll.... so, are we both accurate in our evaluation, or are you simply being a jerk just to be a jerk?

You were asked a pretty simple, straightforward question, and you immediately started playing word games.... that doesn't look good on you, brother.

We all have "off" days.... hopefully this is just one of yours.

One of their main tricks is to not make you turn away from God. But to make you lukewarm. I've never been a church goer apart from being forced to go as a young child. Even I knew that the Church my mom was making us go to was not the real gospel.
At that time my younger sister had a friend and her mother was a real Christian. She never went to church and I remember asking her why she never did, and she said God called her out.

being a pastor doesn't make a person an electrician or a cook or an engineer or a doctor or anything else.

it doesn't even make a person a good teacher - pastoring isn't the same thing as teaching. it doesn't mean they are necessarily wiser or more holy; it means they are good at 'shepherding'

there's a reason we are a body, each having different strengths and weaknesses. Any good leader should understand when to find & hear experts to make decisions.

That being said, pastors should be expert in the Scriptures. An ongoing process.
Without a thorough understanding of the instruction manual, and packing the gear to work with compass, maps and charts the congregation will end up with a mechanical breakdown or shipwrecked on the shoals rocks and weeds. Or stuck in the horse latitudes in the sargasso sea going absolutely nowhere.

I have heard pastors (so-called) who had no idea of what they were doing or talking about. Literally Biblically illiterate.
This one new junior trainee pastor invited to speak was frankly uttering unintelligible gibberish bafflegab in terms of a lecture. It was very painful to be in the same room believe me. Supposedly this person is now pastoring a Church where they requested his services.

Amazing. Sort of. But not really.

Oh....and BTW, this trainee pastor was second banana to the senior pastor (at the Church I formerly attended for over a year) whom I was convinced was not even saved. As in NOT a believer, and DID NOT understand that the Bible is indeed the Living Word God breathed. Evidently they were just "faking it".

Yep. He was basically "in the business" due to a "career choice" and his "family background". That was my assessment.
And a similar assessment applies to SEVERAL other so-called pastors around here.

I bailed on them all. Bye bye.

That being said, pastors should be expert in the Scriptures. An ongoing process.

So you're not going to church either?

In the church I attend people seem to follow the pastor as if his word is law. I seem to be the odd one out to think of him as another person who can be wrong and make mistakes.

I just want to ask. am I wrong for not putting him on a pedestal, what level of respect should we have for the pastor of a church

honestly myself and my wife have talked about walking out so many times. but we are so involved in ministry that we dont feel we can just leave. and there are so few people to take up those ministrys.

even with how much we contribute we are dismissed and disrespected.
it is not about recognition or ego. just a basic level of decency.

No church congregation should put the pastor on a pedestal. Your estimation is right on target.

Thank you for a simple to the point answer.

LOL, so now asking for clarification is playing word games?

I provided what I thought was a pretty workable definition of a church, and you gave me a snarky, dismissive answer.... which would lead most people to believe you don't want to answer the original question.

This question is for anyone.

If the only church is the one that gathers in an assembly with others, what happens to those people who are unable to participate in an assembly? The elderly, the shut-ins, the disabled, those living in isolated areas with no way to get to a group. Do all these people suddenly stop being part of the church? If that's the case, then I know a lot of great Christian men and women for whom Christ died who are no longer part of the church.