Follow The Leader? Who Is The Leader?

forgivenWretch

forgivenWretch

Hebrews 13:17 NLT

Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

We just recently left the church we have attended for the past 3 years due to some serious conflicts between the pastor and the church. Just how far are we to follow and obey our spiritual leaders?
 
To the extent that their leadership is Godly, as is their instruction, we ought to follow them. I don't see that the Scripture obligates us to be the instruments of their ego trips or enablers of their personal unhealthy agendas. For instance, David's military personnel should have disobeyed his order to withdraw from around Uriah in battle so that he would be killed.

I'm not sure that the thrust is so much establishing hierarchy, though, as it is an exhortation to live a Godly, peaceful, productive life, doing what is good and right so that your spiritual overseers will not be overburdened by your rebellion (against Godliness) and sin. A shepherd that is always having to chase after an unruly flock, getting lambs out of trouble, trying to fix up the ones that encountered wolves, etc., etc., is going to be an exhausted, exasperated shepherd.
 
Our church was in grave financial condition and about to close. Without discussing the issues with the church the pastor started talking with another group making concessions to dissolve ours and for the other group to come in and basically take charge, as if like a corporate take over. Also in the picture was the need for our church to foot the down payment for opening a thrift store, which supposedly would be the main source of finance for the new adventure.

It's sort of complicated, so I hop this makes sense. We were a Baptist church and the other group is supposedly non-denominational but which follows mainly Pentecostal beliefs and ways. The main issue was how everything was done behind our backs and we were told we had no choice in what was happening. We were given no time for prayer, basically told it was not needed. We (those of us who were not 100% with the idea) were also treated very nasty for even questioning what was happening.

Our church was very small to begin with. There were only on average 9 adults and half of these were my family. When it came to a vote, only 3 people voted. There was so much tension in the air that night and the pastor was acting like a spoiled child because he was not getting his way. He was hollering at us when we asked questions, threatening to quit if we did not vote it through and even got so mad he walked out of the meeting. For me a dead give away something was wrong.

It went from Spring Creek Baptist Church to Spring Creek Set Free Ministries. Set Free Ministries is not a church, but an organization focused on counseling to drug and alcohol addicts. The thrift store along with auctions and whatever other fundraising can be done are to be the main financial support of the new organization.
 
At least you got to vote before and after the event.
We only got to vote (with our feet) after the event:mad: Went to Church one Sunday, everything was fine. Went the next Sunday to be informed that the pastor has severed his association with the denominational organization to which he and the Church had been in fellowship with......done deal. And that hence forth (his) church would be known as the xyz church.
Needless to say that we have not attended that church since. Yet he does have his loyal following. (I've lost count of the number of subsequent name changes they have had since.)
So your situation is by no means unique.
As Rumely put it....."To the extent that their leadership is Godly, as is their instruction, we ought to follow them."
However once their leadership is no longer 'Godly' and they refuse or reject a call to repent, then we are not a bunch of rats that should go down with the sinking ship.
 
forgivenWretch said:
Our church was in grave financial condition and about to close. Without discussing the issues with the church the pastor started talking with another group making concessions to dissolve ours and for the other group to come in and basically take charge, as if like a corporate take over. Also in the picture was the need for our church to foot the down payment for opening a thrift store, which supposedly would be the main source of finance for the new adventure.

It's sort of complicated, so I hop this makes sense. We were a Baptist church and the other group is supposedly non-denominational but which follows mainly Pentecostal beliefs and ways. The main issue was how everything was done behind our backs and we were told we had no choice in what was happening. We were given no time for prayer, basically told it was not needed. We (those of us who were not 100% with the idea) were also treated very nasty for even questioning what was happening.

Our church was very small to begin with. There were only on average 9 adults and half of these were my family. When it came to a vote, only 3 people voted. There was so much tension in the air that night and the pastor was acting like a spoiled child because he was not getting his way. He was hollering at us when we asked questions, threatening to quit if we did not vote it through and even got so mad he walked out of the meeting. For me a dead give away something was wrong.

It went from Spring Creek Baptist Church to Spring Creek Set Free Ministries. Set Free Ministries is not a church, but an organization focused on counseling to drug and alcohol addicts. The thrift store along with auctions and whatever other fundraising can be done are to be the main financial support of the new organization.
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The wonderful thing is that there are other Baptist churches close by to you.

Visit them! It appears to me that God has moved and included YOU in His move.

A good pastor, with the Lord Jesus in his heart WORKS WITH his people in a church to be succesful. What you describe to me is someone bent on his OWN needs or else all of the church would have been involved.

My advice is to .........."FOLLOW THE MONEY".
 
God has given us discernment and scriptures to test our decisions upon. A church was never meant to be the sole responsibility of one person or pastor. There should be a healthy leadership in a church who make collective decisions keeping the Holy Spirit in the forefront of ministry.

We are taught to respect our leaders, even when they make mistakes but a leader who is arrogant and too proud to pray, seek wisdom and advise will fall to his own folly.
 
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