“Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, ‘There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.’” – Luke 13:14
Do you mind if I share with you a dirty little secret about most pastors in the world? If pastors had one sin in common, I believe it would be this sin.
Are you ready?
Competitiveness.
Didn’t see that coming, did you? (Unless, of course, you’re a pastor, at which point you’re probably looking for another article to “bless your spirit….”)
How do I know pastors are competitive? If you put two pastors who don’t know each other in the same room for more than two seconds, Pastor Smith will ask Pastor Jones, “So, how’s your church doing?” This has happened to me so often I have started to avoid meeting new pastors, either from my town or especially from my denomination. Of course, it sounds like a good question. Pastor Smith is interested in the success of Pastor Jones’ church.
However, since most people are not pastors, you may not understand what Pastor Smith was really asking. He wasn’t inquiring upon the spiritual health of the church. He didn’t really care if the board and elders all got along well and supported one another in prayer and fellowship. He wasn’t interested in whether or not the youth pastor was disciplining young people to be leaders in the God’s Church. What he was really asking was this: “How many people do you have coming to your church?” Yep, too many pastors have reduced the successful spiritual state of the local church to the number of people who attend. Sigh. Continue Reading