My Two Pet Peeves about Ministry People

Posted on November 12, 2009
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(19) comments

I have two pet peeves about people in ministry: People that take everything too seriously; and people that don't take important things seriously enough...

On the one hand, you have people that take everything WAY too seriously. Read the comments section on many of the posts here at MMI and they are filled with a few people that take EVERYTHING way too seriously.

Take the post yesterday about Mark Driscoll and John Piper having fun with each other about whether or not most Christians would enjoy a new book written about the first five books of the Old Testament. Driscoll said you'd have to be a 'uber-geek' to enjoy something like that. Piper joked back that it would rock everybody's world to read this certain book. Fun comments, thrown around in jest. But some people took the jibes too seriously... pointing out that this is the problem with Christianity: people don't dig in deep and learn things. Point well taken. But for crying out loud... stop taking everything single thing so seriously. Not everything is worth climbing on your high horse about. Lighten up.

On the other hand, you have others who don't take important things seriously enough. To this type of person, everything will work its way out in due time. There's no need to be charged up about anything. No need to measure effectiveness. No reason to challenge the status quo. Truth is, there are some things worth fighting for. There are people who are depending on us to make good solid decisions. And as church leaders, we need to step up and get the job done, with excellence and expediency on the things that do matter.

I know what you're thinking (because I'm thinking the same thing myself). How do I differentiate between the person who is taking things way too seriously and the person who is not taking things seriously enough? And what makes me think that I am the one that can discern the proper balance? I mean, obviously, I would hope that I would be one of the balanced ones, but maybe I'm the one out of whack.

Here's one way that I try to discern what I need to be serious about: Was Jesus serious about it?

I mean... what was Jesus serious about? Because that's what I want to be serious about.

Saving the lost? Yep. Carpet color or worship style? No. Making disciples? Yes. Arguing about money or service times? Not so much.

Maybe that's a question that everyone answers differently. Maybe that's why we get caught up in useless fights that keep many of our churches stagnant and declining.

I think it's Craig Groeschel that I heard say once that "Hell is Hot and Time is Short".

I like that. It puts things in a whole new perspective for me.

For those people who take everything so seriously: Hell is hot and time is short. Stop diddling around, talking about things that don't matter. Don't tread water talking Peneteuch when you should be talking Redemption. Stop taking everything that doesn't even matter so dang seriously. Enough already.

To those people who don't take things seriously enough: Hell is hot and time is short. We don't have all day to do the important things. In fact, we don't know how much time we have left to reach the people we're charged to reach. When it comes to the things that Jesus took seriously, we had better dad-blambed take them seriously as well. Enough. Get on with the work.

What do YOU think? Have I jumped off the deep end? I'd love to hear your comments.

Todd

PS -- What are the 'important' things to you? And what 'non-important' things have gotten you off track? What are your ministry pet peeves?

Comments

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Andy Barlow on Thu, November 12, 2009

Great post!

In ministry, people who are always serious scare me. I have a hard time discerning what they’re truly concerned about from what they want me as a church leader to be concerned about. Many times these types frustrate me.

On the other hand, “puppy dog” types are equally as frustrating. Like when someone volunteers or accepts a request for help in ministry, and then I have to do over what was already done or motivate them to finish in a timely manner. Ugh.

Balance is the key. Be concerned about that which Jesus Christ was concerned and work to accomplish it.
Leonard on Thu, November 12, 2009

Todd, you’re so far off… Just kidding. I agree. Good thoughts here.
Peter Hamm on Thu, November 12, 2009

I am a little offended about the color of carpet thing. I mean everybody knows it must be green… and blue is simply heretical in nature…
Jim B. on Thu, November 12, 2009

I agree, but I would add a third item: ministers who can’t give a simple, straight-forward answer to a question. Instead of a direct answer, it’s the person who is so afraid of offending anyone that getting a straight answer from him is impossible. This person is trying so hard to be diplomatic that he will talk and talk and talk without ever answering the question.
Andymcadams on Thu, November 12, 2009

I have two pet peeves.

1. People who have pet peeves.

2. People who don’t have any pet peeves.
Peter Hamm on Thu, November 12, 2009

Andy,

I get that. There are two kinds of people in this world.

1. People who divide everybody in the world into two kinds of people.
2. People who don’t.
Leonard on Thu, November 12, 2009

My pet peeves are people who do not meet my standards and those who try to hold me to my own standards.
Andymcadams on Thu, November 12, 2009

Peter….U DA MAN!
Andymcadams on Thu, November 12, 2009

I forgot I have one more pet peeve.

People that post what their pet peeve is on a blog. Drives me crazy. But then again, my wife says, “that isn’t a drive, that’s a short walk?”
Christian Haiku on Thu, November 12, 2009

Pet peeve discussion
To much like criticism
Don’t want to go there
paul on Fri, November 13, 2009

Peter, everyone knows the color of the church carpet should always be:

1. Red (traditional church)

2. Coffee colored (contemporary church)

sheesh, the stupid things we fight over.

(At my first church out of seminary, during a meeting on the carpet color—yes, a meeting on the carpet color—a guy pulled out a handgun, and set it on the table and told us that his mother wanted the carpet color red. Crossing the line from pet peeve to psychotic.)
Leonard on Fri, November 13, 2009

So what is the balance? .
Steven Crutchfield on Fri, November 13, 2009

nice Todd…
CS on Fri, November 13, 2009

Todd:

I’ll bite and play the role of a, “serious,” one here:

“For those people who take everything so seriously: Hell is hot and time is short. Stop diddling around, talking about things that don’t matter. Don’t tread water talking Peneteuch when you should be talking Redemption. Stop taking everything that doesn’t even matter so dang seriously. Enough already.”

It is because I take everything seriously that I both go out there preaching the Gospel and within the church am concerned about when someone dismisses or mangles the deep things of Scripture. I’ve found that when the deep things are blown off or not taken seriously, the most important things like leading people to Christ are similarly not stressed.

Just because someone is serious about esoteric words like the Pentateuch, hypostatic unions, baptismal regeneration, or the history of the Church fathers like Polycarp does not mean that they are concerned with the, “practical,” things. To the contrary, I’ve found that they are often the most serious about how Hell is hot and time is short.

—
CS
Andymcadams on Fri, November 13, 2009

Paul,

WOW…that’s scary. A gun in a meeting? No wonder I kept my bullet proof vest from the Sheriff’s Department. Never can trust those carpt people….or deacons.

But in all honesty, my real pet peeve is people that make comments like, “that church isn’t meeting my needs anymore”, or “I just don’t get anything out of the sermon”. When will people realize it’s not all about getting their needs met…it’s about coming to church to meet needs. Strange thing is…if we call came to meet needs in others…our needs would be met.