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Pastor’s Approval Rating Plummets After Trading in 2006 Ford F-150 Pickup for 1991 BMW

Orginally published on Friday, October 20, 2006 at 7:03 AM
by Todd Rhoades

McKinney, Texas (NN) -- Upon return from a spiritual retreat, Rev. Brian Rogers sought to reduce financial pressure on his family and the church by selling his $35,000 truck and 'trading down' to a less expensive but reliable used car. Pastor Brian soon found out the power of symbolism over substance.

“Hindsight is 20/20 and in this case, I should have known better.” Rev. Rogers explains a phenomenon in an increasingly affluent church still hanging on to some of the trappings of class envy. “It’s not so much about how much you spend, but what you spend it on. Nobody raised an eyebrow when I bought a brand new $35,000 truck with seat warmers, super cab and a DVD player, but when I bought a car having the BMW logo, all hell broke loose. Never mind that the most vocal complainers have kids that are younger than my new car. It defies logic.”

Nazarene Nooz spoke with Charles Holley, one of the first members of the church to express disdain about his pastor’s misplaced priorities. “I would say that this car issue reflects a lack of judgment on Brian’s part. He should know that BMW is a symbol of financial pride and slavery to foreign companies. He needs to look around and see that he is in Texas, not in Seattle or Denver. Next thing you know, he’ll be trading in his dog for an iguana.”

Ben Tyson, worship leader at Pastor Rogers’ church reports a last-minute change to a worship service brought about by the car issue. “We were going to do a song that contrasts a person who loves Jesus with a guy who sells out his family in order to drive a BMW. I didn’t want it to look like editorial comment on the car issue...and I couldn’t change the lyrics because nothing rhymes with Mercedes. I just had to cut the song.”

Pastor Rogers reflects on the whole issue and his next steps. “My ministry here is probably over. I’ve been shopping around for an old pickup truck, but this is a lose-lose. The damage is already done. If I buy a truck, it will look like appeasement, but if I don’t, it will look like defiance. Wisconsin is starting to look really good right about now.”

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TRACKBACKS: (0) There are 4 Comments:

Posted by

Friday, October 20, 2006 at 8:33 AM

I can help, Ben. Mercedes kind of rhymes with “hades"… problem solved…
Posted by

Friday, October 20, 2006 at 2:26 PM

The real problem is it was a FORD. Which rhymes with LORD…

Why would anyone get rid of a truck anyway? That’s just sick! As for WISCONSIN ? ... yeah get rid of the Beemer before you move up there.
Posted by

Saturday, October 21, 2006 at 6:33 PM

Sounds like a good time to address the congregation on “judging others”. We just finished a class on how to be good stewards of our money put on by Crown Financial. I think you made a good choice by lowering your financial burden but still providing a nice car with a good safety rating for your family. If you feel your ministry there is over based on what kind of car you drive there are bigger issues lurking below the surface. What if you had purchased a Jeep or even a Dodge Neon? Both a have foreign parent company (German). My advice is, you keep that car and be happy about it. If you bought for the right reason than keep it for the right reason. What’s next, they don’t like your shoes or your suit or some other petty thing? This sounds like a very teachable scenario.
Posted by

Monday, October 23, 2006 at 12:05 PM

A similar incident happened to a friend of mine. He pastors a Baptist church. His uncle passed away and my friend recieved a older Mercedes (10 years old) as part of the inheritance. His family was in need of another car, the Mercedes was in good shape, so he thought....well then the grumbling began in the church. Though he explained it to his critics, he finally sold the car and bought a Dodge Van. The good news was that the Mercedes sold so well that he did not have to borrow money for the Van.

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.