Is Your Church Built on Personality?
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, June 16, 2008
- Viewed 171
- (48) comments so far
This past Sunday one of the great pastors in our country spoke at our church.Yet, a significant number of you chose to either sleep in or blow off church to do something else. Attendance on Sunday was 1,062, which is just pitiful for our church.
Many leaders at CCV wonder if people chose not to come because you knew I was not speaking.
Please understand that if that turns out to be the case, honest to God you won’t hear me speak until 2009. I will hire first-year Bible college interns who can barely chew gum and talk at the same time to rotate the speaking responsibilities for the next 6.5 months.
I will not have any part in helping build a church around a person, personality, or particular style of preaching.
What a strong and powerful way to communicate your passion and integrity as a leader. This is a great example, as far as I’m concerned, of leading out of love. As a matter of fact, Brian later shares in the comment section:
The issue here is discipleship. Are we trying to put on a “religious show” where people will attend based on the person presenting God’s word, or are we fashioning a gates-of-hell-storming-community of disciples?1 Corinthians 1:17ff makes it drop-dead clear that leaders cannot participate in exacerbating personality adoration in the body of Christ. “I follow Paul.” “I follow Cephas.” “I follow Christ.” Paul went nuts over this, as he should!
The focal point of CCV can never be Brian Jones, ever. And as one of its servants, if I sense that I am getting in the way of someone’s ability to grow as a disciple, it is my God-ordained responsibility as a pastor to remove that barrier. That’s not a threat, or un-Christ-like behavior; it’s spiritual leadership.
Thanks, Brian, for the transparency and the guts to share some tough love when it’s needed.
I wonder…is your church built on personality? If so, how can you communicate the importance of getting back to the one thing that IS important?
One of the blogs I read regularly is BrianJones.com. Brian is the lead pastor of Christ Church of the Valley and has a real heart for leading his church to maturity in Christ. I had the opportunity to meet Brian a few weeks ago in Orlando. He's the real deal.
On a recent Sunday Gene Appel spoke at Brian's church, and Brian was a little disappointed that more people didn't attend the services to hear Gene speak. Someone on his staff suggested that maybe people didn't come to church that week because Brian wasn't speaking.
Ever have a moment of righteous indignation? Well, Brian did, and he posted his honest and very direct open letter to his church on his blog. (Brian has a great dialog with his church members on his blog. They trust him. And that gives him the respect he needed to pull off this post). Here's what he wrote:
Comments
if you want a Globally Recognized Avatar (the images next to your profile) get them here. Once you sign up, they will displayed on any website that supports them.
Rob Grayson on Mon, June 16, 2008
How refreshing to hear a respected leader talking this way.
Peter Hamm on Mon, June 16, 2008
There is always a certain “drop-off” when our main speaker (who is UNUSUALLY gifted) is not speaking, and that drop-off is diminishing all the time (especially since several of our pastors are decent speakers in their own right, too).
Here’s why I doubt we’d send out an email like this. A lot of our folks who stay home because they know our SP is not preaching are either still exploring Christ or are not very formed in their faith. I don’t expect instant discipleship out of them. And the ones who are closer to Jesus are the ones who know that I or one of the other pastors might each have something worthwhile to speak into their lives.
I’m not saying Brian was wrong in what he sent, because I don’t know his congregation, but I know ours, and for my part… I don’t think we’d send this.
guy on Mon, June 16, 2008
Hate to say it but most any church running a thousand or more in attendance is built on a personality. (Thats an arbitrary number) Ive seen it al my ministry life of 30 years. We dont want to admit it but it is. Brian is learning a hard lesson. God pruned our church when I lost my voice doing 4 services a weekend, 9 years ago, and now we have 7 teaching pastors, 2 are laymen, 13 services and I never do more than 3, normally only two. That will prune the Branch real fast. Oh, by the way, our church is almost 4 times the size 9 years later. God is going to do His work, with or without us. Thanks Brian for an honest and loving post to your church. Wish more pastors could look honestly at what we are building.
Guy Melton
Oasis Church, Pembroke Pines , Florida
http://www.guymelton.com
http://www.visitoasis.org
Brianmpei on Mon, June 16, 2008
Maybe everyone who wasn’t there just had something more important to do. Discipleship is NOT measured by perfect attendance to Sunday mornings. I don’t know Brian but it sounds to me like he was embarrassed in front of Gene because of the low turn out. The most spiritual way to spend your Sunday morning, and I repeat this to our church often, may be reconciling with a neighbour, staying in bed with your spouse, taking your kid fishing or cooking breakfast for some hungry folks. If I was in Brian’s church, that Brian’s, I’d tell him to get over himself and let people decide when and if they’ll be there. Spanking grown ups is NOT healthy.
Drew Hill on Mon, June 16, 2008
Seems like some of us set our churches up for this by having less than stimulating substitutes fill the pulpit when we need to be away. One or two weak subs and people remember and stay away. Over time this can be addressed by having really fine guest preachers fill in for us. Eventually, our people get the idea that if the pastor is away, there is still a real blessing to be gained from attending worship.
Maybe too many of us are secretly flattered by the dip in attendance when we are away. Too few of us would see it through Brian’s eyes and even fewer would have the backbone to meet the problem head on. I admire his courage and his candor.
I do think Peter Hamm makes an important point that would influence my approach. Genuine seekers and baby believers need to be considered in the tone and content of the pastor’s response.
Shane on Mon, June 16, 2008
I have exactly the same situation as Brian. When we have a guest speaker, 1/2 our congregation doesn’t show up. At first, I too was disappointed but after praying about it, I accepted the fact that spiritual growth takes time. If at first, they come to hear me speak and are loyal to me, then my responsibility is to be faithful in teaching them to love God’s Word and those that teach it. Eventually, their loyalty for me (their pastor) will mature and they will not be tied to my apron strings. For me, this is very humbling and motivating.
kc on Mon, June 16, 2008
tried to find the post on his blog. i’m old and my eyesight is failing. anyone help?
Pastor Shane on Mon, June 16, 2008
KC, the post on this blog (on my computer) is below the article. At the top of the page is the article on personality, then below that is the posts. Finally at the bottom of the page is the comments area (which I know you found because you posted a question). So if I am right, if you go to “Post Your Comments” and scroll UP, you should find what you are looking for. God bless you brother
Eric Joppa on Mon, June 16, 2008
I agree Drew,
I have been in a church where our Senior Pastor is not a very good preacher (he admits it). most of the time, the fill in speakers are more gifted communicators. There is no drop off when he is not preaching.
However, there are a ton of times that I have been to church where the main speaker is awesome, and he is not speaking that day, and the place seems like a ghost town and they guy in his stead, is mediocre at best. While giving the pulpit away is difficult for a senior pastor to do, especially if he is a gifted communicator, it must be done. the catch is, it must be given away to other and even more gifted speakers.
There is a shortage of places and leaders that develop this kind of gift intentionally. One Pastor that is not gifted told me that he thinks it’s solely his job to preach. That is a big issue for me. You can be a great senior pastor and not be a great speaker, but you have to put people in the pulpit that are gifted to do so and make it much less about them and more about the love of the Word. we are obligated to honor God by making sure His word is understood.
-E
Timothy Ippolito on Mon, June 16, 2008
Tim Keller, respected pastor who also spoke at the Orlando conference is certainly a larger than life preacher and teacher. His church, Redeemer Pres in NYC clearly has a “personality” situation and though aware of it doesn’t go spanking the adults…in fact, they give subscribers to Dr. Keller’s sermon tapes the option to suspend their subscription when he is away for extended vacation in the summer….. things that make you go hmmmmm….
I have a similar situation to Brian in my church so I can relate. What I have found is that the older, more mature saints show up regardless of who is speaking and, may I add, regardless of the weather, as well. The question at heart is…Are they growing in Christ-likeness?...that’s my concern. Sheep like their shepherd…big deal.
Larry Revert on Mon, June 16, 2008
Continues to show how much our worship has strayed from being Christ center worship to being entertained by man. Discipleship is the hardwork we need to focus upon, which the majority of Christian don’t desire to participate in.
Malcolm Webber on Mon, June 16, 2008
Usually in our church, of which I’m the SP, we have a much GREATER attendance for a guest speaker. I wonder what that tells us? http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/grin.gif
Zad on Mon, June 16, 2008
Here’s a wacky idea. How about you don’t annouce the senior pastor’s going to be not teaching? Seems to me the crowd would have still been there if the word hadn’t gotten out? That’s what we used to do, but we only had two services on Sunday morning and not several over the weekend.
Finally, I don’t know if you realize this or not, but this could well be a thermometer of the spiritual depth of your membership. Its natural that seekers and newcomers are first drawn to the pastors personality. The goal is weaning them off you and onto Christ. I dont’ think you do that with email or blog threats, I think the above solution is a good way when they start to go, well I didn’t expect that other guy to be here but God spoke to me through that new guy too! I know one pastor friend who tells me his goal is to only be in the pulpt 65% of the time just so others will experience God’s voice through others. (Of course I’ve read a little of his blog, and he has plainly said he didn’t think God speaks to folks directly anyhow. so I could see why this suggestion may not work in his locale.)
Sheila Robinson on Mon, June 16, 2008
Huh? Seems like Brian did precisely what he asked his congregation no do. Is this not a classic example of “don’t do what I do, do what I preach”?
While preaching that his flock shouldn’t make a decision of Sunday attendance based on the personality at the helm, he reprimands them for not showing up when the great spiritual orator, Gene Apple is in the pulpit.
Sorry, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that kind of in-your face-disrespect.
Pastor Shane on Mon, June 16, 2008
reference to Malcom Webber’s post, you sir have a wonderful sense of humor and I enjoyed hearing from you this morning. In light of the previous blogs, if people not coming to hear a guest speaker is a result of spiritual immaturity, then the opposite must be true. By having them come out in droves to hear a guest speaker is a direct reflection on what a stellar job you are doing in the “Discipleship” area. Well done….
Page 1 of 4 pages 1 2 3 > Last »
Post a Comment