{"id":16337,"date":"2018-05-15T11:38:39","date_gmt":"2018-05-15T16:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/?p=16337"},"modified":"2018-05-15T11:44:52","modified_gmt":"2018-05-15T16:44:52","slug":"why-the-pastor-is-not-the-best-troubleshooter-in-the-church-why-the-deacons-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/why-the-pastor-is-not-the-best-troubleshooter-in-the-church-why-the-deacons-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the pastor is not the best troubleshooter in the church. Why the deacons are."},"content":{"rendered":"

“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business….” (Acts 6:3).<\/strong><\/p>\n

The original trouble-shooters–the Lord’s S.W.A.T. team perhaps–in the New Testament church were the deacons.<\/p>\n

They still are best at this risky business.<\/p>\n

In deacon training conferences we point out\u00a0that deacons\u00a0“ride drag” for the congregation, a reference to the old West when cowboys would move the herd to the railhead.\u00a0 Someone is riding point, showing the way, others are riding flank to keep the herd from spreading out too much, and then some are riding\u00a0at the back of the group of cattle,\u00a0bringing up the rear.\u00a0 Those\u00a0assigned to ride drag\u00a0were usually the lowliest hands, the newest hires, or someone in trouble with the boss.\u00a0 Their job was to keep the herd moving, to handle any animals in difficulty (headstrong, caught in briars or a ditch, etc), and such.\u00a0 In so doing, they ate the dust of the entire herd and emerged covered with grime.<\/p>\n

The word “deacon,” we’re told, comes from the Greek diakonos<\/em>, meaning literally “through the dust.”<\/p>\n

When problems arise within the congregation, when some church member is unhappy and spreading dissent, as a rule the worst person to deal with the cancer is the pastor himself.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Several reasons…<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

–In our congregational setup, often\u00a0the pastor\u00a0is the target of the unhappiness. So, in the crosshairs of someone’s gun, he is too\u00a0personally-invested to resolve this.<\/p>\n

Even when the issue is the pastor–he’s not doing his job, he’s doing it wrong, he’s out of town too much, preaching heresy, or needs to start wearing shoes in the pulpit–it’s best for a small group of lay leaders to deal with this.\u00a0 (See below for suggestions.)<\/p>\n

–The pastor\u00a0is vulnerable since his\u00a0employment is always subject to change.<\/p>\n

I’ve known for pastors to hesitate\u00a0approaching a troublemaker in the congregation because “he’s a big giver and we need him for the major project the church is doing.”\u00a0 So, the man gets a free pass to stir up unhappiness\u00a0in the church.<\/p>\n

I took my first church in November of 1962.\u00a0 Over these decades, I’ve heard far too many tales of pastors either having their mouth closed for fear of losing their job or being fired because they took a stand against some Pharisee in the congregation. In the first case, the pastor needs to be courageous even at the risk of losing his job.\u00a0\u00a0 And in the second case, he should wear his termination as a badge of honor.\u00a0\u00a0 But even so….<\/p>\n

It’s better to let the deacons handle the problem, even when the issue is the pastor himself.<\/p>\n

Here’s why the deacons make better trouble-shooters…<\/strong><\/p>\n

—The\u00a0trust level is high with the deacons.<\/em>\u00a0 As servants, when they\u00a0do their work\u00a0well, people believe in them and trust them.\u00a0 The congregation knows them, often better than they know the preacher.<\/p>\n

Our Lord taught, “He who would be great among you should be your servant.” (See Luke 22:24-27 and Matthew 20:25-28.)\u00a0 The point of that–not always obvious to everyone–is that when we serve faithfully, people trust us.\u00a0 They know we have no axe to grind and have their best interests at heart.<\/p>\n

Because they trust us, they receive our counsel and advice and they follow us.<\/p>\n

—The deacons’ cannot be pressured<\/em>.\u00a0 The bully who demands his own way and throws his weight around has no hold over the deacons, no leverage he can use against\u00a0them.\u00a0 He cannot threaten to fire the deacons.\u00a0 So, they are able to speak to him man-to-man, without fear of his bluster.\u00a0 (The deacon who will not speak truth to the blustery trouble-maker out of cowardice or fear\u00a0has no business being a deacon.\u00a0 Courage is a huge factor in church leadership.)<\/p>\n

—The deacons know the church as few others do.<\/em>\u00a0 They know the history, know who has a\u00a0 record of stirring up strife, and have experience in dealing with previous issues.\u00a0 They know what the congregation will stand for and where to draw the line.<\/p>\n

—The deacons stay.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Deacons do not come and go as we pastors often do.\u00a0 No one can accuse them of being on an ego trip, of trying to build a reputation, or using this church as a means of getting a bigger church.<\/p>\n

Suggestions on how\u00a0God’s troubleshooters should go about dealing with troublemakers…<\/strong><\/p>\n

First, once it becomes obvious that someone is stirring up strife, deacons who learn of this should consult with the pastor.\u00a0 Make sure of what you are doing.\u00a0 If you wade into the situation without knowing the facts, you could end up defending the wrong person, attacking someone doing right.<\/p>\n

Second, with the approval of the pastor, in most cases a couple of deacons will want to make an impromptu visit with the instigator of the problem.\u00a0(Note: two deacons; do not go alone.)<\/p>\n

Do not try to make an appointment.\u00a0 Just drop in.\u00a0 You’re only\u00a0going to be there for a few minutes. In many cases, the dissenter will try to avoid you if you call for an appointment.\u00a0 Or they’ll insist on knowing the details over the phone.<\/p>\n

Third.\u00a0\u00a0In the visit,\u00a0ask the person to tell you why he\/she is unhappy and spreading the dissent.\u00a0 You want to hear them out.\u00a0 In some cases, they have a legitimate gripe and you will need to have to do something about it.<\/p>\n

Fourth.\u00a0 At the end of your visit, assure them you will be back shortly.\u00a0 Have a brief prayer and leave.<\/p>\n

Fifth.\u00a0 Report to the pastor and deal with the issue if it can be addressed.\u00a0 Then, report to the individual.\u00a0 Pray with them and ask them to help you spread unity in the congregation.<\/p>\n

Sixth.\u00a0 If the individual is in the wrong with his\/her dissent, give them the right information. Then, ask them to spread their unhappiness no further for the sake of the Lord’s work.<\/p>\n

Concepts to keep in mind as you work with those stirring up trouble in the church…<\/strong><\/p>\n

One.\u00a0 Unity is a far bigger deal to our Lord than it is to us (to our shame).\u00a0 See Ephesians 4.\u00a0 In John 17:21,23 our Lord tied the unity of His people to evangelism.\u00a0 “That the world may believe.”\u00a0 When a church is divided, its evangelistic efforts come to naught.<\/p>\n

Two. In a congregation of many people, no one gets their way all the time.\u00a0 There is always discussion and prayer and then a decision is made.\u00a0 Those who did not get their way should support the will of the majority.<\/p>\n

Three.\u00a0 Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submit yourselves to one another in the fear of the Lord.”\u00a0 This simply means we should respect and love each other to the point that we do not insist on getting our own way.\u00a0 The rule is this:\u00a0 The stronger submits to the weaker.\u00a0 Simply stated, the weaker is not able to submit, but will demand his\/her own way like a tempermental four-year-old.\u00a0 Only the stronger can put his own preference in the background and let others have their way even when he disagrees.<\/p>\n

Four. The exception to letting others have their own way is when something really huge is at stake.\u00a0 If the gospel message (or a key doctrine such as the Virgin Birth, the Trinity, Salvation by Grace, inspiration of the Scriptures) is on the line, we draw a line in the sand and take our stand.\u00a0 But 99 percent of the divisive issues in our churches are concerned with lesser matters.<\/p>\n

Five.\u00a0 Writing to the much-divided church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul said, “Why not rather accept wrong?” (I Corinthians 6:7).\u00a0 That is, rather than tear up the fellowship of a church in order to settle a grievance, why not go ahead and let yourself be wronged and go forward.\u00a0 Take one for the team, as we say.<\/p>\n

Only the strong can do that.<\/p>\n

Deacons will sometimes have the opportunity to teach such concepts to the congregation.\u00a0 When they do, they help God’s people make giant strides toward maturity and effectiveness.<\/p>\n

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“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business….” (Acts 6:3). The original trouble-shooters–the Lord’s S.W.A.T. team perhaps–in the New Testament church … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-leadership","category-deacons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16337"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16346,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16337\/revisions\/16346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}