…so the prospective pastor told the search committee in answer to the second of the pair of questions that every search committee asks.
The first question was, “What is your strong point?”
“Preaching, I suppose” answered the candidate.
Fair enough. The man might indeed be Spurgeon or he might be unable to preach his way out of a flimsy paper bag but at least the search committee and eventually the church will get to listen and judge for themselves. The worst that could be said about this answer is that the brother seriously overestimates himself. Many a congregation has been patient while their pastor learned to preach.
The second question was, “What would you say is your weak point?”
At this the pastor candidate paused to ruminate and then answered that he sometimes got mad. Give him points for honesty.
Surely, the committee explored this further. Surely, the committee discussed this among themselves in private without the candidate being present. Surely, surely, the committee went back to the candidate’s primary and secondary references and tried to learn more. Did the man have a problem with his temper, with his temperament, with his inability to be patient with others including deacons, church leaders, his congregation, and his family? Some illumination and expansion was absolutely demanded.
The committee conducted the degree of due diligence they thought appropriate after which they invited the man to preach in view of a call. The church called him. He accepted and soon moved to the field.
In due time the committee and the unsuspecting new congregation learned first hand about their new pastor and his problem with anger. The brother seemed to get mad over the slightest item that didn’t suit him. He was indignant over the most insignificant church decision. He showed his unguarded temper over any occasion when the deacons, church committee, church leader, or congregation failed to accede to his desires.
After about a year, the pastor, having alienated all the constituent groups in the church through his anger, his angry preaching, his anger in committees, left the church for a fresh field in which to display his inability to control his anger. Since even the most flawed pastor can get a following, the man took a bunch of people with him when he left.
A few observations:
1. Inappropriate anger is deadly to ministry. Since search committees are known not to do a thorough job, a minister who has a problem with anger can lurch from church to church for decades, leaving all of them worse off than before.
2. If an honest candidate discloses that this is an issue, a weak point, the committee had better find third parties that can move the matter from a general disclosure to specific incidents. Does the man expect everything to go his way? Are deacons expected to fall in line and never disagree? Is he someone who tolerates no disagreement without exploding in anger?
3. Do young pastors have as their role model they type of brother who is the unquestioned CEO – his word is the first and last word? There is a market for such pastor/CEOs but not in most Southern Baptist churches. Prospective CEOs should apply and get hired on as CEO for some business.
4. If a pastor gets angry at his church, his deacons, his committees, is it to be expected that his wife and children likely gets worse treatment in the privacy of the parsonage? I’m guessing that it is likely, and lamentable.
5. Is there a solution for an angry pastor? Sure. Several SBC entities offer free counseling. An older, wiser (even a younger and wiser) minister can help. Anger management techniques can be learned.
6. I get the feeling that some of my colleagues think that to be indignant and angry is a virtue, that it shows passion for the Lord and His work. Maybe 1% of the time this is true. Church people just see a preacher/pastor who is given to childish tantrums, hardly the expression of Christian virtue.
7. In most churches there is a layman who has the interpersonal skills to approach and help the angry young man/pastor in a non-confrontational, non-threatening manner. It is a sign of maturity and wisdom for the pastor to recognize such people and give them a hearing.
8. I’m not much into psychobabble but a guy that gets angry all the time probably has something messed up. Maybe he is depressed. Maybe something else.
The people on the search committee that heard the prospective pastor admit to anger issues will never not pay attention if another brother makes the same admission. Too bad they had to learn the hard way.
In my own struggles with the sin of anger, I’ve found Wayne Mack’s book Anger & Stress Management God’s Way to be quite helpful. I’ve written down his list of self-counseling questions and find myself asking them to myself when I begin to get angry. I commend the book to any who struggle with this sin.
All of this stuff makes me angry.
David 🙂
Nerd.
Yankee
That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.
Two words…GO CARDINALS!!
Heyward is a good addition to the Cards – and a great loss to the Braves. He was one of my favorites.
Yeah, I liked Heyward too, but Shelby Miller has been great.
I hated to give up Shelby Miller. He’s a great, young pitcher, with loads of potential. And now, with the season ending injury to Wainwright, the Cards really needed his arm in the starting pitcher’s lineup. But, it is what it is. And, I’m glad we’ve got Heyward, although he’s been in a slump to start off the year. I’m sure he’ll break out of it, soon. I hope so. We need Heyward and Matt Adam’s bats to wake up.
Go Cards!
David
Heyward is really good when he is hot – and when he is not….well….he’s really not.
Heyward is quick in the field and has got a rocket arm – base runners better pay attention to his when he has the ball.
I have confidence in the Birds…we’ll get there…….I hope. If we don’t I will get very ANGRY!!! 🙂
William, I was raised in a family where temper control was an issue -across the board, parents and sybling. This environment, my personality type and probably several other factors produced in me a short temper, often a violent temper. Through God’s sanctification process that temper, anger has all but disappeared.
However, occasionally I find my self being aggravated and the fuse beginning to burn short. There is absolutely one constant when this happens, a neglected devotional life. I am convinced a believer who is constantly angry has neglected their time with our Lord.
Thanks for the thoughts.
I love your point about those who think that their anger is justified, or is a righteous anger, when that is actually very rarely the case. Indeed, in most of my times of anger, at the time I considered myself justified, but looking back, I was just a prideful, sinful jerk. But too many never make it to the point of realizing they are the problem, and continue to cling to a righteous anger that is completely without righteousness. Good words, thanks!
The number of people who say that their anger is “righteous” and justified is vastly greater than the the number for whom that is in ANY way acccurate!
“3. Do young pastors have as their role model they type of brother who is the unquestioned CEO – his word is the first and last word? There is a market for such pastor/CEOs but not in most Southern Baptist churches. Prospective CEOs should apply and get hired on as CEO for some business.”
I know this was not your main point, but I wonder if this is not something that needs to be addressed more often in our seminaries…When I was at seminary (2006-2010), there was LOTS of talk about going into churches and “revitalizing” them into more biblical, effective churches. The implication was, “YOU have now been trained and educated, YOU are the solution these churches have been waiting for….Yes, you will have opponents, but they will be wrong, you will be right, so press on!”
All of those things might actually be true in some cases, but I don’t know that it sets up a young 20-something for a successful first pastorate…
I don’t object to seminaries motivating the young theologs. They doggone well should. Seems we have a surfeit of leadership resources swirling around us. It would help if a “Leadership for Idiot SBC Pastors” was made available. I could have used it way back in the day…maybe even now.
I realize this, The goal of moving a church closer to both Biblicism & effectiveness is a worthy one…and one that will take stick-tuitiveness…but I fear that some translate this into CEO-type monarchy.
I have not read all the replies, so someone may have already mentioned this. We must keep in mind that anger at its root is a sin issue. The church has become adept at sending people who support groups to learn how to feel good about their sinfulness. Therefore, the kind of counseling that needs to be applied is biblical counseling. He doesn’t need to learn to count to ten. He needs to repent and Learn to live in light of his union with Christ…if he is saved.
There could be any number of things for that second question that would make a pastor undesirable. In fact, I would say there is only one good answer for the first question:
“I trust God for everything because without him I’m weak in all things.”
If that’s not your strong point, A) nothing else can be your strong point and B) nothing else can take care of any weak point you have, which is everything else.
So aside from this, a search committee may be looking for some particular gifts that you tend to excel in or points where you struggle, so it’s okay to give them some idea of those things, but focus primarily on trusting God to help you in all areas and make that your strongest point.
OK…I’ll be the one to say it…
The hypothetical person in the post is not qualified to be a pastor. A pastor must not be quick-tempered and must not be pugnacious.
There goes my ordination 🙂
Bart’s spot on, and I dare say that it probably disqualifies more than we know who are already serving as pastors. Fortunately, most that I know are well qualified.
I’d agree. Wouldn’t you think a search committee would check enough secondary references to get to the same understanding?
I’ve known many who were combative, short tempered, and pugnacious and they all seemed to do fine moving to new churches.
The case I used is not hypothetical, unfortunately.
One wishes that all search committees were so diligent. Some are not so diligent because they are so, so desperate.
I knew a guy who had to leave his church because he punched a deacon. I’m sure it was gratifying in the moment. I’m sure a few of his colleagues felt a little vicarious gratification upon hearing the story. Considering that it ended his ministry there and did nothing to improve the situation either of his ministry or that church, one can understand why scripture highlights these particular character flaws as dangerous to the church when a pastor possesses them.
What if the deacon deserved a belt?
Are you saying the calling of that pastor into ministry was false or ineffectual due to the tenure of his ministry?…..perhaps his giving into the temptation of retaliation?
How do you know that the pinnacle of his ministry as far as God’s permissive purpose in that particular church was not achieved by that deacon getting one bounced off his nose.
The bible, If I’m not mistaken also warns against pastor/shepherd types who stretch the truth, grab for glory and covet worldly goods…..ever had issues with these to the point a resignation is forthcoming?
Good afternoon, Scott.
I’m just trying to understand “not quick-tempered” and “not pugnacious” as they are given to us as biblical qualifications for the office of pastor. “Not pugnacious” is important enough that it appears BOTH in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 (not that the ones appearing only once are not important).
Now, could I imagine a circumstance where punching a deacon might be the right thing to do? Perhaps he’s beating a widow with a nightstick. By all means, punch his lights out to save that defenseless woman. But that’s not what was going on in this guy’s life. This pastor was in a dispute with this deacon. The pastor got angry. He lost his temper. He punched the guy.
That’s, by my understanding, pretty much a textbook definition of pugnacious. I feel safe concluding that the moment when he is living out a character flaw that scripture warns us to avoid when selecting pastors is ipso facto never the pinnacle of anyone’s ministry.
You make a good point to suggest that the pastoral qualifications aren’t low and that any of us who come to them in anything other than fear or trembling are excessively proud and are likely in danger sooner than we think. Most of the pastors I know do meet the qualifications, as I understand them.
Bart,
I am in no way trying to defend a pastor who punches a church member – please understand that – I too obviously thing that we as pastors should conduct ourselves in godly ways at all times – but being that we all humans still battling the sin nature – I also know this is not the case.
(assuming the outburst of anger manifested by a punch – was a momentary judgement lapse in anger)
Is it not possible that the passages referring to “quick tempered” and “Pugnacious/Brawler” refers more to a lifestyle or habitual than a one time occurrence – no?
Especially if the pastor is repentant and conciliatory after the fact. Agreed that his ministry at that church is likely on the downward path – but complete disqualification for a single outburst of anger? Shouldn’t the standard be more about the totality of his life instead of a momentary lapse?
What about Peter becoming combative and aggressive at the denial – not to mention the arrest of Christ with the cutting off of the ear of the soldier – no doubt he was going for the neck….
Say some church member verbally accosts your child or wife – you see this and you get a little miffed – you go to break it up and the person says something that flies all over you – in a moment – an instinct if you will – you swing on him – is that necessarily a disqualifying act?
Might there be an opportunity for the church to see their pastor admit his sin, repent publicly, seek and receive, and grant forgiveness, restore the relationship, and so on???
Now if the pastor is known for a bad temper (either verbal or physical) – or similar scenarios happen repeatedly – then I think we have a brawling character issue that is certainly disqualifying.
Tarheel,
I’m open to that.
Hypothetical: The pastor just learned that his wife has a very serious cancer and is in danger for her life. Devastated, he stops by the church office to inform his staff that he will be out for the day. Upon his arrival, he finds that a deacon is there to clean his clock for overspending the budget account for the electric bill. He bloodies the guy’s nose.
Yeah, I can see that action in that moment not being reflective of the pastor’s character.
However, I would add this caution: I think that most of the time our character is revealed the most accurately not in the public moments when we’ve got it all together but in those trying moments when we’re under pressure. “He’s a nice guy when nobody makes him mad” is perhaps not a very strong defense. 🙂
Yea, I see that point….and it is actually the point I am trying to make, if a pastor has that *reputation* then he clearly is not qualified as his temper is his reputation…ya know what I mean?
I am just trying to say there is a difference between the examples you and I gave of a momentary flash and a reputation/lifestyle.
The one with the reputation for anger is disqualified – but the one who acts out once might or might not be.
I’ve known churches that would pay good money for preachers willing to punch out a few deacons. ;^)
“Dear brothers, let every man be quick to listen but slow to use his tongue, and slow to lose his temper. For man’s temper is never the means of achieving God’s true goodness.” (James 1:19-20 Phillips)
We’ve all come to the point that we’d like to punch someone at church. I’m sure there’s a deacon or two who would like to punch me. (More than a few bloggers – one a comment or two above here, perhaps?)
But “man’s anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God.” And any pastor who resorts either to verbal cruelty or to physical violence has demonstrated that he has some serious spiritual issues.
To attempt to justify that as somehow part of God’s plan would make it even worse.
Dave
That was my lifestyle before I was saved. Should I continue to punch those who need it, I think not.
In every church I have pastored there has been someone who wanted to punch me but my wife has shown great restrsaint.
LOL!