We Need A New Pastor
Sometimes we as members of a church can feel like there is something that our Pastor or staff members are not doing for us. Maybe we even feel slighted by that person or maybe we just feel as if we are not being fed. What follows is a simple thought process when we are feeling these emotions.
Bobby McCallister
3/17/20253 min read
WE NEED A NEW PASTOR
The lesson I taught this past Sunday, following a sermon on the same subject, was from Acts 9:19-31. The context, generally stated, is the early stage of the Apostle Paul’s ministry. Again generalizing, it described the period just before and after Paul spent time in the Arabian desert, and talked about him basically practicing apologetics in “proving” and “debating” to show that Jesus was the Messiah that had been prophesied. He did all of this in the synagogues, which were the “churches” of the Jews at that time and now.
However, it was the last part of the section that gained my attention more than the rest. In verse 31, it states, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” This reminded me of the description of the church in Acts 2:42-47, where the church is described as devoted to the teaching and to the fellowship, and everyone being in awe of the signs and wonders. The believers had everything in common and sold possessions to take care of others. They ate meals together and praised God while enjoying the favor of those inside and outside the church body. Finally, it says, “And the Lord added to their number DAILY those who were being saved.
Most everyone that attends church today is hoping for their church to grow. We may think if only we had a more dynamic pastor, or a better youth leader, or our music minister sang better we would grow. What if we did more programs for young people, took more trips, or had better video games in the youth room? Maybe we need more eye-catching signs or a bigger and better church complex, a new gymnasium or a bigger kitchen to serve food from.
The problem is that I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that this is the formula for a growing church. The only time in the New Testament that I find a large influx of people brought about by a dynamic “church service” is on the Day of Pentecost, and I believe that all would agree that is a special circumstance. No, I think there is a very clear formula for a growing church.
What my church needs is a better me. I need to realize that my church, read that as God, wants me to be available for whatever it is He calls me to do or not do. He wants me to love others and not bring them down. He wants me to study his word and get to know him better and let him change me from the inside out. He doesn’t want me to gossip, whether it be about my pastor or any other church member.
Then he wants me to get outside of those church walls and as I go about my daily business throughout the week, he wants me to share about the blessings of being in his presence and let people see how he changes me. In fact, he promises that he will put things on me that I cannot handle so that others can see him work and not me. The same God that created the universe actually wants to change the world, through silly humans like me. So the next time you are feeling dissatisfied with your church or with God himself, think about this:
I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now, thought
How’d we ever get so far down, and
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God why don’t you do something”
Well I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God why don’t you do something?”
He said, “I did, yeah, I created you”
Lyrics by Matthew West