“You need a PASTOR…but sometimes you don't.”
Editorial Note: Image used for illustrative purposes only. The individuals depicted are not associated with the author of this article.“Let’s just get this out of the way... I believe in the ministry gift of the Pastor. I love, support, and receive from profound elders locally and internationally who care for me deeply in a plurality of ways.
In fact, if I had stayed around some of the churches I have been part of, no doubt I would be part of the eldership team or a Senior Leader (shudders silently).”
However, what is exhausting to me in this hour and it is an unsettling narrative being pushed among my peers "en mas" is this kind of guilt tripping meant to push us into another church building so that we can undergo whatever series of tasks and programs is being propagated.
And, as someone who actually LOVES and supports many an assembly I am often conflicted as to how I can address matters of this sort in a day wherein I am acutely aware that Senior Pastors and Leaders are at times inflated with an unsettling sense of self that makes them believe they are the cure all to whatever "ails" those who they wish to see marched into what is becoming more and more space with more chairs than people.
A harrowing reality is it seems that people have taken into their own hands their spiritual journeys and processes and learning to foster ideologies that serve them to whatever degree they deem needful. This practice in my mind is not one that I support but it is nonetheless one I understand because while more and more preachers we hold in admiration harp to us that we are out of order and need a Pastor.
There seems to be this lack of consideration as to the reasoning that confidence and leaning into gathering around (usually) one individual no longer WORKS for many of us..and I wish to provide some insight into what I believe are considerations we often do not wish to hold in tension.
They may align themselves with some fellowship, move up the pipeline to become a Bishop, or presume themselves an Apostle as it fits them. However, we do not see actively engagement of elders being engaged by elders.
Thus, when there is this ranting and raving for them to be considered as the most necessary vehicle for your life..it is fascinating to REALIZE they do not have such a dynamic present. And if it is operative it is usually weak and self-serving. Therefore, they are not being formed.
They are not being challenged. They are not being corrected. They are not being expected to show up and do the myriad of tasks being held as a standard for congregants.
“Pastors are not Pastored…not really.”
As someone who has preached and served over 20+ years locally and internationally, I can attest that most Senior Leaders I know are not under the same level of pressure and accountability they require of their congregations.
They may align themselves with some fellowship, move up the pipeline to become a Bishop, or presume themselves an Apostle as it fits them. However, we do not see actively engagement of elders being engaged by elders.
Thus, when there is this ranting and raving for them to be considered as the most necessary vehicle for your life..it is fascinating to REALIZE they do not have such a dynamic present. And if it is operative it is usually weak and self-serving.
Therefore, they are not being formed. They are not being challenged. They are not being corrected. They are not being expected to show up and do the myriad of tasks being held as a standard for congregants.
“It’s always about the set man or woman of the house…and never about the set family.”
I cringe at how we fuel this super star culture of Christianity that promotes a man or woman into "godly fame" (foolish rhetoric I learned from a preacher in Chicago..)...as opposed to the need for family. We have Pastor's anniversary and never celebrate the elders. We have in our black context, especially entire week long meetings for the Bishop/Pastor/Apostle..in fact we still have celebrations to remember the man or woman who started that assembly which is fine.
However, we never remember the man who laid their lives down equally and at times even more than the person who preached on the microphone every Sunday. I don't want a Pastor.. I want a family. As an Apostle (yes I said it)..I am inundated with the most beautifully profound people I have ever met. Yet, what I yearn for is not to hear what my man or woman of God has to say...but to know that the many who love me and care for my well-being are also in great spirits.
We offer a PERSON when Christ came to offer A FAMILY. Thus, we see flyers all around your buildings that make clear who is the central figure here. I walk into churches and see glossy portraits of the Senior Leaders. The praise and worship is meant to set up for the Senior Leaders. the offerings are designed to secure the Senior Leaders. And the most IMPORTANT part of our gatherings center around the Senior Leader..which is why worship is 15 minutes and your Bishop or Apostle talks for at least 60 minutes...because we see what ONE MAN has to say as more needful than what ONE BODY has to say to HIM...
“Our Pastors and Leaders are not Interconnected.”
Last year in my country when Mount Tabor Church had a split I saw this dynamic play out in an ever greater fashion... I took note of how behind the scenes pastors and leaders took sides making clear (behind the scenes) that they were for one and against the next. It reminded me that Church Leaders often function like the MAFIA as opposed to an actual BODY of ELDERS in a REGION who make up the EKKLESIA.
We don't often have organic connections among those who lead in the household of faith that transcend denominations, gender, and social affiliations. Elders blink at the corruption of other elders.
Pastors and leaders don't often seem to help others of their own sort when it is not convenient for them.
And more than a few have started their own assemblies and relish the idea of members from other congregations filling their churches and the associated offerings their coffers...it makes me NAUSEOUS when I sense selfish ambition and pride driving those who want to be held as worthy of trust and discipling.
“Speaking on Discipleship.”
Many preachers I know of today at least in my country are not formed well. They have risen through the ranks or somehow became self starters. But, discipleship which seems to be pivotal reality in the mandate given by Jesus is a lost art and nothing that actually happens.
You cannot disciple well if you do not know what it is to be discipled. And true discipleship is not preaching on a microphone Sunday to Sunday..and though the preaching of the gospel is a part of it..that is not all there is to it.
As I watch the congress of preachers emerging in my day and hear the theological postulations and attitudes that often lie under the surface, it becomes clear that the goal is not shaping people in the image of Christ but rather inspiring them or giving some notes to get folk from one Sunday to the next.
And if this is it…why should I or those I know be encouraged to walk into our buildings and COMMIT their lives into the care of those who have ceased to experience what they offer and advocate for to others? It is hypocrisy.
Here is a HARD TRUTH — I became better in my service to Jesus and bore more fruit and labored more effectively when I was no longer under the governance and associated with the very places and people I gave my heart to. A truth that still BOTHERS ME...
Nations opened up after I stopped attending church consistently. I leaned more into the gospel and sound doctrine when I stopped following the leaders and elders I did so well.
And I grew in boldness and discernment because I stopped doing "church" like most people I know here in my country. And behind the scenes,
I still uphold many who are under distress in these contexts, and more than a few who are either leaders themselves or advancing can attest to the fact that I served and washed their feet publicly and privately.
“I don’t need another JOB, BOSS, CEO OR PERSON TO APPROVE ME.”
When church becomes a kind of system meant as a kind of approval system, we are in trouble. I believe in being faithful. I am wholeheartedly for serving people on every level. I send text messages, I call folk, I engage in lengthy WhatsApp messages, I pray for people, I prophesy over folk, and basically give much of my mind and heart on a day-to-day basis in care for those who serve Jesus.
HOWEVER, I will be DAMNED before I ever do such things as if they are meant as some to-do list to "qualify" me for anything. These are, for me, the fruit of love. And when I see people in church pandering and working (unless they are on salary) for reasons other than love, I want no parts.
I have, without reservation, given up titles, positions, elevations, affirmations, and all the things that seem to give my peers a sense of significance because my LOVE for Him drives me and I OWE HIM my all... and excuse my cockiness... I have the SCARS to PROVE and the SACRIFICES made to showcase that I did what I did in the gospel without the approval of MEN....
I don't want to be someone's deacon; you can keep your turned-back collar if it is about me making you proud, and I've done more work that is akin to the Bishopric than a number I see who wear beautiful garments with uplifted heads and not bowed-low hearts...
In essence, the idea of pandering for approval doesn't sit well with me... and sadly, it's part of the dynamic being pushed in our day.
Now, I know my commentary may get some pushback, a fact I am fine with. It is not written as perfect theology nor to undermine the narrative that I am somehow rebellious or unsubmitted. The truth is I am simply not another dog that you can tell to fetch. I relish freedom and love the family of faith... and am a bit less tolerant of some of the craziness that comes across some pulpits....
So do I believe we need PASTORS... absolutely. BUT only if these pastors are actually in the care of gracious men and women on every level advocating for their maturity. Otherwise, we end up with a bottle-neck system and see the uprising of more narcissistic men and women who LORD over the congregation of the righteous...
These are my imperfect thoughts... and the rantings of a faithful millennial who has done the work...
About the Author
Apostle Elexio Baillou is a radical apostolic voice from Nassau, Bahamas. Through preaching, teaching, and international ministry, he challenges pre-conceived notions about faith, leadership, and the Church, calling the Body of Christ into deeper maturity and relationship with Jesus as the embodiment of grace. His insights provoke thought, confront church structures, and consistently point believers back to Christ as the foundation of all spiritual growth.
Published on The Healthy Pastor Initiative™ with permission.