A church can do whatever it chooses to do. It does not have to be cold-hearted or cruel.
4. Churches considering firing their ministers should think about a dozen aspects …
… including whether the Lord will be pleased with this, the reputation of the church within the denomination, the effect on the future ministry of this preacher, whether other churches will be willing to consider him or her, the effect of this on the pastor’s family, how many people within the church will be irreparably hurt by this termination, and so on.
5. It’s possible to take a vote on a pastor—one which he or she might lose—and it not be the death sentence for his or her ministry.
A church could actually vote: “We think Pastor Tom’s ministry here is finished as of today, but we love him and affirm him. And we will continue to provide his income until another church calls him as pastor.”
Or, it could vote: “We thank God for Pastor Eddie and pray for him. We believe his ministry here is nearing an end, however. We hereby request the administrative committee (or whoever) to work with Pastor Eddie and his family to provide a smooth transition and suitable support for them as long as is necessary. The committee will report back to the church regularly.”
Or something similar.
The point being, it’s not necessary to cold-heartedly fire the minister and cast him or her into outer darkness. It is possible to be redemptive in letting a minister go.
However—do not miss this—in most cases, the congregation will not vote to terminate. Pastors tend to have much more support within the church than a few people may think.
6. Avoid this manipulative ploy that some cruel leaders attempt. They tell the pastor, “If you force this to a vote of the congregation, you will be responsible for the church split.”
That’s almost humorous, it’s so blatantly false. It’s also dishonorable to God and unworthy of any self-respecting Christian.
Otherwise, find some other way.
If you’re a member of the congregation, it’s better to move your membership than to tear up a good church just because you don’t care for the present minister.
7. Ask a friend to tell you if you are acting unkindly, vindictively, harshly or unreasonably.
If you are, then apologize to everyone you know and make a pledge to sit down and be quiet. Once you “get in the flesh,” you are no longer qualified to deal with this matter because the devil is in the driver’s seat.
Consider this story from a pastor friend of mine:
My story: I was given a one-year leave of absence from my church. This lasted from August 1989 to August 1990. A few months prior to my leaving, I dealt with a search committee for a church that was twice our size, running around 2,000 in attendance. However, I ended it by informing them that the Lord was not going to let me run from our problems, that I had to see this thing through. Then, after I was unemployed, churches running a hundred in attendance were skeptical of me. It was as though I were a leper.
The only reason the church that hired me considered me was that they were recovering from an internal explosion 18 months earlier, leaving them with half the congregation and all the debt (several million dollars). The salary they offered was slightly over one-half of what I had been receiving at my previous church.
My situation is unusual—only in the 12-month package the church gave me. It is typical, however, in the difficulty in finding a new place to serve.
Only if the preacher’s ministry should come to an end—and only if you are willing to stand before the Lord and take account for your actions, which you and I will—should you vote to terminate his or her pastorate.
In all things, act like Jesus.
Better to put up with a lazy preacher or an ineffective one than to soil the name of your church and hurt a lot of people. As Paul said to the Corinthians, “Why not rather be wronged?” (1 Cor. 6:7).
“Dear Lord, save your church, please.”
Joe McKeever spent 42 years pastoring six Southern Baptist churches and has been writing and cartooning for religious publications for more than 40 years. This article was originally published on McKeever’s blog.