The Weight of Firing a Pastor: Why Termination is the ‘Death Stroke’ for Ministry

This is the most painful subject I ever deal with (and I write about plenty of them).

The very nature of church conflict demands that the pastor be found in the midst of the firestorm. Sometimes, he is an innocent bystander, sometimes she inherited the problem, sometimes he is the problem and at all times he or she tries to be a healer.

In every case, the pastor gets bloodied in the fray.

The church consultant we brought in to help us deal with a 30-year split in the congregation did his interviews, took his polls and then announced, “McKeever is not this church’s problem. But he has become the focus of it in the minds of many. So, I’m going to recommend that he leave and the church start afresh with someone new.”

Sheesh. Thanks a lot, friend.

But, that’s how it happens sometimes. A pastor was trying to help the church and was downed by friendly fire, as we call it.

At other times, the pastor is neither a healer nor an innocent bystander. Sometimes, he or she is the problem and the congregation decides to take action.

The only question is, “What action?”

The most severe action a church can take is to terminate the minister. Fire him. Oust her. Send him packing. Vote her out. Force him from the pulpit.

Call it whatever you want.

Termination is the death stroke, the ultimate statement that “this man’s or woman’s ministry in this church is beyond repair.”

But consider what it says when a minister is voted out.

Terminating the preacher is an announcement to the world that this preacher is a failure and we do not recommend him to any church anywhere.

The typical church, however, would balk at that and insist, “No, we don’t want him out of the ministry. We just want him out of our church.”

No matter, friend. This is the result of your action.

RELATED “WHO’S IN CHARGE? THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST”

Do not miss that.

By firing the minister, you are guaranteeing he or she will be out of the Lord’s work for some time, years in all likelihood, and in many cases, permanently.

I recently posted a simple paragraph on Facebook stating, “If you are going to fire a preacher, you’d better have good reason, friend. Because you will face a holy God and account for your behavior.”

Within hours, the number of “likes” reached the hundreds. Two days later, it was past a thousand. Furthermore, the “shares” are out of sight. Clearly, this post struck a nerve.

And something else happened.