5 Ways to Deal with Rebellious People

I was talking to a pastor friend recently and could hear the pain in his voice as he described how a staff member was speaking against him to key church leaders. My friend had initially responded by either defending his reputation or ignoring the problem, hoping it would simply disappear.

This type of betrayal has been experienced by leaders dating back to the time of Moses. In Numbers 14:1–9, Moses and Aaron face an uprising over their decision to conquer the land God had promised. While many were tempted to surrender and stay put, Joshua and Caleb tore their garments and cried out to God, demonstrating the necessity of leadership resiliency in tough times.

How many times have you dealt with an uprising of influential people who disagreed with the direction God called you to take? Within a few lines of Scripture, specifically Numbers 14:5–9, God reveals five ways to deal with rebellious people that remain valid for today’s ministry, offering essential guidance on managing stress in church leadership.

• Repent of past sins.

Once the rebellion had taken hold, the camp leaders were shocked that the people would turn on them and God quickly. That pain has been felt countless times by ministers who have led people and churches from one season into another. They were leading like Christ, only to fall prey to the vile efforts of humankind. The valuable lesson that Moses and others showed was to repent of their sins and cry out to God to redeem them from the sinful nature of the community to which they belonged. As a leader, you cannot control how others act or what they will say, but you can acknowledge to God in a time of prayer and fasting the sin in the camp and repent of those sins as well as your own.

• Repair unholy damage.

As the rebellion was widespread, the leaders quickly reminded the community how God had shown up and blessed before. Yet, no amount of remembering could change the hardened hearts of those who took on fear over faith. The leaders did their best to rally the troops by reminding the wayward members of God’s promises and past victories but to no avail. The spiritual dye had been cast and harmed the community’s future. Through remembrance, a leader can provide a pivot point of healing as an off-ramp of rebellion, but the rebellious ones must accept or deny it. Sadly, many churches are being closed or split because of the revolutionary nature of being unrepented by leaders and members alike. God wants to see a restoration of the church through acknowledgment of past wrongs, a repented heart, and a willingness to find a new way forward.

• Remove idols holding you back.

Every church I have served, and every member I have met, has had to deal with idols (including me) as they obey what God has called them to do. Idols are strongholds that hold back God’s will for the church or people. The Israelite leaders realized rather quickly that the faith community had turned to a community of fear, which was driving their decision-making, and that they had to do something quick, or the promised land would slip away.

The Lord shone in the tent as the people grumbled and considered stoning Moses and the others. As God entered the meeting, the community was at a spiritual fork where they would obey or cling to personal idols. They chose the latter and would be struck by death, disease, and destruction. God does not want a program but a pattern of obedience that shows complete surrender. Be a leader who surrenders their ministry and mission in the local church to God.

• Recover through obedience.

If there is a chance to recover and return to God, then you must try to find a way. Recovering from sinful wants is obedience by turning from sin and returning to the Lord, but sadly churches are turning to their desires under the guise of God’s will. The Israelites lost the promise because they wanted it their way and not God’s. Serving the wishes of the Lord should be easy, but it’s difficult for many because they allow their desires to take hold. Even Moses, their leader, would miss out on the promised land, and I wonder how many pastors miss out on God’s best because they have found themselves in the community’s camp and not God’s.

Recovery will not be painless because there is accountability for past actions, but, in the end, it will restore the relationship lost in the interval and prepare the future to honor God in acts and deeds.

• Receive the promised land.

I bet you have been where Moses was, confronted by a rebellious spirit, targeted by character assassination, and maligned by innuendos. Moses acted out of compassion for his people and obedience to God’s call on his ministry. While the people abandoned God, he leaned into a relationship with him; while Moses did not enter the Promised Land, God rewarded him in the continuance of walking with him until his final days. Sometimes the promised land is not a place or time but a space with God.

You may be leading a rebellious people, much like Moses did, but you can either obey God or surrender to the sinful nature by lashing out and fighting with others inside the church. The choice is ultimately yours. The promise of God is still valid for you and your local church. “Send some men to explore the land … which I am giving” (Num. 13:2). God does not want you to give in to the rebellion but to rely on him to help move forward into the future.