Thursday, 03 May 2012
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Our Misguided Concern With Celebrity Pastors
By Sam at Creative TheologyRob Bell and Francis Chan are two notable figures as it relates to shaping the theology of the American church. Both men are phenomenal communicators, in preaching sermons, creating videos, and writing books.
Both men left the churches they founded, stepping down from their pastoral role. Both men did so after writing bestsellers and speaking at the nation’s largest church conferences. I’m not making a judgement here, just pointing out observations regarding their similarity. I was at the Catalyst conference three years ago when both Bell and Chan spoke at the event. Both can hold a crowd of 30,000 in the palm of their hands.
So both men left their posts in their respective churches, one for television after becoming a Christian celebrity and one citing the need for obscurity after becoming a Christian celebrity.
I don’t doubt that these transitions are part of what God has in store for each man.
However, many have loudly and publicly doubted and questioned their intentions.
We don’t much worry ourselves with the pastors leaving ministry each year from burnout. You don’t read many blog posts or news stories about the pastors leaving ministry each year from moral failure. We don’t pay much, if any, attention to the pastors outside of the Evangelical speaking circuit and besteller lists.
Just a thought…Maybe we are fueling the burnout with our obsession over famous pastors. Maybe we are fueling the ministry burnout epidemic by the unnecessary pressure we place on pastors as a result of our misguided concern with celebrity pastors.
I also have a theory on the unnecessary pressures for pastors to become producers rather than shepherds, but that’s another post for another time.
Have any thoughts to share about this?
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About the Author
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- From: SamMahlstadt
- Name: Sam
- About Me: I am a graduate of the University of Iowa, where I studied English and Religious Studies. I am passionate about seeing the local church living in genuine relationship and maintaining a global mindset.
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Comments (4)
Pastors who set themselves up as CEOs of huge organizations labeled "churches" are asking for people to be obsessed. They put on a show for people to watch, and people do watch. Of course people are gonna pay attention to what they say.
I think that their theology is rightly questioned, and many fold under the pressure of being challenged when they often are preaching heresy. Otherwise, they grow rich and chase money and power, which is what many of them are after in the first place.
If a mega pastor preaches heresy, I'm all for his being burnt out. These people are wolves in sheep's clothing and should be called to repentance.
No one cares about the normal little pastor, in a little church, teaching right doctrine to his little congregation. And that's okay. He's doing his job, as Jesus told him to, and not becoming burnt out because he's not a CEO.
I really don't know those two guys from Adam. And I'm glad that the only celebrities in my spiritual life are Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Apostles and the great saints.
A celebrity pastor...
...what a strange concept.
God does not care whether you are a pastor of a mega church as people like Rob bell do not believe in an eternal Hell, They may be great in mens eyes but not in Gods.
Luke 16:15 KJVAnd he said unto them, Ye arethey which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your
hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.