It has been said that all we need to grow as believers is our Bibles and the Holy Spirit. I agree with that statement, but we have also been given pastors and teachers, by God, to help instruct us along life’s pathway. Just as the members of your congregation need help and advice from time to time, so do God’s men. The million dollar question is, “To whom do pastors go to when they need help?” The answer, of course, is God and other pastor friends. Specifically though… what kind of pastor friends should folks go to when needing advice?
Sometimes it is just as helpful to know who NOT to frequent for advice as it is to know who to go to. This post seeks to address this issue in a candid fashion. Though it may appear that I am a bit harsh, I am endeavoring to be “to the point” in my thoughts.
(Proverbs 11:14) “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (KJV)
Listed below are some important tips for pastors who are looking for advice from other men in the ministry!
#1 – Beware Of The Insulated!
One of the detriments of taking advice from some people is it’s lack of relevance. Some preachers are well established in a routine of ministry, and depending upon the size, scope, and style of one’s ministry, the advice given may not be very helpful. Sometimes these varying factors inhibit men of God from giving sound, relevant advice to other preacher friends.
For example, if a preacher is in a very populated urban ministry, then he is not a very practical source of help to a “country” preacher. This does not mean that no ideas can be exchanged. Quite the contrary! It just means that some points of advice will be totally irrelevant.
Another great example of this is when some preachers try to tell another preacher how to carry out their ministry. Some pastors think they know just exactly how a missionary ought to raise his support or how they should carry out their ministry on the field. Many of these same advice giving pastors have never had to raise one dime of monetary support to carry out ministry, nor have many of them participated in ministries overseas or in an area opposite their culture. While it is true that certain principles are immutable, it is commonplace to see God use a variety of methods to carry out these timeless precepts.
#2 – Beware Of The Agreeable!
Not only should one steer clear of insulated pastor friends, at times, one should also avoid agreeable ones as well. “YES” men should not be asked about certain issues because they will not be an objective source of instruction. Some advice, which is needed in ministry, should be direct and to the point. If you seek a close friend who is of an agreeable personality, then you are very likely to get an easy going answer. Fearing to hurt your feelings, the TRUTH will not be shared the way it could otherwise. Your friend may think a lot of you, but he may fail a bit in his advice.
#3 – Beware Of The Egotistical!
Some people don’t give good advice because their ego overshadows the admonishment. Not only is it hard to take advice from people with gigantic egos, it is usually accompanied with baggage that is not worth dealing with. What’s worse, you conclude your conversation feeling as though you were talked down to and possibly interrogated. It is just not worth the effort! Though some pastors are greatly used of the Lord, they have faults like anyone else. It is wise to be careful from whom we take advice, but this is especially true concerning those with huge egos.
#4 – Beware Of The Novice!
For some strange, yet all too common, reason younger pastors think they know absolutely everything about everything and if you don’t think so, then ASK one of them. “We all admire their zeal and we all have to start someplace” may be the disclaimer for dealing with this, but it does not serve one ounce of good when you need objective Biblical advice on certain issues. The older a pastor gets, the more he learns from his mistakes. One of the most common regrets, expressed from older pastors, is some of the advice they gave as a young preacher. It is awesome that we have a God that can straighten out poor advice!
Conclusion
As we conclude this post you might think I am being hard on preachers. I admit that without reservation. The truth is that I do so because I have made the exact same mistakes as presented. Maybe you can see yourself making these or variations of these in your ministry? If so, then change!
The point of this post has been to challenge each one of us to be extremely careful from whom we take advice. It can also be seen how we should NOTgive advice. Our actions have eternal consequences and it should behoove us to remember that when acting upon someone else’s instructions/advice.
Would you consider purchasing…
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Spiritual Discipleship: Principles of Following Christ for Every Believer |
By J. Oswald Sanders / Moody Publishers
As J. Oswald Sanders points out, true discipleship is more than intellectual assent to a belief in Christ—it involves the whole person and lifestyle.
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