Does any one have an opinion on this? If a pastor refuses to have financial meetings with the church members that pay tithes, and never lets anyone in the church have a say so in anything that goes on, and has pretty much done away withthe board members should this set off red flags?

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Joel I think it is the wrong way for a church to be operated. I think the membership should be involved in al activities of the church. I think the more you can involve each member the stronger your church will be. In those times when the church may lack a pastor the church will be much better prepared to function properly in the short term.

Mel

Or is it part of a bigger church association or denomination? Sounds like trouble brewing there to me if the pastor is setting himself up to be the king. There should be some form of church leadership that keeps the pastor from having total say on all issues like finances. It is for the protection of the pastor and the congregation.

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Gotta have hounds in heaven!

nope our congregation is only 140 total people, but we believe that the pastor is the head of the church just as the husband is the head of the household and therefor you don't go against leadership of the church, especially the pastor,and i know thats biblical and right...............but when if enough? After 8 years of this, and it's a total dictatorship of all things, then when is the time to say something and run the risk of being labled as a trouble maker? Thing is more than several families feel the same but don't want to stir the pot. Any Pastor coon hunters out there to answer?

I am the head of my family but I work with my family and boys together and at the end of the day I am responsible to God for how we are doing. Your pastor is really taking headship to mean total power from what you are saying. It sounds like he can make everyone toe the line and if they don't it means to him that they are not following God. I honor and respect my pastor but as one of the elders in our church we pray for and hold our pastor accountable and he also answers to our district superintendent who in turn answers to our national board of leaders and church president. No one in that chain of authority would say that anyone else could not challenge them on a decision or question them if they seemed to be straying personally or doctrinally. Maybe your pastor is above reproach on the finances but he should not have it so that no one else is aware of how things are setup or what is spent and for what it is spent. Sounds like he is hiding behind his authority. Pray for him to want to make these matters of finance an open book to the leaders in your church.

I don't even see anywhere in the Bible that it creates a position of "the pastor". A pastor is just another elder. The idea that they're the king, c.e.o. or boss of a body of believers is just silly and a result of us paying pastors. The leader is Biblically supposed to be a servant.

Never forget, you don't need a mediator, Jesus is the mediator for you. It's so funny to me how full circle the Church has come. We all pretty much come from the Protestant Reformation, rejecting Rome's authority,,, now we've replaced the pope with local pastors... evidenced with comments like, we submit to our pastor, lol.

Let me answer your question this way: IN THE BIBLE JESUS said don't let anyone call you teacher, father etc...... and in Jesus's greatest teaching on leadership, he knelt down and washed feet. So thinking about these words and actions of Jesus.... do the actions of your pastor seem to fit what Jesus is getting at?

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Esse quam Videri

This being a servant is another sore subject withalot of the congregation.Your word of Jesus being the foot washer is exactly correct but our pastor is definately not that servant wayto say the least.But the question is what is the christian thing to do here.No matter what you don't want to do two wrongs to try to make one right.My opinion right now is to simply just find a new church and not cause a stumbling block for anyone else at the church.

Pray and in the spirit seek the will of God.

Mel

Now I do believe that in the operation of Churches there should be a "checks and balances" system. I truly believe that God guided the founding fathers of our nation with the principles that they established. Each "branch" of the government is held accountable to the other. In much the same way, the deacons, elders, and pastor of a traditional church are the checks and balances system. We are all tempted by satan. Even pastors and elders. Holding everyone accountable to someone can effectively neutralize these temptations.

It's much like this... the husband is the "pastor" of the household. We are to provide effective servant leadership for our families, and pray that God guides all we do. Now... would you use that biblical principle to take over all financial affairs and never show your wife any portion of the budget. I'm talking she makes the same as you do, you hand her 50 dollars a week and you take the rest to pay the bills and make all transactions as you see fit with never consulting her. How long does anyone think that will last? Hope that puts it into perspective.

Joey

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For we who are strong out to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please ourselves.
Romans 15:1

everyone has an opinion ... i agree the pastor is the leader of the congregation ... in my past the pastor always at least allowed the members to be knowledgeable of the finacial state of the church and i personally believe that is the way it should be ...