Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Church for Men

Home
Evangelical
Do you worship your pastor?

Do you worship your pastor?

Last updated on: August 26, 2019 at 7:24 pm by David Murrow

Do you worship your pastor? 2019-08-26T19:24:40-09:00 David Murrow

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

As you might have guessed, I’ve talked to a lot of guys who’ve quit going to church. Their reasons vary, but a significant number fell away when they became disenchanted with their preacher.

My own father was among these men. Dad became angry with our minister over some petty disagreement. We stopped going to church when I was seven years old. Dad never attended regularly again.

Women see things differently. They are much less preacher-centered. When you ask a woman about her church she’ll tell you about her women’s group. Or the wonderful children’s ministry. Or the great worship music.

But when you ask a man about his church, the first (and often only) thing he talks about is the pastor. He doesn’t talk about the facilities. He doesn’t talk about his friendships. He talks about his pastor and the quality of his sermons. “Oh, Pastor Jimmy is just a regular guy. His sermons are awesome!” Or, “Our new pastor is a lousy teacher. I’m starving to death.”

Men don’t follow religions. Men don’t follow philosophies. Men don’t follow ideas. Men follow men.

Why is this?

For millennia men have organized themselves into hierarchical units to achieve their objectives – hunting, battle, seafaring, etc. Their very survival depended on the strength and wisdom of their leader.

So for men, competent leadership is subconsciously linked to survival. Men are greatly comforted when led by a man they trust. But they panic when their leader shows signs of incompetence.

As a result, men tend to lionize heroic leaders. This is why men pay $10 to watch cinematic heroes like James Bond, Jason Bourne and Iron Man. We are drawn men who can make the right decisions under pressure.

We bring this hero-worship into our daily lives. If an employee loves his boss, he loves his work. If a soldier loves his commanding officer, he loves the military. If an athlete loves his coach, he loves his team. And if a parishioner loves his pastor, he loves his church.

Pastoral competence isn’t the only criterion by which men judge their church. Good music, a nice facility and of course, a palpable sense of God’s presence all figure into the equation. But in most cases a man’s love for his church depends in large part on how he feels toward the minister.

So what are men searching for? A leader they can look up to and respect. They want a father who will instruct, encourage, and guide them. They seek a leader who is strong enough to confront him them the truth—without crushing them under a hammer of judgment.

So how about you? Does your attitude toward church rise or fall based on your respect for your pastor? If so, repent. You may be worshipping your pastor — not Jesus.

Preaching and teaching

women

Previous Post

March 10, 2016

Andy Stanley's real errors

Next Post

March 22, 2016 The day my marriage blew up

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category boys Bullying children's ministry Church Church planting church structure Communication Conservatism devotion Discipleship eternity evangelism Family Fathers Feminism Feminization giving thanks God Humor Jesus Leadership Liberalism Marketing marriage masculinity men's ministry men's studies mission movies Parenting Pastoring persecution Politics pop culture Prayer Preaching and teaching Prison Ministry religion secularism sex spiritual growth sports women Worship youth culture youth ministry

Select a Month July 2020 April 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, yet humble and riding on what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A donkey A white horse A camel A chariot