Opus 2025-324: Growth Potential

Is it possible for church to grow beyond the level of the pastor?

Can a church rise higher than the spiritual standing of the pastor?   I am thinking of the growing number of churches that are rejecting the orthodox teachings of Christianity as revealed in the Bible.  For that matter, many are rejecting the Bible.  What are the chances of finding truth in an atmosphere dedicated to falsehood?  Some people commit to staying in a church that is going apostate and hope to be a force for revival.  Does that ever work?

Suppose the pastor accepts the teaching of scripture but remains what Paul would call a “babe in Christ”.  What if he lacks and is not seeking spiritual maturity?  Can a church move beyond spiritual maturity of the pastor?  If he doesn’t have any discipline, exercising any spiritual gifts, spend time in personal study and worship, will the church ever be able to develop behind that?

What if the pastor isn’t real smart?  What if he is deficient intellectually and has no desire to learn more?  What if the pastor doesn’t see anything beyond superficial and refuses to study and broaden his understanding?  Will the church ever go beyond the superficial?

We could keep going down this road but the question remains.  I am one of those people who think that church splits and a general exodus can be healthy for the life of the real church.  A change can often bring new growth in individuals if it is done for the right reasons.  If you are a believer I would invite you to seriously think about the question.  Keep in mind that there is no perfect church and no perfect pastor.  Just because he doesn’t use the translation you like is no reason to go running to greener pastures.  I have learned to look for the insights in the KJV because that is what my church uses.  The positives might outweigh the negatives and we need to be sure that we are not one of the negatives.

homo unius libri