The Cult of Personality within the Church

From its inception the Christian Church has had to deal with the dilemma of people becoming infatuated with spiritual leaders within the Church (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-17). And today … not much has changed. For today when you ask a person where he or she attends Church, you may receive the response: “I go to Pastor Dave’s Church” or “I go to Pastor Jim’s Church.”

Reason?

“He gives powerful sermons.” “He smiles at me and shakes my hand every Sunday morning.” “He and I cheer for the same baseball team.” Ok, maybe that last one was a stretch!

Of course, it is a good thing for a parishioner to take note of the good qualities of a particular pastor’s ministry and offer a word of encouragement and compliment (the Lord knows, we could all use a word of encouragement and a pat on the back from time to time!). However, things go too far when the pastor becomes the central focus … where the Church rises or falls based on the pastor.

When does a Church become more about the pastor rather than about Jesus and serving Him and (by extension) others?

I’ve mentioned before how I personally dislike it when pastors feel it necessary to inform their respective congregations how long they think they will serve as pastor in this or that location – “I’m going to serve this congregation for the next 20 to 30 years (or until I retire)!” For me, such talk shows a lack of understanding of the nature of the ministry – how can you predict?

Nevertheless, a potential danger inherit in a pastor staying too long at a particular Church is the cult of personality – “everything revolves around the pastor.” I say “potential” because the danger may never emerge.

What are some of the warning signs for the cult of personality with the Church? Well, for one thing … try browsing different Church websites. What is the first thing that comes up? Is the image of the pastor the overwhelming, prominent image that comes up on the main page of the Church website? Now, I'm not saying that such pastors and/or congregations are promoting a cult of personality type environment. But it can potentially lead to one.

Personally, I would hate seeing my image on the main page of a Church website. Show me Jesus instead (His Word and sacraments).

On a different note, approximately 30 miles north of where I grew up in Texas, there is a Southern Baptist Church whose membership numbers over 13,000. The pastor of the Church is a captivating preacher with a tremendous personality. He shows a deep love for Jesus and for conveying the Gospel. However, I often wonder how the Church that grew so large under his leadership will remain intact following his eventual departure. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit!

As long as the Church remains in the Word and connected by the Word, it should remain intact (unless the Lord permits it to endure conflict and shrink in size for the sake of "separating the wheat from the chaff," unfaithfulness, testing ... or some other reason - think positive!). However, if the Church is all about the individual pastor and his personality … its days could be numbered.

Getting back to the dilemma of pastors staying too long at a particular Church … I must confess that I’m getting to the point in my own life that, should the Lord ever Call me back into parish ministry, I would prefer to stay in the position for many years (certainly more than my previous stays). However, I should say to myself: “If the Lord Wills it.” Regardless, it would be imperative for me (as well as for all pastors) to keep the focus on Christ … on His Word and sacraments. For salvation is found in Christ, not in Pastor Dave or Jim.