Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls (James 1:20-21).
(Please note this is not a repudiation of constructive criticism. This is desperately needed. There is a difference between constructive and destructive criticism, however.)
3. He Is Divisive
This is dangerous for the church in that it invariably brings division (Titus 3:10). This type of boiling pot eventually spills over, and when he does, he hurts unity and people.
In my experience, division in the church usually is a result of somebody being unteachable. This type of thing has a long legacy. Consider how Diotrephes liked to put himself first and stir up division. How did he do this? He did not submit to the teaching of the Apostles (3 John vv. 9-10). He was unteachable.
This is obviously dangerous for his own soul, but also the church. Just like Diotrephes had influence in that congregation, so too the unteachable guy no doubt has influence in your local assembly. The influence of an unteachable guy is a vehicle for division.
4. He Is Joy-Robbing
A church that is teachable brings its leaders joy. A church or dangerous church member who is not robs them of joy. It’s that simple (Hebrews 13:7, 10). I can attest to the fact that this is very true.
5. He Is a Time-Waster
Let me be careful how I say this. I don’t mean that labor in the ministry is a waste of time. But what I do mean is that unteachable guy is one who continues to take up pastoral leadership’s time with arguments. He just keeps resetting the same issue over and over again. He can find anything to nitpick and be critical about. So in this sense, he is a waste of time. Or, as Paul might say, the labor is in vain (Philippians 2:16; 2 Thessalonians 3:5).
So what do you do with him?
