What do all these caustic comments have in common?
Answer: Each one is rooted in the philosophy that the pastor is a hired hand and not the overseer (episkopos) of the Lord’s flock, and that his wife and children are appendages to him and answerable to every member of the church.
One wonders where that crazy thinking got started.
Scripture makes it plain we are to be in subjection to the elders who rule (see Hebrews 13:17 among other places) and to love them and pray for them.
Our article “The Most Vulnerable Person in the Church,” published a year or so ago, touched a sensitive place in the heart of the Lord’s people, and this piece has gone viral. Google it if you missed it on one of its flybys.
Final word. Sometimes, after talking about the difficulties of pastoring churches and trying to lead God’s people, I will add something like, “This is why the Lord has to call laborers into this work. The expectations are too high, the needs too overwhelming, and It’s impossible to do without His presence and power.
We thank God for every God-called pastor and every spouse who feels equally called by Him to the most difficult work on the planet: shepherding His people.
(Disclaimer: I am well aware that some preachers are women. While I personally have no problem with that, at the same time, I have no experience with it. For me to write on what not to say to a woman pastor or to her husband would be highly presumptuous. So, thank you for giving me a pass on that.)
