Some pastors get fired from church for a good reason. They had a moral failing and no longer lived up to the requirements of 1 Tim 3:1-7. But I’ve known a lot of faithful men and women working in churches who were let go for lesser reasons.
They . . .
- Didn’t grow the ministry fast enough.
- Didn’t fit a specific personality profile.
- Had too large of a salary.
- Grew too old.
- Experienced a season of burnout like Elijah (1 Kings 19), and the church said they were “not passionate enough.”
- Weren’t the best friend (or family member) of a new boss.
7 Reasons Jesus Might Be Fired From Your Church
No pastor is perfect, but good pastors lose their jobs every day. And it hurts. I’ve experienced it, too. So just for fun (and maybe a little therapy), here are seven reasons Jesus might be fired from church today:
1. JESUS WAS NEVER IN THE OFFICE.
Jesus was always walking around town talking to people. He never wrote thank you letters or sat at a desk. He did most of his work outside of the church.
How many hardworking pastors have been fired because they weren’t perceived to be working enough since they weren’t sitting at a desk doing their work? Somehow the late night phone calls, early morning breakfast meetings and weekend hospital visits didn’t count.
2. JESUS DRANK ALCOHOL.
Jesus drank in public. He drank wine with his disciples. He went to parties where people drank alcohol. On at least one occasion).
A lot of churches have policies in their employee handbook that prohibit pastors from drinking alcohol. Jesus wouldn’t make the cut.
3. JESUS DIDN’T ALIGN WITH THE VISION OF CHURCH LEADERSHIP.
Jesus often disagreed with the church leadership. He didn’t execute their vision. He even had the nerve to call them out on their sin (Matthew 23:1-36).
Pastors get fired for much less. Some pastors who publicly show respect for their leaders even get fired for daring to question the vision of the leader privately.
