Ministers are not rock stars.
Ministers are not celebrities.
It has to be said. It just does.
It has to be said because there is a minister asking for a plane. It has to be said because there is a minister who buys a house and property valued at close to 5 million dollars. It has to be said because there is a minister who is worth over 40 million dollars. It has to be said because there is a minister who thanks God his car is ok and not his wife. It has to be said because while all this exists, there are ministers who are on food stamps, trying to make ends meet while they serve God and serve God’s people.
But there are also almost minister celebrities who have taken a step back and acknowledged how they wrestle with fame. They are open and candid about the draw of money and being recognized.
There is a thin line between seeing the people sitting in front of you as your congregation and seeing them as your audience. There is a thin line between being busy doing God’s work and being too busy to see God’s people. There is a thin between worshipping God and entertaining an audience. There is a thin line between trying to supporting your family and trying to support your ego. There is a thin line between serving God and serving self.
If we, as ministers, model serving self over serving God, then we can’t help but grow disciples who do the same. We will know we’re teaching our congregations to serve themselves instead of God when our congregations stop accepting people who are different than they are. We’ll know we’re teaching our congregations to serve themselves instead of God when Bible study becomes a place to exchange business cards and vacation ideas. We’ll know we’re teaching our congregations to serve themselves instead of God when people in our communities are hungry while we have plenty.
See what I mean?
It has to be said because this is where we are.