Having started in full-time ministry at the age of 22 and
pioneering a local congregation at the age of 25, much of this article comes
from the “school of hard knocks.” Either I have made each of the following
mistakes or I have observed them made by other pastors in my 30+ years of
full-time ministry.
My definition of “young” for this article is somewhere
between the ages of 20-40. But, of course, this varies with each person’s
degree of maturity or immaturity. There may even be many leaders between the
ages of 50-80 who exhibit some of these same qualities!
This is not meant to categorize every young person; it is
meant to illustrate some of the most common mistakes. But not every young
person makes each of these mistakes. Following are some of the most common
mistakes.
1. Not receiving counsel from older, more experienced
leaders
First Kings 12 tells the sad story of when King Rehoboam,
son of King Solomon, refused to listen to the counsel of the wise old men who
served with his father and instead listened to the advice of his young friends
regarding an ultimatum from the people to lighten the tax load on the nation.
His refusal to listen to the advice of the older men resulted in the division
of the tribes of Israel and Judah!
Often, young people become arrogant and cocky thinking they
know better than the previous generation. Thus, they only hang out with peers
instead of having close relationships with those who have already paid the
price with many years in the pastorate.
2. Being too dogmatic in doctrine and worldview
I’ve heard it said that none of us should write books until
we’re at least 50 years old. This is because when we are younger we think we
know it all and we tend to be very dogmatic in our belief systems. We are not
very open to dissonance and varying views, but tend to view everything (out of
fear and insecurity?) through black-and-white lenses. Truly, the older I get
the less I know.
Also, many young pastors make a big issue of certain
doctrinal controversies that are not considered essentials of the faith.
(Examples of essentials of the faith include the divinity of Christ, salvation
by faith, repentance, and the judgment to come for the lost.)
3. Having zeal without knowledge and operating in
presumption
Romans 10:2 says that people can operate in a passion for
God without knowledge. Psalm 19:13 tells us to pray to be delivered from
presumptuous sins.
Many young ministers exhibit great passion and compelling
vision that is not very well thought out. The result: their work soon flatlines
and fizzles out.
We have to know the voice of the Lord which can only be
fully discerned, in most cases, in the context of the church with other trusted
leaders who will give the senior leader feedback. Unfortunately, many go from
one vision to the next every six months and wear out their churches and
discourage their people from trusting their judgment again.
4. Being driven by ambition and a need to succeed more than
serving for the glory of God
It has been said that during the first half of our lives we
are driven to succeed while during the second half we are driven to be
significant by pouring into others and leaving a legacy.
Truly, ministers between their twenties and mid-forties have
the temptation of accomplishing something great and making a mark in the world!
This is because our culture teaches that our self-worth is derived from our
“doing” and not out of a healthy self-image of “being.” Sometimes it takes
years to realize that all of our accomplishments are not really as satisfying
as we thought they would be, and that what really matters in the end is what we
do for the glory of God that empowers the people of God.
5. Using people as objects to get to the next level
Often, because of their great need to prove themselves and
succeed on a grand scale, young leaders view every person in their churches as
mere objects to get them or their churches to the next level. This is the
reason why some pastors badmouth those in their congregations or treat them
with indifference and disdain! This displeases the Lord, because every person
has value as an image-bearer of God, and because He shed His blood for each and
every person in our midst, whether we deem them important to our vision or not!
We need to love, honor and respect each and every person whether or not they
will ever be used to help serve us in fulfilling the vision the Lord has given
us.
6. Rarely living in the present
Young leaders who are driven to succeed are always looking
for the next big thing on their agendas. They very rarely enter into the world of
those they are speaking to; during the moment they are with one person they are
already thinking about the next person they have to meet or the next thing they
have to do on their agendas! This causes great stress and robs them of the joy
of God’s presence in the routines of each moment of their lives.
7. Preaching what has not yet been personally experienced or
encountered with God
Many young pastors and leaders preach what they have not yet
practiced in their lives. This makes them open to hypocrisy and
compartmentalization.
There are certain subjects in which they will not be able to
minister with authority for years to come. This is because of the intense
dealings of God that accompany certain messages and/or lifestyles. Subjects such as successfully raising
children to adulthood, emotional health, and marriage should be approached with
fear and trembling—not with a calm assurance that comes with dogmatism. In some
cases it would be better if a young pastor brought in older ministers to teach
on certain subjects that take a lifetime to learn well instead of trying to
teach these subjects superficially.
8. Neglecting emotional health and maturity
Many young leaders spend their formative years focusing only
on accomplishments, mission and activities while neglecting their interior
lives. Unfortunately, if we do not take time for the proper reflection needed
to process pain, disappointment, and failure—and offer up our brokenness to
God—then we will experience severe leakage in the future that will negatively
affect our families and key relationships, even resulting in moral and
spiritual failure!
9. Gifting that exceeds character development
Most of society—including the Body of Christ—are enamored
with the gifts, talents and abilities of others (for example: American Idol,
Dancing with the Stars, etc.)
Young leaders, more than most, tend to overemphasize the
development of their gifts and abilities which sometimes places them in
high-pressure responsibility situations that exceed their character capacity.
The result is spiritual and emotional meltdowns, and even a dependence on
unhealthy things to medicate themselves and alleviate their pressure (for
example: excessive entertainment, substance abuse, pornography, overeating,
illicit relationships, inordinate amounts of time on social networking websites
like Facebook, etc.).
One rule of thumb is to build our lives upon the foundation
of character development (2 Peter 1:5-9) and not upon the faulty foundation of
gifts and abilities.
10. Driving the church instead of leading the flock
In my 30+ years of ministry I have witnessed many young
pastors drive their congregations to the point of burning out young married
couples who are trying to raise their new families. Their zeal to succeed in
their mission has blinded them to the needs of their congregations!
As a general rule, I don’t believe we should expect folks to
be out to church more than three nights per week. (During certain short seasons
of time or during emergencies this can be exceeded.) Those driving their people
to attend meetings four to seven days per week will not be able to keep stable
people who are attempting to nurture their careers and families. This kind of
schedule will only fit with a church demographic of mostly single people who
need a lot of fellowship and activity, and/or a church of those coming out of
substance abuse who also need to avoid boredom so they don’t fall back into
their past bondages.
11. Sacrificing children and family for the work of the
ministry
In their drive to succeed, many young pastors and leaders
put so much on their schedules they neglect precious time with their spouses
and children. In our attempt to win the world often we lose our very own
children and marriages. This is why many children of pastors never want to be
involved in full-time ministry and very rarely attend church or serve God once
they reach the age of 18.
I tell young pastors all the time to work their schedules
and calendars around spending good quality time with their families. Once we
have strong families then God can build into us a multi-generational family
blessing that will be a model for our churches, which are really each a family
of families.
12. Not honoring spiritual fathers and mothers
Many young pastor leaders sever ties with their spiritual
fathers and mothers when they enter into the ministry because they want to
facilitate a different vision or philosophy of ministry. It’s fine to have a
different vision but we should obey the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12) and
always honor those the Lord has used to nurture us spiritually and bring us to
faith, even if we are no longer under their spiritual leadership. How we treat
our spiritual fathers and mothers will be the way our spiritual sons and
daughters treat us when they are older because whatsoever we sow we also shall
reap!
Written by Joseph Mattera
