The pastor of a church is in a precarious
position; he can't please everyone! It has been said:
* If he is young, he lacks experience; if
his hair is grey, he's too old for the young people.
* If he has several children, he has too
many; if he has no children, he's setting a bad example.
* If he preaches from his notes, he has
canned sermons and is too dry; if he doesn't use notes, he has not studied and is not
deep.
* If he is attentive to the poor people in
the church, they claim he is playing to the grandstand; if he pays attention to the
wealthy, he is trying to be an aristocrat.
* If he suggests changes for improvement of
the church, he is a dictator; if he makes no suggestions, he is a figurehead.
* If he uses too many illustrations, he
neglects the Bible; if he doesn't use enough illustrations, he isn't clear.
* If he condemns wrong, he is cranky; if he
doesn't preach against sin, he's a compromiser.
* If he fails to please somebody, he's
hurting the church and ought to leave; if he tries to please everyone, he is a fool.
* If he preaches about money, he's a money
grabber; if he doesn't preach spiritual giving, he is failing to develop the people.
* If he drives an old car, he shames his
congregation; if he drives a new car, he is setting his affection on earthly things.
* If he preaches all the time, the people
get tired of hearing one man; if he invites guest speakers, he is shirking his
responsibility.
* If he receives a large salary, he's
mercenary; if he receives only a small salary, it proves he isn't worth much anyway.
