Why Pastors Should Want Their Members Blessed
Guest Blog By: Dr. Ronnie Shaw, ICCM State Overseer Chairman and Chairman of the American Association of Registered Chaplains
Dr. Chitwood has 3 million social media connections and of those, almost 6000 Pastors took offense when he encourage Christians all across the world with the hope that God wants to bless them, not only spiritually, but also emotionally, physically, and especially financially. An example of this was a recent social media post where he showed a beautiful home and told people to dream for their dream house with the deed in their name and no mortgage or the mortgage paid in full. He received a multiplicity of angry responses from Pastors who could not believe that He would dare to think that a Church member should be blessed with a house of such magnitude before the Pastor received his.
Dr. Chitwood and all of his Minister Connections, and We at the International Congress of Churches and Ministers (ICCM) believe and foster that we should all get wealthy together!
Dr. Chitwood has been helping Pastors and Churches walk into financial prosperity for years. His Churches, clients, and ministry friends feel the same as he. They want to see their people blessed abundantly in every area of their lives.
As I pondered the negative and sometimes angry reactions to Dr. Chitwood’s social media post, it motivated me to research why any Pastor would not want their members blessed, even when it means the member is blessed more than the Pastor. After much meditation on this I discovered reasons why they should want their people blessed, and some reasons why they may not.
Why Pastors Should Want Their Members to be Blessed, Even if it Means They are Blessed More than the Pastor
- When the members are blessed, the Pastor will be blessed
Dr. Chitwood’s Churches, Pastors, and Ministry friends have experienced this many times over. Every time a member gets blessed it results in a blessing for the Pastor.
A ship can be on a sand dune and unable to move, but if the water begins to rise, the ship is lifted with the rising tide. The same is true for Pastors.
Whether it is spiritual, emotional, or financial, when either of these areas increase, in the lives of the congregation, it automatically lifts the Pastor. When members experience spiritual rejuvenation, the Pastor gets excited and studies harder and prays more. When members experience emotional highs, it makes the Pastor desire to preach and minister better. When the members experience financial increase, the Pastor will also because tithes and offerings increase, which usually results in a pay increase for him or her.
- It demonstrates that what the Pastor has preached and taught has been captured by his or her congregation
Dr. Chitwood and all of his ministry contacts are thrilled when they see their protégés implement the years of training that he, and other men and women of God have invested in them.
Just as nothing should be more exciting for Parents to see their children properly maturing from lessons they have been taught over the years, nothing should be more exciting for a Pastor than to see his or her members spiritually, emotionally, and financially maturing from the many sermons preached and lessons taught.
Pastor, when your spiritual children are growing, it is positive proof that your toil and labor has not been in vain. All of the times you wondered if anyone was listening and you felt like throwing in the towel, has proven to be well worth all of your efforts.
- It provides greater resources to fund the vision
The New Testament accepted two distinct ministry classifications from the Old Testament. Those were the classification of Kings and Priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10).
It is not the job of the Pastor to fund the vision. That role has been conferred upon the members. In the Old Testament economy it was the role of the Priest to provide vision, and it was the role of the King to provide provision.
Pastor, your members cannot fund the vision God has given you, if they are not blessed financially. Also, do not look for God to supernaturally drop everything you need into your lap. God works through his saints. What is needed for the House and for the vision will be provided through your congregation if you will promote their blessing rather than attempting to limit it.
- Parents should always be thrilled when they children exceed them
Every generation should always exceed the previous one. Any generation that does not surpass that of its Parents has digressed rather than progressed.
We raise our children so they can be self-sufficient and survive without us. The same is true in the spiritual realm. Pastors should strive to see their congregants grow, and thrive spiritually, emotionally, and financially. If they do not, they are being derelict in their duties as stated in Ephesians 4:11-12.
Never be afraid, jealous, or angry when the saints are blessed, even when they are blessed more than you. Instead, celebrate with them. You have been teaching and training them for such a time as this. Trust me, God will make sure that you get more than your share.
Reasons Why A Pastor May Not Want His Members Blessed More than Himself
- Pride!
Many modern day Pastors have a pride problem. The 21st Century picture of many Pastors, are those we see on Preachers of L.A. For some reason many Pastors only consider themselves successful when they have big edifices in which to minister, drive the exotic automobiles, and wear tailor made suits.
Please understand that there is nothing wrong with having a huge sanctuary, driving a nice car, or wearing tailor made clothes. But, there is something wrong with them, if they are fostering a “look at me” mentality.
God wants us blessed and successful and it is okay to have any material blessing God puts into your hand, as long as those things don’t have you. However, if we have those things because of pride, or as a result of excessive debt, or on the backs of people of whom we spiritually “prostitute” for offerings, then we have a problem.
When Pastors measure their success by material goods, their pride resists any notion that a lowly church member could be blessed more that they are.
If you take a close look at the things God hates and are an abomination to Him, all of them are offshoots of pride.
- Jealousy!
One definition of jealous is: “feeling resentment because of another’s success, advantage, etc.”
Many Pastors preach to their congregations that they should be able to celebrate when another person is blessed. Many Pastors preach it from the perspective that the saints should celebrate because the Pastor just got a new automobile. They often use a tag line similar to this: “God is not going to bless you, until you can first get happy over someone else’s blessing.”
Pastors should understand that it is a two way street. If they want the saints to be happy when they are blessed, the Pastor should be happy when the saints are blessed.
- Control!
It is much easier to control subjects, than to control equals. As long as a Pastor’s congregation is filled with people with less financial ability than him, they are sometimes more easily manipulated and hence controlled by the Pastor.
Please do not misunderstand. I do believe there should be some separation between the Pastor and his or her congregation. However, that separation should be for spiritual purposes only, and not of financial reasons. For instance, if a Pastor is too “buddy-buddy” with his or her members, it results in familiarity, which will in turn breed contempt. It makes it hard for the member to have the necessary faith for their Pastor to be able to touch heaven on their behalf.
Control is especially a factor when saints are called into a ministry. I have literally watched Pastors keep members from receiving ministerial credentials, not because the member was not God-called, nor because the member was not spiritually ready, but simply because that Pastor did not want the member credentialed. They held their members back simply because they were jealous of a “lowly member” receiving any official ordination.
Any Pastor that is subject to either of these should repent, and apologize to their congregation. Pastors would be wise to remember the old saying: “What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.”
In Closing
The International Congress of Churches and Ministers (ICCM) believes in the dreams of others, whether you are a Pastor, Church Leader, or Member. As the Official Sponsor of Dreams, it is our goal to encourage, and make available to everyone, the tools that are needed to see your dream come to fruition.
No Pastor should attempt to hold their members back; keeping them from God’s ordained call and plan for their lives.
Every Pastor, and Minister (which includes all Christians – 2 Cor. 5:18) should connect and receive your ordination credentials from ICCM. Connect with those who will help you promote your dream.
As the largest and fastest growing, world-wide, non-denominational fellowship, we have much to offer those who are tired of only dreaming about it, but want to start living it. Contact us at www.iccmworldwide.org or call 800-854-5891 to begin the process today.
