Sunday, May 10, 2009

Dynasty


It’s not unheard of to have a family that has several members who go in the ministry. Sometimes it takes place over several generations. But it seems over the last several years that some ministers view what they do as “the family business.” I have been involved with ministries that engage in nepotism, which is defined as “favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship.” In other words, they appoint their adult children or other relatives to positions in the church that that will secure the pastor’s power and cash flow in the organization. I can think of many Word of Faith ministries that are quick to show off how their whole family is in the ministry (this is not limited to WOF, by the way). Apparently one of the ways preachers measure their success in the current culture is establishing a ministry dynasty. Never mind that Junior or Sis have no fruit in their Christian lives whatsoever, just put them over the Youth, Children’s church or the Music, pay them a disproportionately large salary for a rookie minister and a preaching dynasty is created! In the controlling Word of Faith church we attended for 10 years, the behavior of the pastor’s adult kids got so bad that it was a major factor in destroying the church (along with the pastor’s cover-up of their behavior).

I recall that Paul’s advice was to avoid putting novices in positions within the church. Pastors, if your kid is inexperienced, they are a novice. If you’ll swallow your pride about it, it will help you in the long run. I know your kid has a good heart, but let them preach in prison for a while first. Let them work with people who have nothing to offer anyone except b.o.. Let them prove themselves before you start putting them on salary. I say this because I know of so many young men and women got into sin that had no place being in the ministry except that daddy had a church or a ministry that they were appointed into. Contrary to popular mythology, the kids are not anointed just because everybody thinks dad or mom is. But pride and preacher worship dictates that that a mighty man of God must have a preaching dynasty descending from him.

I hope some of you preachers out there will take heed of this admonition: ELI! Does anyone remember Samuel’s childhood prophecy Eli?
“Then the LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, FOR THE INIQUITY THAT HE KNEW, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

Eli’s refusal to do anything to restrain or correct his sons didn’t just crash his “ministry” and damage him in the media. It killed him and his family. It can kill Christianity too.

5 comments:

  1. Yep! Seen it! Jr. gets the big pay check because of his name. Sad thing is he thought he could get away with anything by using the name card. Oops, it caught up with him.

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  2. Hello GW,,, your right on with this. I have seen this play out with two of the biggest Baptist churches here in Houston. I think one preachers son bears bad fruit and the other good. And I think this is related to what you have pointed out,, nepotism.

    They both went to seminary. One returned to a teaching/preaching position in his dads church, eventually starting his own church. And the other toured the world in an evangelizing rock band and established a well known “underground Christian rock” TV program that was featured on TBN for many years. He never ventured into the pastorate until much later and he still does the Christian Rock video show. BUT the other one kind of rode on his daddies coat tails and has ended up doing things that I think are shameful.

    What is really weird is that TBN once featured the later,,,, but now will not have anything to do with him or his Christian rock video show. They made their own copy of his show and format but got rid of him. His video program was successful before TBN picked it up. And he was a little too denominational and traditional in his preaching than they liked. And he featured many 90’s Christian rock artist that slammed the prosperity/WoF gospel,,,,,,, really hard. Including hard rock bands like Grammatrain that has lyrics that say,,, ”I won’t swallow poison of faith placed in faith and experience,, I believe in grace.” So they canned the show after a few years and they had made their own replacement for it.

    Now the one that road his daddies coat tails is a TBN darling and rubs elbows with them all. He often speaks of Joel Osteen in the highest regard,,, even saying that “every pastor in America wishes they could have a congregation like Joel”. He gives very explicit sex sermons stating that he and his wife,, “get it on 10-15 times a week”. Now I am not an old ogre that is against sex or even sex preached from the pulpit. His dad preaches on sex often,,,, but does it in a very respectful and biblical way. But listening to Junior,, you would think that if a Christian man and woman are not engaging in intercourse at lease several times a week,, there something is wrong with their spirituality.

    So I guess by now you may be wondering who I am talking about. LOL I hope so. I am referring to Ed Young JR. and Tim Pisano from MXTV. You may not have heard of Tim. He pastors a church in Tennessee. And is relatively unknown outside of his MXTV show which I think is still on daystar. And you probably know Ed Jr. and his Dad Ed Young. I think Tim made his daddy John proud. But Ed is probably ashamed that his son preaches some things the way he does and the company he keeps.

    I THINK YOUR RIGHT ON. Don’t give them kiddos a job. If the ministry is in them,,, it will develop without your name and coat tail.

    Thanks for the article.
    Damon

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  3. That is a great non-WOF example of the dynastic mentality I'm talking about. It’s PRIDE and it's everywhere. GW

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  4. Great post!!!! I have seen it and it is horrendous. When did ministry cease to be ministry and become a cash cow business. It must be an abomination to the Father.

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