I remember one day leaving the church office in the afternoon thinking, “What have I done?”
I hate church conflict. I was weary of all the conflict. Ministry that once I loved drained me to the point I felt no emotion anymore.
An older mature believer came up to me recently and said, “Jonathan, the ministry is inconvenient. Ministry is not easy and it’s just tough.”
Yes indeed. Ministry is not easy, and I don’t think it will ever be easy. However, I have no regrets in choosing to go into ministry! It has been the greatest decision my wife and I made to go in together as a couple and now as a family. My valley moments don’t define my identity and for the sake of the Gospel, all have been worth it for His glory and His kingdom.
This blog was birthed out of few conflicts I have dealt in the past ten years that I took notes and learned, as I didn’t want the blindsides in my life to get a hold of me.
Therefore, those who perhaps are weary, tired, or overburden fellow brothers and ministry leaders, let me encourage you to keep your eyes out for these ministry killers in your church.
Here are six ministry killers that will destroy your church. [1]
1. The Sniper
He will avoid face-to-face conflict, but he picks off the leader with potshots.
This person keeps a record of all the wrongs said and done by leaders (The sin of unforgiveness; Matt. 6:14-15).
He will often say, “You know, we really need to keep the pastor in prayer for some of the things he is involved with.” When pressed for those matters it is always confidential but arouses suspicions.
2. The Spy
They are enthusiastic, sales-oriented people in the church who will pounce on people to get them on their team, to sell them something or persuade them to be on some cause or project.
They are the silent killer who breeds toxic thoughts (The sin of gossip; 2 Cor. 12:20).
The person spreads gossip like a fire and burns down the whole structure. They are extreme manipulators and busy minded of many things.
Time can easily be consumed by these people as a pastor, which can easily turn out to be more counter-productive
3. The Tank
This person bulldozes the plans. “My way or the highway!” is their motto.
These people shout and have the loudest voices (The sin of anger; Prov. 29:11).
They are known to steam-roll over people and are convinced that they are right, and others are wrong.
4. The Destroyer
This person is pessimistic has always a negative outlook in ministry.
This person simply sows seeds of discouragement (The sin of pessimism; Eph. 4:29-31).
No solutions, just problems. The negative thoughts like cancer spreads throughout the body of Christ.
5. The Bomber
By the attempt of fixing something, the person destroys all that was there but often doesn’t take responsibility for it.
This person explodes everything (The sin of aggression; Isa. 14:6).
They have a target, the bomb explodes, then moves on.
6. The Dictator
Everything is an absolute yes or no, extreme right or wrong. They use their power and money to conquer their way.
The will demand it certain request and if not granted, all hell breaks loose (The sin of control-freak; Prov. 25:28).
This kind of person will use the money to get their way and will often threaten to withhold funds from church giving in order to get their way.
These folks when they don’t get their way often drift from church to church.
How to Deal with these People?
Jesus had a lot of these kinds of people in his life.
– Jesus dealt with the Sadducees, very pessimistic people.
– Jesus dealt with the Pharisees, very legalistic and hot-tempered people.
– Jesus dealt with the Scribes, very up-tight irrupting in your face people.
– Jesus dealt with the Essences, very different and lived an odd lifestyle people.
Sometimes, you must “face into the wind.” (deal with the critics head-on),
Don’t let these people ruin your ministry experience and let them dictate you and choose the battlefield. Stay in control of yourself and your environment.
Deal with mean people lovingly and firmly.
Pastor Jonathan Hayashi is an a pastor, educator and contributor to Ambo TV. To read more from him, follow his blog at www.jonathanhayashi.com
[1] The Midwest Leadership Summit: Midwest Advance 2018, January 24, 2018, https://mwadvance.org/conferences/spiritual-awakening-track/.