Pastors and Preachers Are Feeling the Pressure!

Pastors across America are feeling the pressure from their churches to speak out on important issues of the day. But these same Pastors are afraid to do so out of fear the congregation will get offended and leave.

These findings and more come from a recent survey by the Barna Group. Founded in 1984, the Barna Group is a research organization that focuses on the intersection of faith and culture. To obtain their findings, the Barna Group performed an opinion survey involving several thousand Pastors and Preachers across America. Their survey was done between 2014 and 2017.

So here we have the church, hungry for truth and guidance on important topics of the day, but the Pastors are too afraid to preach these topics because they don’t want to offend or anger their congregation.

As John Swigert on the Apollo 13 space mission said, “Houston, we have a problem”.

“Half of Christian pastors says they….feel limited in their ability to speak out on moral and social issues because people will take offense.”  H/T Christianity Today

Conversely, 69% of the Pastors felt pressure from their Church to speak out on these important issues.

“The issues pastors feel most pressured to speak out on are the same ones they feel limited to speak on,” with LGBT issues and same-sex marriage at the top."  H/T Christianity Today

Pastors are getting pulled in one direction to speak on issues all the while being pulled in the opposite direction not to.

Pastors and Preachers, what did Jesus tell you to do?

Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Pastors and Preachers, who do you seek to please?

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

Pastors and Preachers, are you ashamed of God’s word or of what you do?

Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16a)

Pastors and Preachers, who do you think it is that wants to limit you? Do you think it’s the children of God? No, it’s the apostate, the rebellious, the liars, those who refuse to hear God’s word. It is the enemy, the spirit of antichrist that is trying to stifle and shut you up.

“That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” (Isaiah 30:9-11)

The Church wants more preaching on issues such as abortion, homosexuality, etc. but gets upset and offended when their Preacher does. So, what’s a Pastor or Preacher to do?

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:2-5)

Pastors and Preachers, the time has already come! People can not and will not endure sound doctrine. They turn away their ears when they hear the pure truth of the word of God.

But Pastors and Preachers! Do…the work…of an evangelist!! Make full proof of thy ministry, fulfill your calling from God with His word. Bring in to full measure God’s word of power. Preach!

One final thought. Where do you think the problem is if you preach God’s word and someone(s) get offended? Is it with the Preacher? No. God’s word? No. Then where does the problem lay? It is the hearer of the word. The very person offended by the word of God is the very person who needs to hear it.

Bill Hitchcock