By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

I don't get angry very often. (I realize that my wife and sons might debate the absolute truth of that statement, so let me rephrase: I don't get angry very often with people who live somewhere other than in my house.)

But last week, after hearing about a situation that occurred in the life of a friend of mine, I felt the anger rising, then boiling, moving on to seething, and, finally, erupting. I still feel the fury raging.

No, Bill Clinton didn't announce for a third term (thanks be to God for term limits) and gas prices didn't rise to $28 a gallon (yet!). The matter that aroused my latent, carnal passion was much simpler than that.

Over 10 years ago, a young man, probably 24 or 25 years of age then, took on the monumental task of planting a new church in the metro Atlanta area. The young man, who I will hereafter refer to as “Jim,” had experience as a youth pastor, a staff pastor, and as the pastor of at least one small congregation. He had a college degree and a beautiful bride.

Church planting is tough work, much tougher than going to an existing church, as Jim would discover. Over the years, he has worked several part-time jobs in order to supplement his income and ease the financial burden of his new congregation. During that 10 years, Jim led his small congregation to purchase several acres of land in a prime spot and to build a building that included a beautiful sanctuary, classrooms, and offices. The church and land, valued at between $400,000 and 500,000, only has an indebtedness of about $128,000. I'd call that success!

So impressive is the character of this young man that, over the past decade, his pastoral peers have repeatedly elected him to office in his denomination. Jim is a good preacher, a compassionate shepherd, a humble man, and a man you would trust with your life, your wife, or your daughter. He is a man of integrity and honesty and if anyone were to accuse him of a moral failing, no one who knows him would believe a word of it.

Some years ago, when I had a heart catheterization, I lay alone in the hospital bed, unable to sleep, nervous about the impending procedure and the possible results. Jim showed up in my hospital room a little before midnight and spent time with me and prayed.

I like Jim. I respect him. I even admire him. Yet, in the last couple of years, Jim's church has struggled. Some, enamored by the lure of the entertainment centers that pose as churches, have left to seek spiritual thrills at the latest dog and pony show. Some have moved away due to job changes. Some, irritated over some imagined slight or perceived problem, have left mad.

Such is life in any church. But for a small, beginning congregation, the results can be crippling.

Jim and his family (they have two small children now) have sacrificed tremendously and have paid the bills of the church out of their own personal funds. This good man has amassed personal debts of several thousands of dollars trying to keep the church afloat until fresh growth comes, as it surely will.

Believing that the senior pastor of a large growing church of his denomination might be interested in helping on a temporary basis, Jim scheduled an appointment with the pastor, who is known in his circles to be a “missions-minded man.”

Jim didn't know if the large church with the important pastor would help or not but this man, who has sacrificed incredibly for his congregation, was willing to sacrifice his pride, as well, as he made his needs known. And what followed is why I am angry.

The large church pastor questioned Jim's spirituality, his prayer life, and his commitment to Bible study, among other things. He said (according to Jim) that if Jim didn't pray at least three hours a day, he had no right to expect success.

The large church pastor (who went to an already big church with a big salary and watched both grow even bigger) said that he might be interested in sending some people to attend Jim's church but, in return, Jim would run things the way the large church pastor said to run them. The large church pastor would call the shots and Jim would, in effect, be his lackey. After sacrificing, scrimping, and saving for 10 years, Jim was offered a “hostile takeover.”

The large church pastor then summoned a staff member into the meeting to further humiliate Jim by instructing the staff member to tell Jim what all he had learned from the all-wise, nearly godlike, large church pastor during his tenure in the large church. Or, if Jim resigned the church, the large church pastor, might consider taking over the church all-together as an extension of his already huge ego, er... church (sorry!).

Jim, a drowning man, looked to the large pastor to help save his spiritual and professional life. The large church pastor reached out his hand, put it on Jim's head, and held him under the water until he nearly drowned. In the end, the pastor who had rebuked Jim for not praying for three hours a day did not even offer to have prayer with him before he sent him home empty-handed.

I shared this situation with two other pastor friends, one Lutheran, the other United Methodist. The Lutheran pastor is himself a church planter who began a new church that has grown to over 1,000 in worship. The Methodist minister was sent to a small, country church that, under his leadership, has been transformed into a vibrant, growing suburban congregation. These are successful men with a proven ministry. They were both aghast at the insensitivity and cruelty of the large church pastor.

One man, whose name escapes me, once said, “I tremble when I remember that God is just.” Jesus warned against having the ability to help a brother in need and, instead, sending them away empty, pontificating, “Be warmed and filled.”

Jim is not a member of my denomination, but we are going to stand with him prayerfully and financially. He's a good man. He deserves better than to be humiliated by a man who thinks of himself in ways that are way too high and lofty.

I still want to get in the car, drive to the large church, knock on the large church pastor's door and just slap him. But then I remember, “Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay.”

[Father David Epps is the founding pastor of Christ the King Church in Peachtree City. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com].

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