

11. A wise pastor should not overly love his denomination.
Denominations are simply assemblages of churches agreeing on certain doctrines or ways of doing ministry. They are not found in Holy Writ as such, and should never be equated with orthodoxy or made the standard of anything. The pastor who lives for the denomination may be putting a bureaucracy in place of the Lord.
12. The wise pastor should not love privacy too much.
Now, I’m all in favor of privacy, of solitude so a person can be quiet, meditate, or be creative. But the danger is in over-loving our privacy. My experience is that the preacher who becomes almost paranoid in protecting his privacy may be trying to hide some secret sin. Best to open the doors and love people and have nothing to hide. It’s a wonderful feeling.
13. A friend suggests the pastor should not be fixated on his motorcycle.
I don’t have one, don’t want one, and don’t really understand the love affair some people have with these two-legged vehicles which scare the daylights out of me on the interstate by whizzing by at 80 or 90 mph. But, like anything else, I suppose, they have their place. But they can be overly loved and become an idol.
14. The pastor should beware of loving sleep too much, said several friends.
The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about this, you sluggard. 🙂
15. The pastor should be careful of loving power too much.
The minister is not about power over people. We are servants.
16. The pastor should take care not to love his position too much.
He will be leaving that church sooner or later, and should be careful to leave it in better shape than when he found it.
17. The pastor who loves the internet–his laptop, the smart phone, etc.– too much may be asking for trouble.
18. The pastor should be careful about loving beautiful women (and they’re all beautiful!) too much.
19. The pastor who loves to preach on hell is seriously twisted and has no place in the ministry.
Recently, on a country music station that plays ancient recordings, I noticed the words as Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton sang, “Daddy was an old-time preacher man.” What got me was the line, “He preached hell so hurt you could feel the burn” (or something like that; not sure of the exact words). Let the preacher major on grace and not punishment.
I do not want to sit under a pastor who delights in preaching on hellfire!
20. The pastor should not love his sports team too much.
I’ve chided a few friends who have adorned their office walls with memoribilia for their teams. “What if you have a fan of (the other team)?” I ask them. And they laugh it off, as though that’s not going to happen.
You’ll think of others. Love Jesus. Love His church, His people, and serving Him.
An unemployed pastor said to me, “Joe, I need to preach! Preaching is my passion.” I said, “There is the problem, my friend. Your passion should be Jesus.” Give him credit. He said, “Oh my. Thank you for that wake-up call.”
This article on the dangerous loves of a wise pastor originally appeared here, and is used by permission.