I’m sure many of you saw this video over the past few weeks:
Our esteemed editor, Eric Dye, brought it to our attention last week, and like most of you, I thought that it was an absolute shame that a minister would treat his congregation that way and be so unapologetic when his misbehavior became public.
That being said, I did find one thing in the video that made me wonder if the pastor was trying to fix some problems in his church, but in a terribly unhealthy and unproductive way. At about 2:45 in the video, the pastor begins to call out the video room, specifically “young Cox,” whom he claims has a bad attitude and is trying to establish his “own kingdom in the video room!” What does he mean by this? I don’t know, but I have an idea.
The Pastor’s Dilemma
Pastors don’t have it easy, and I don’t think any of us would argue with that. One of the toughest things that pastors have to do is to get their congregations, their laity, to catch their vision for where the church is going. This is not easy, and it can be incredibly frustrating if certain lay people oppose, criticize, or flat-out refuse to align themselves with the pastor’s vision.
In this situation, it could be that this tech, presumably a young person, is, in the pastor’s opinion, abusing his power as a video room tech by letting other young people hang out in the video room during church. We’ve had similar issues in our church in the past. One teenager begins serving in a particular area, and all of a sudden, his/her friends are trying to find reasons to hang out with him/her instead of going into service. This is a problem and can be truly frustrating, and if a pastor is under pressure in other areas or a little paranoid, it can be seen as a threat to the pastor’s authority, especially if the pastor has already tried to crack down on such hijinks.
The above scenario is just a theory, of course. Who knows what the real problem is, and honestly, who cares? The problem, more often than not, isn’t the surface issue but the attitude that causes it.
When a Ministry Becomes a Kingdom
Church techs are servants like any other in the church. Sometimes, because of their centrality to the presentation of the gospel in the church service and their dissemination of the service via television, radio, or the Internet, they can begin to see themselves as above other volunteers and slightly below the pastoral staff. It’s not a totally illogical attitude to adopt. Church techs have a great deal of autonomy, responsibility, and technical skill, a powerful trifecta that might feed the ego of anyone.
Servants in the church are stewards of church resources and ministries. They don’t own them; they don’t control. They use them, within the vision and direction of the pastors and board, to minister to the church and advance the gospel. These servants must “own” the mission, not the ministry. When ego or a sense of entitlement creeps in, stewardship becomes ownership and ministries become “kingdoms.”
Obviously, this is dangerous, as such an attitude can eventually cause lay people to butt-heads with pastoral staff, especially as the staff and mission change over time. It’s not uncommon for a lay person—in my neck of the woods, at least—to do a job for a decade or two, two or three pastors cycle through the pulpit. It can be hard for volunteers to adjust to a new mission, a new way of doing church. It can be hard for a volunteer who is sacrificing their time to receive correction from someone whom they may or may not agree with. However, trying to control your area of ministry as if it were your own personal kingdom is clearly not what God would want for you or for your church. We are called to minister, which is just another word for “serving,” according to the example of Jesus: humbly and sacrificially without arrogance or presumption.
Conclusion
Ultimately, church techs need to keep their attitudes in check. The tail doesn’t wag the dog. Technology is a huge, rapidly growing area of ministry. Many church techs will see their roles expanding, becoming more vital than ever. That is why it is so important that we watch our attitudes, remain humble before God, and seek to serve our pastors as best we can. In the end, the church belongs to neither the staff nor the volunteers. The church belongs to Jesus, and the mission, though delivered from the pulpit, comes from His throne room.
His Kingdom is the only one that the video room, or the sound booth, or the website should claim allegiance to.
I feel sorry for “young Cox.” No one, especially not a volunteer, deserves to be called out like that. However, I know that I have been guilty of seeing my ministry as my “kingdom” at various times in the past. Such an attitude is toxic, both for the one who has it and for the church in which they serve. If this is how you’ve been acting/feeling/thinking, take some time with God to get your heart straightened up. I’ve certainly had to more often than I’d like to admit.
Have you ever been guilty of trying to run your own “kingdom” in your church?
[Image via Minecraft Gold]
Michael John Beil says
Truly a bummer that this happened. There’s much to be learned from it though. Thanks for your thoughts.
Phil Schneider says
Thanks for the comment, Michael. Ever had an experience like this?
Michael John Beil says
I can’t say that I have. Have you?
Phil Schneider says
Nothing on this level. I had an evangelist call me out when I ran sound. I turned his levels down, which affected the way he was recording his service. It was annoying because I had to turn him down since he was overdriving our speakers. More than anything, honestly, I’ve been the cocky, jerk sound guy. Thankfully, God forgives.
Michael John Beil says
Well, did it get figured out?
Phil Schneider says
Kinda. I was 15. He was a good friend of my dad. I kept my mouth shut. 🙂
Honestly, he wasn’t being anywhere near as mean as the guy in the video, and I still think highly of him.
But I’ll never turn him down again. 🙂
rdsii64 says
I can’t afford a video room yet. My kingdom is in the phone closet.
Phil Schneider says
Budget kingdom. Nothing wrong with that.