A Response : "My Senior Pastor encourages cliques. He tells the Staff to "feature" certain people--most are either directly related to the Senior Pastor's family or their friends. If we don't, there is trouble...
Otherwise, I enjoy my job. Plus, I have a family to feed...I can't afford to upset the status quo around here.
Any advice for those of us in this type of situation? I know it's unfair for the other kids that aren't in the clique... But, why should I have to choose between the welfare of me and my family vs. kids that may not even go to this Church in a year..."
Keep in Mind :
Clash of vision with Senior Pastor's can be one of the most difficult areas to deal with as a Christian Church Minister--for all of the reasons you stated.
Many Senior Pastor's intentionally create an aura of fear--where Church Staff and Congregation Members are truly "too scared" to say anything other than a robotic, "Yes sir, right away sir"
In Church Ministry, it is the LORD's desire that even within the hierarchy of leadership, that we all take a position of humility, have a teachable spirit, and seek to work as a Team to promote His Gospel message, not our own personal agenda(s). (see 1 Peter 5:2-11)
Pray Big: Take cues from the LORD Jesus--in all things, go to God in prayer. (see Matthew 6:5-13; 14:23; 21:21-22; 26:36-46) Never jump into action, prayerfully consider every move you make. Especially because of all of the reasons you stated above.
Try to talk to your Senior Pastor about it: If you are lead to in prayer, give it a try! There are only 2 outcomes... 1) he can humbly listen or 2) he can get upset and not want to hear a word that you are saying.
A responsible and serious Senior Pastor will welcome a heads up from the people who are hired to be his hands and feet extended in the Church Congregation. He will be willing to not only listen to the issue(s) on the table, but will also contribute suggestions / ideas on creating a plan of action to help minimize this issue within God's Church. He will regularly follow up on the progression of the elimination of this issue. He will also take personal ownership and be hands on with helping solve the Church clique problem, not continue to encourage and fuel the problem.
On the flip side, especially since your Senior Pastor has a history of standing firm in his decision to promote Church cliques, be ready for a negative response during your meeting, and backlash after your meeting. (see Matthew 10:16-42)
The big picture is that if these are orders that he is delegating to the rest of the Church Leadership Team, he is responsible to the LORD for it. (see Matthew 12:25-37)
You are who you associate with: Like it or not, this is common public perception. As a direct member of this Team, you will always be viewed in light of what is presented as "the finished product" (if you will) regardless of "your heart" or "true motivation(s)" or "what goes on behind the scenes".
Is this the public perception that you want? Can you personally handle the backlash? What if your position was "all over" in an instant...would you be proud of your time involved with this Church Ministry? Would you be able to truly say that you were serving God and not merely money or cheap note? Or would you regret the leadership decisions that you made? (see Luke 16:13-15, Matthew 6:19-34, Matthew 28:11-15)
No Leadership Team is perfect: Just look at the (ahem) "characters" that were "followers" of our LORD Jesus Christ. (see the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) Some are more blatant than others (think Peter and John), yet many a Judas Iscariot appear to "slip through the cracks" until a pivotal point in time. (see John 12:4-6, Luke 22:1-6)
No matter the outcome, at the end of the day, the important thing is that you KNOW you've done YOUR BEST as a Leader unto the LORD. (see Proverbs 3:21-35)
* This is an excerpt from the book In the Times Girls Ministry by Ruth Tynes. Copyright 2006. It may not be reprinted or posted without written permission from the author. Please contact for reprint permission.
