Church Governments

Lesson 12

Wisdom For Pastors

• This region rests on its pulpits.

• A church is only as strong as its pastor. Pastors will draw what they are.

• Dirty sheep like dirty pastors.

• A pastor’s job is to strengthen the sheep, not necessarily to make friends.

• You can only pastor the sheep you have, not the ones you don’t have.

• Pastors tend flocks; they don’t herd them. You herd goats and you herd cattle. Sheep must be tended to, so don’t herd them in and herd them out; you’ll only hurt them.

• Nehemiah never came off the wall to cater to Sanballat. He rebuked him and said, “You have no part, nor inheritance, nor portion in Jerusalem.” We don’t cater to the pagan’s whims. They must be taught to cater to God’s holiness.

• Don’t look to collect people; look to make disciples.

• A church’s strength might be best measured by looking at its average believer.

• Jesus had trouble retaining a hungry crowd. You will too if you preach like Jesus. If you’re retaining a large crowd, you may want to reexamine your messages.

• Fight insecurity and know how God measures success.

• God isn’t the only Spirit that draws people to churches. Satan doesn’t mind growing dirty churches.

• Don’t sweat the numbers. Church growth isn’t about numbers; it’s about the

• Christians you do have growing more in Christ.

  • • “I’d rather take 40 to heaven than lead 400 to hell.” —Pastor Brian Ford

    • “Big churches have dark corners.” —Pastor Titus Murefu

    • As of 2026, the average American church is about 75 people.

    • For all of the megachurches today, there is not a single county in the US more churched today than it was in the 1990s.

    • Jesus Christ never applauded church size in His letters to the seven churches in Revelation. He also never rebuked churches for a lack of membership either. His rebukes were:

      • • You’ve left your first love and have fallen.

        • You tolerate church members who keep Balaam’s doctrine.

        • You tolerate church members who keep the Nicolaitan doctrine.

        • You permit your wife to be a Jezebel, and you allow her to mislead your church.

        • You have imperfect works and have not held fast to what you have heard.

        • You are lukewarm,

        • wretched,

        • miserable,

        • poor,

        • blind,

        • naked.

• • What does lukewarm look like:

    • • Unfaithful to church

      • Unwilling to evangelize

      • Unwilling to financially support the Gospel

      • Unwilling to labor in the Kingdom

      • Unwilling to change into the image of Jesus

      • Lukewarm-the temperature of your region or surroundings

• • • What did Jesus Christ applaud among the 7 Churches?:

      • • Works

        • Labor

        • Patience

        • Intolerance of evil

        • Accurate judgment of false preachers

        • Endurance in the Gospel

        • Hatred of carnal Nicolaitan doctrine

          • • Loose sex standards

            • No condemnation

            • Grace as a license to sin

• You can’t make disciples from the pulpit. You must get your hands dirty.

• Discipleship requires change. If a Christian is not changing, they are not a disciple. Not every Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ.

• Seeker-friendly ramps up are also lukewarm Christian ramps down.

• To quote the Reformation’s ethos: reformed and being reformed.

Some Questions For Pastor’s To Ask Themselves

• What is your church known for in the community? Evangelism? Boldness? Strong discipleship? Blue jeans? Gimmicks? Holy Worship? Doctrine? Summer at the movies?

• Are you allowing the heathen to govern how you do church? If the heathen are the children of satan and the enemy of our God, are they qualified to steer the direction of Gospel ministry? The lost have absolutely no voice in the Kingdom except to say, “Hey, I’m over here, come witness to me!” and “What must I do to be saved?”

• What is your church’s culture? Does it look more like Hollywood? Like America? Or does it look biblical and Book of Acts? If it’s a biblical church culture, guard it and keep Hollywood and marketing techniques out. The Holy Ghost is powerful enough to draw people to your church. God is not obligated to endorse unbiblical growth techniques.

• Are you making disciples of the people God has given you, or are you merely drawing them to a service? Discipleship changes people; entertainment draws a crowd.

• Do you have services or experiences? One denotes Christian responsibility; the other infers carnal entertainment.

• Are you growing the church with secular means, or are you allowing Jesus to build the church?

• Are you following the Bible example to strengthen the sheep, or have you resorted to other books and techniques?

• What bait are you using to draw people? Whatever you use to draw them is what you’ll have to keep using to keep them. The type of bait used always determines the type of catch.

• Are your weekly services hosting the presence of a holy God every week or a symposium on the great falling away?

“Many modern teachers have lost track of God in the church and don’t know how to get him back, so they have diverted to other things to attract people.” —Dr. Hilton Sutton

May we tremble and fear before the Most Holy God! Amen.