“Ask Your Preacher... To Leave”

Thursday, September 06, 2012

Is it wrong to ask a preacher to leave a church?

Sincerely,
Exit This Way

Dear Exit This Way,

If this question is asked by someone at our congregation – absolutely not :).  Otherwise, we’ll try and give you the Bible answer.  A preacher is simply someone who is proclaiming the news of Christ.  A congregation has the right to support a preacher (1 Tim 5:18), but they do not have to.  There is no requirement within the Scriptures that a congregation have a full-time, or even part-time, preacher.  Preachers certainly are expedient; they are able to teach classes, preach sermons, help strengthen a congregation against false teaching, etc., but they are not necessary.

If a preacher is teaching false doctrine or doesn’t meet the requirements for a preacher laid out in the Bible, then there is no doubt that a congregation should tell the preacher to leave (2 Jn 1:10).  But even if a preacher just isn’t a good fit for a congregation, there is no reason that a congregation can’t simply decide to stop supporting him as a minister.  A congregation must make sure it is using wisdom in how it teaches and admonishes mankind (Col 1:28), and wisdom might dictate that they ask a preacher to step down.  As a Christian, he would have a right to stay with the congregation even though he no longer served as a preacher.  Any preacher who puts the gospel before himself should be willing to step down if it is what is best for the congregation and God’s people.

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