Proverbs 19:20; Proverbs 24:6; 1 Corinthians 10:12
The topic of expensive mistakes made by new pastors, though not exhaustive, is based on facts from years of relating with church pastors of different denominations and sizes.
Being a new pastor is very exciting, but it is also a huge responsibility.
New pastors often start their work in the church with a lot of energy, vision, and intention to serve God and give their best. But passion alone does not necessarily mean your ministry will be successful. It’s not automatic. Any experienced pastor has his story of making costly mistakes, which helped him over time to become a better leader. And the good thing is that most of these mistakes can be easily prevented by learning from those ahead, with humility and the wisdom of God.
The following are typical mistakes made by first-time pastors and how to avoid them.
1. Attempting to please everybody. Galatians 1:10; Acts 5:29.
Nothing discourages a pastor more quickly than trying to meet the expectations of all church members. Every church has its views, expectations, and preferences. So in trying to win everyone, a new pastor may find himself compromising his biblical stand. Eventually the pastor will discover it’s an impossible task. So instead of seeking to please everyone, one should please God as he serves people lovingly and justly (Galatians 1:10). Though you can’t avoid thinking about the reaction of the people, a clear conscience of having put in your best should be your target.
2. Ignoring personal spiritual growth. John 15:4–5; 1 Timothy 4:16.
One of the most expensive mistakes made by new pastors is starving their souls at the expense of service to the members.
A pastor can spend all day preparing for a sermon to ensure his congregation gets the best from God. Often while doing that, he fails to spend adequate time in personal fellowship with God.
This is spiritually counterproductive because personal fellowship with God should form the foundation for ministry, not the other way around. Spiritual exercises such as devotions, prayers, reading and studying the word of God, and meditation are not only necessary but also crucial to inner strength. This inner strength eventually becomes the power behind the work and ministry of the pastor (John 15:5).
3. Lack of proper preparation before preaching. – 2 Timothy 2:15; Ecclesiastes 9:10
It is correct to say that the holy spirit will always give you the needed inspiration whenever you need to minister. That’s half-truth. A prepared teacher will have something to say, and an unprepared teacher would also say something.
The error, therefore, is to lay too much emphasis on the holy spirit without our diligent preparation. As a young pastor, you lose your credibility before your members because they can identify a prepared pastor.
4. Neglecting the Family to Establish the Church. 1 Timothy 3:4–5; Ephesians 5:25; John 19:26–27
The pastor’s family should reflect his ministry. However, we have some pastors who are so dedicated to their churches and ministries that they forget about their wives, children, or even their parents. They erroneously interpreted the statement of Jesus in Matthew 10:37-39 and 16:24 to include abandoning their family to serve God. But if they got their hermeneutics right, they would remember Jesus even made provision for his mother while on the cross. John 19:26.
But the Bible teaches that effective pastoral ministry starts with our own families (1 Timothy 3:4-5). No successful ministry should ruin your family in any way.
5. Doing Everything All by Yourself. Exodus 18:17–23; Mark 3:13–14; Ephesians 4:11–12
First-time pastors often think that everything in their church has to be done only by them. Most times, perfectionism is the reason for this. Not that they look down on people, but they feel they may not meet their expectations. Usually, they feel other people may not do it well. Moses ran into the same problem until Jethro, his father-in-law, stepped in.
At the end of the day, the approach results in exhaustion and stress. Eventually, they would get the best result because they worked under stress. Pastors should remember that a proper ministry was never meant to be done by only one person. Jesus, our master, demonstrated this by choosing the twelve disciples to work with him. Ultimately, he got better results and reached more people. It is much better to delegate tasks to people around you who will not only grow and be better but also make the job easier for you.
6. Making Important Decisions Instantly. Proverbs 19:2; Proverbs 15:22; 1 Kings 12:6–16
Another expensive mistake made by new pastors is wanting to make a 360-degree change immediately after they resume work.
Graduating from the seminary comes with a great vision, passion, and the zeal to cause an instant change. In an attempt to make a difference, new pastors often feel that they have to make major changes to make an impact. So they began to make immediate changes upon arrival in the church. While innovation is good, it must not come at the wrong time. One major change can stunt the growth of the church, cause division, or kill the church outright.
That is why wisdom is required in knowing what to change and when to make it. The best approach is to get to know your church’s policy, history, people, and culture. Listening to advice from experienced ministers and old members can save the new pastor from a potential disaster. Rehoboam missed it when he listened to his peers. 1 Kings 12.
7. Mismanagement of Church Finances. Luke 16:10–12; 2 Corinthians 8:20–21; 1 Corinthians 4:2
Financial mismanagement may sometimes be intentional. It could just be one of the mistakes by first-time pastors. Financial integrity is crucial for any ministry to flourish.
In the same way, poor financial record-keeping and transparency can mar the integrity of the pastor. And when ministers and members began to doubt the credibility of their pastor, it dampened their commitment. When that happens, the move of the holy spirit is hindered, people are not blessed, and the church gets stuck.
There are several ways a young, inexperienced pastor can fall into financial maladministration. One, not keeping records of income and expenditures. Two, diverting money meant for an agreed purpose to another thing. Three, spending money without appropriate approval. Four, using church money for personal needs.
One saving principle is to have a standard financial policy, assign financial responsibility to the competent, keep a bank account, and never help keep the church money.
8. Shying Away from Challenging Situations. Ephesians 4:15; Joshua 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:7.
What eventually led to errors made by new pastors is playing it safe. That is the fear of getting into disagreement with people. All pastors will face challenges at one point in their careers. Some will shy away from such situations because they do not want to hurt anyone.
Several years ago, I got the responsibility of leading a Sunday school as the general superintendent in a growing church. I had just got married that year. Though young, I had been in Sunday management for some years, gaining the needed skills. As a result, I changed the recruitment procedure, which did not go down well with some adults. Their problem was my age and the simplicity of the procedure they were used to.
So they appealed to my pastor, who is also an elderly man, to prevail on me. I gave my pastor an option when he tried to talk me into backing down. His reason was not to offend those believed to have been long in the system. While such a reference is okay, I believe the health and success of the system are more important than the satisfaction of a few. Some young pastors do find themselves in such a dilemma.
In my case, I stood my ground. I told my pastor to choose between the innovation I introduced and continuing with the abused system to please a few dissatisfied people. My pastor chose the latter, and the system was better for it.
Many years later, one of the people who kicked against my innovation then sent me a ‘thank you’ message. That was because people in her new location began to praise her for such an innovation, which she kicked against when I newly introduced it.
In most cases, these challenging situations become bigger and worse if one avoids facing them. As a biblical leader, Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to speak the truth in love.
9. Comparing Your Ministry with Another. 2 Corinthians 10:12; John 21:21–22; Galatians 6:4–5
Of all the costly mistakes young pastors make, comparison is one of the top three. Comparison comes in various ways. It includes, but is not limited to, church membership, building, financial status, and social media followings. A young pastor may set his desires to beat the record of those around him, not minding compromise of ministerial ethics or at the expense of his peace and health. Comparison makes people run the race they are not meant to run. It causes desperation and anxiety.
On many occasions, comparison either leads to pride or discouragement. Pride because you feel you are better than the other pastor or church, usually because you know how to do it but not because of the grace of God. Another negative side of comparison is discouragement. As a young pastor with high expectations, discouragement sets in when results are not coming quickly as expected.
Instead of evaluating himself based on God’s grace and calling, the young pastor began to use the yardsticks of the other pastors and ministries to measure his progress. When it doesn’t match his feelings, he feels discouraged and thinks he is not doing enough.
Therefore, pastors should not compare their success with others. This is because God has assigned each pastor a unique ministry or assignment to fulfil. So God would judge each pastor on his faithfulness, not size or results. And this has nothing to do with whether you are popular or not.
10. Failure to Develop Leadership. 2 Timothy 2:2; Exodus 18:21; Ephesians 4:11–13.
No institution or church grows beyond its leadership capacity. Young pastors sometimes find themselves at the centre of every operation of the church rather than building up more people who will manage different portfolios.
Experience, both scripturally and in real-life situations, proves you get more done when you share responsibility than when you run a “one-man-gang” show. A good pastor will seek out potential leaders, train, disciple, and empower them with responsibility. The essence is to encourage them to serve in their areas of competence. Good leaders don’t just attract followers; they make other leaders. At the end of the day, they become leaders of leaders. Together the church becomes stronger and better.
11. Failing to Establish Healthy Boundaries. Mark 6:31; Luke 5:16; Exodus 20:8–10.
Nothing drains a pastor more than trying to be available to everyone at every time. Some pastors think they have to be available all the time, attend all activities, and deal with all issues. This happens to most pastors who are fresh in the ministry. In more ways than one, this becomes a costly ministerial mistake. Ministry is hard work and demands a wise approach. Otherwise, burnout becomes inevitable. Rest is not laziness; rest is God’s way to bring about effective and sustained ministry. Given the demands of ministry, pastors are to be intentional about creating room for rest.
12. Anticipating Immediate Church Growth. 1 Corinthians 3:6–7; Galatians 6:9; James 5:7–8
It’s unrealistic to expect instant growth in your church. Many new pastors become disheartened when their churches fail to grow in numbers quickly. Church growth is not fast food. It’s like real food that takes time to get done. Churches that will grow into maturity require good teaching, discipleship, prayer, time, and relationship. Growth usually takes a long time. It requires seasons of waiting; God rewards faithfulness as much as he rewards success.
13. Neglecting Continuous Learning. Proverbs 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Proverbs 9:9
Bible college graduation is not the end of learning. It is the starting point. The reality of ministry is experiencing it as you continue to practice. With time, new situations and challenges keep coming into the pastor’s life. The new experiences now require him to learn more and gain wisdom about dealing with them.
Parts of the tool for growth include reading books, attending conferences, receiving mentorship, and learning from experienced ministers. All that will keep pastors up-to-date and effective in ministry. A teachable pastor is a growing pastor. In some cases, yesterday’s knowledge may not work for today’s challenge.
14. Underestimating the Spiritual Warfare. Ephesians 6:10–18; 1 Peter 5:8–9; 2 Corinthians 10:3–5
Some failures in ministry could be attributed to an attack from the spiritual realm. It would therefore be a grievous error for a pastor to assume certain experiences are normal.
Ministry is more than just dealing with people. It includes being involved in spiritual warfare. A newly appointed minister may be shocked by the amount of opposition, discouragement, temptation, and challenges he faces. The Scriptures encourage believers to “put on the whole armour of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18). In my judgment, this would be the most expensive any young pastor can make.
15. Forgetting That Character Is More Important Than Charisma. 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:7–9; Proverbs 22:1
The pastor can be very charismatic and talented in public preaching, administration, or anything else, but true and lasting ministry is based on godly character. Charisma can open a door, but character will determine if that door will be closed or open more doors. Integrity, humility, honesty, compassion, and faithfulness will keep the ministry alive much longer than any other talent. The adage says, “Talent will get you to the top, but character keeps you there.”
Conclusion
Philippians 3:13–14; James 1:5; Proverbs 3:5–6; 1 Peter 5:2–4
Every experienced pastor started as an inexperienced minister. Therefore, it is not out of place to make mistakes; however, there is no need for them to define your ministry. Almost all the expensive mistakes made by young pastors in this post can be prevented if one is ready to learn.
With humility, teachability, prayers, and faithfulness to biblical values, pastors in their very first ministry will be able to sidestep many traps laid by those before them.
Which mistake among the above would you consider the most difficult for pastors just starting their ministries? Drop your comments below. If this post was helpful, please hit the like and share button and subscribe to our newsletter for further updates.
