After a church service one Sunday recently, a man that was visiting said something to me that took me by surprise. After telling me how much he enjoyed the message and believed in Courageous Church, he said,
“I’m sorry so many pastors talk bad about you.”
It took me a second to catch what he said. I had no idea so many pastors were talking bad about me! I thought about it for a split second and I honestly moved on in my mind and in my heart. Let me tell you why I was able to let this fall right off of me.
- I give my life to please God and live for an audience of One. While I hope people are pleased, it is rarely my goal. I preach, teach, and lead to honor the Word of God and the call of God on my life.
- I get so much praise and support from my wife, my 5 kids, and from Courageous Church that I honestly don’t need any more.
- I live above the fray. I am very aloof to what pastors and other churches talk about in their gossip-time. Did you see where I said I have 5 kids, a wife, and a church to lead?
- Most of my friends are rappers that love me more when they find out that other pastors don’t like me :-)
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Sorry to hear this. My pastor Pete Hise gets flak for his approach as well, and he constantly says just about the same thing you just did. I think it is an indication that you're anointed, and the Enemy is just really seething about that.
Good for you to let it roll off. That is not an easy thing to do.
Now that I have met you and worked alongside you during hopeATL I am left with little to say except you give "church" (as it were, of course) a bad name. You make people think church is about life and activity. You give off the illusion that as followers of Christ we are to put feet to our words. How dare you, man? We (I still haven't figured out who this "we" is) will pray for you.
~I hope everyone gets the sarcasm~
Gotta’ let it roll off of your shoulders. People will always talk about progressives when they themselves are stagnant. Keep up the good work!!!
Pastor,
I have had to learn the lesson that regardless of what you do, people will always speak ill of you. I take heart in what Jesus tells us in John 15:18-25
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason."
Pastors, unsaved folk, christians, atheists: they are all going to talk about you (us) and Jesus knew that. I know you're strong and believe in the calling on your life by our Father and I come in agreement with you that this is simply a part of life that you're mind is "above the fray."
I look up to you for your strength and ability! Remember: Haters Make you Famous!
D
PS: Loved Andrew's comment!
Keep knocking the "old order" out!
Your blog post appeared two entries after this one in my RSS feed, and I thought they complemented each other rather well:
http://churchcrunch.com/perry-noble-dont-fight-th…
That is really surprising that people would not like you.
I only know you from the blog world and I met you one time. There is no fault that I could find to not like you. The only thing I can think of is that people are jealous, but I do not want to get into that.
Shaun, you are making a difference, not only in the lives of your church but also in my life from afar thanks to your blog and tweets. Who cares what they say, keep doing what God is telling you to do.
The only time you know you are doing the God-thing is when people don't like you. Just ask Jesus. Many of the pastors and priest of his time dogged him and sold him up the river because of his different style of ministry and his choice of followers.
Keep pressing Shaun, you bring hope to more people than you know.
Pastor Oscar E. Banks IV
I have found that people are so busy practicing "religion" and "traditional" ways of bringing people to Christ that they are somewhat blind to see that faith-based actions supported by bible-based truth (or vice versa) is just as valid or possibly even moreso than any other "way" of "doing" church. One person or one pastor cannot lead every single person to Christ. It takes a body of Christians to influence one another in a way that they will lead each other to Christ and bring out to God that lives in them. If that means reaching people through social media or confronting an elephant in the room then I think that's great. It opens up an atmosphere for further dialogue about what God's word says and makes people think a little deeper about how every area of their life is a testimony to who their God is. I hope this makes sense. :)
…I don't quite get how anyone or any pastor would talk bad about you. I haven't heard or read anything negative about you or the church. I'm not sure who the person was who made the comment, but I'm curious to know who has been talking bad and why.
Keep doing your thing, Shaun. Mike and I really enjoy the church and look forward to seeing it grow. Let your haters be your motivators. Just my two cents. :)
Thanks Heidi! I love Pete & Quest and the example you all provide.
Thank you my friend! Love working with you too!
Hey Sis!
Thanks for sharing that passage in John with me. Really helped!
Hey Brittany!
Love you and Mike! Don't waste any of your time wondering why some random pastors are irritated by me or our church. As long as we go against the grain or as long as we have any "success" or make the news, people will not like us. Did you see the biblical reference that Danielle had in a comment above?
I REALLY want you & Mike to look at this video together when you get a chance. It really sums up my thoughts.
http://churchcrunch.com/perry-noble-dont-fight-th…
See you all soon!
Shaun
As a preacher's kid, I know exactly those rumorized words that can be deadly to a man of God's work. To be honest, it tuned me against the church for so many years. My reason for not going to church was because of "the whispers of the saints". I often wondered what was going on in their hearts that provoked what came out of their mouths. What ever it was it was definitely in abundance. And it is so true that whatever is in the heart will be evident through their words. It saddens me that men and women of God have to sit around the big table and bare their hearts until there is nothing left of the person or people they are chewing up and spitting out. I wonder how their hearts would be if Jesus sat at that table with them to break bread?
In KC. Never met you, follow your blog regularly, you are the FRICKEN MAN!
"When was the last time you heard of a critic weeping over lost people?"
When your in the "trenches" you don't have time to talk junk. Ignore the pastors who don't have enough on their agenda! Keep moving forward. People who have a brain and want to reach people are behind you.
Are you lifting Jesus up that He might draw all men to himself? . . . nuff said ;)
Praying that you continue to stay on point and focused for One and only One . . . that there will be no compromise on your part ever because you have your eye on the sparrow and He watches over you.
That's my two cents! Soooo encouraged by your ministry. God bless you and your beautiful family!
Keep staying above the fray bro. Why get off the combine to squash a mouse? If you are doing something great, the enemy will always send you a "Sandballat." (Nehemiah) We have the same problems here among an unreached people group where about 1 in 1000 people claim to be a follower of Christ! You would think we would all have way too many other things to do or talk about.
It sounds to me as though you're getting the same feedback as Jesus did! So you know you're doing something RIGHT!! Keep it up!!! :-)
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