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.

Some of my friends take missionary trips to third-world countries; when they talk about going, I don’t really know how to respond. I am not entirely certain about the Bible's stance on missionary trips as well as how to explain why I am not participating in them. Furthermore, is there a better term for those individuals who go to a country like China for three weeks and spread the Word as best they can? Pretty much, what is a standard missionary trip, and what does the Bible say about them?

Sincerely, Savvy Traveler

Dear Savvy Traveler,

Paul’s life was dedicated to the “mission field”, and yet Paul would roundly condemn what poses for “missionary work” in today’s religious communities. It is important to note that the term ‘missionary’ is never found in the Bible; it is a modern term, not a Biblical one. The word ‘missionary’ was originally used to refer to a preacher who went on a ‘mission or assignment’ to preach the gospel in foreign lands. This is completely Biblical. In this sense, Paul was an excellent missionary (but, again that is term coined by men, not the Bible). God Himself sent Paul on a mission to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). Paul believed it was his solemn duty to bring the gospel to parts of the world that had not yet received it (Rom 15:20-21).

Unfortunately, when people talk about going on ‘mission trips’ today, they rarely are using the term to refer to evangelism. Today’s churches normally use the phrase ‘mission trip’ to refer to trips where people go and build houses, roads, etc. for the impoverished in third world countries.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with showing kindness to the less fortunate. God commends individual Christians for helping others who are in need (Jas 1:27). However, it is wrong for a congregation to take on the work that belongs to us as individuals. The church’s job is to evangelize and teach people, to feed their spiritual needs. Many, many churches have substituted spiritual work with physical work. This is wrong. Christ said that we will always have the poor with us, but spiritual matters are of greater importance (Matt 26:11). The religious world as a whole has stopped evangelizing and become focused on civic duties and community welfare. Many churches care more about soup kitchens and daycare programs than they do about bringing people the Word of God.

So if a church is on a mission to help people, by all means, they should go preach the Word. That is the need for which every soul really hungers and thirsts… and the need that God’s church is designed to satisfy.

     What place, if any, does technology serve to aid in preaching God's Word?  Recently, our preacher has been using short videos in his sermons to make his point.  This is the first time I've ever seen this after over three decades of attending the church of Christ, which is why I am curious and a bit skeptical.  Thank you in advance for your wisdom on this matter!

Sincerely,
Wireless

Dear Wireless,

Technology isn’t wrong, but it must be used responsibly.  Webster’s defines ‘technology’ as ‘machinery and equipment developed from scientific knowledge’.  At one point, all the aids we take for granted today were new technology (i.e. song books, chalkboards, whiteboards, overhead projectors, digital projectors, microphones, etc.), and with every technological change, people have always had a sense of discomfort because we are all creatures of habit.  However, the discomfort isn’t created because of scriptural issues; it is there because of our personal comforts and routines.  As one person said, “We like what we like.”  Jesus used a boat as a preaching aid (Mk 4:1), and Jesus even used His miraculous abilities as teaching tools (Matt 21:19-21).  What tools we have at our disposal, we have the right to use for teaching.  There isn’t anything wrong with them.

However, that doesn’t give a preacher a blanket check to go crazy!  The Bible says that just because you can do something doesn’t mean it is wise to do so (1 Cor 10:23).  A teacher is held accountable for what he teaches, and he is held to a very strict standard (Jas 3:1).  Your preacher is accountable for whatever is on these videos that he is showing.  It is pretty difficult to find videos that are doctrinally sound (before we started making them on YouTube, we did a lot of looking!), and if he isn’t careful with the material, it can spread to false teaching quite easily.  The issue isn't technology; it is the proper wisdom in applying it.