Dr Paul Allen

Rembrandt's Timothy and his grandmother, 1648. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) It was an elder meeting I’ll never forget. I’d just returned from a leadership conference where the pastor of one of America ’s largest churches had waxed eloquent about the unique challenges and hardships that come with pastoral ministry. He claimed that leading a ministry is the toughest of jobs. The stakes are eternal. Our enemy is the epitome of evil. He’s cagey, fierce, and the ultimate deceiver. We’re prone to be misunderstood. Our message is unpopular. Most of our rewards come later. And we’re asked to give more than we get. Since I was in the middle of a particularly dark season of ministry, his words resonated with me. Like Asaph in Psalm 73 , I was beginning to wonder if ministry was worth it all. At our next elder meeting, I began to share what he’d said. I couched it as a request for prayer. But in reality, I just wanted some empathy and understanding. But before I could get into my ...

I see a trend in churches that I think is unhealthy . Honestly, I believe it’s also unbiblical. There are a number of churches today that are trying to teach a culture of honor . The concept of honor is biblical. In fact, Romans 12:10 tells us to: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” ( ESV ) We should show honor to our leaders, but God designed it to go both directions. If it’s one-way, it’s unhealthy and unbiblical. Let me explain further how God designed honor to work in church leadership. First of all, we are supposed to submit to our leaders. Hebrews 13:17 says: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” One of the ways we show honor to our leaders is by submitting to their authority. At the same time, though, leaders are instructed to show hono...

Image via Wikipedia At the risk of not showing honour to peers in ministry, I want to tackle the topic of honour today. I’m concerned. I see a trend in churches that I think is unhealthy . Honestly, I believe it’s also unbiblical. There are a number of churches today that are trying to teach a culture of honour. The concept of honour is biblical. In fact, Romans 12:10 tells us to: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour.” ( ESV ) We should show honour to our leaders, but God designed it to go both directions. If it’s one-way, it’s unhealthy and unbiblical. Let me explain further how God designed honor to work in church leadership. First of all, we are supposed to submit to our leaders. Hebrews 13:17 says: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” One of the wa...