What are the limits to a Pastors authority in a church? and how do you know he/she's gone to far?
364007
The pastor of a church is to serve the body, not the other way around. They are to line up their lives according to the Word of God, not vice-versa. They should have high moral standards and have a heart after God's own heart. They should always have the church seeking God's face more and have a heart for the lost and suffering. They should not be covetous or greedy for material posessions. They should not have an "eye" for the ladies or gentlemen. They should not tolerate sin and adultery in the house of God. They should preach the full gospel of the Cross of Jesus Christ, His death and ressurrection and always praying that the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is directing them and is present through the body and services. When they start to boast and brag about themselves, their cars and homes, spending excessive time with single women (if the person is a male) and do not minister to the elderly and always asking for money and materialistic things...run like the dickens and pray to God to lead you to a Holy Spirit directed church where Christ Himself is the Head, and we are the body.  Also pray for those fallen into sin that God will expose it and lead them out to repentance, true repentance.
1037932
This is a very difficult question to answer.  The preacher is called to obey the Ten Commandments, but so are each of us as Christians.  I believe that if he is of a larger denomination, each denomination sets standards that pastors must meet and have committees to ensure those quality standards. In that case, powers much larger than I am would make some of those decisions for me.\n\nAs for personally, I think that it depends on how well I know my pastor and how much I look at them as a peer. Is he the pastor that you can relate to as a human or is it sitting on a different level than the rest of the congregation.\n\nI have a female pastor at my church.  We are good friends with their entire family.  I work closely with her husband in several ministries in the church. I know that neither of them would ever do this kind of thing, so if something happened, I would KNOW that it was simply an act of human error.  It would not be pre-meditated or planned and it would tear her heart apart. She would be in her own human hell and would judge herself so harshly that what I thought would not matter. \nI would think that the pastor should voluntarily step down and go to counseling and then decide where to go from there.  That way the one who casts the first stone is the guilty one.
729371
In the United States there is no such thing as sanctuary within a church. The police have the right to enter and arrest anyone that they have a legal warrant to do so.
944841
Honestly, that's a really good question. I hadn't thought of that.  Call a pastor and see what they have to say.
578933
We should allow anyone who wants to come to church.\nBut they need to be hearing the truth on what God finds acceptable or not. If pastors allow people to go on living in sin and He never confronts them, I feel sorry for him in eternity.\nIn our church we have prostitutes, homosexuals, alcoholics, drug users, and sinners of all sorts. We encourage all to come, and they either get their lives straight or become convicted and leave before to long. Sin can never feel comfortable in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
1081036
I think it says in the Timothy (one or two I can't remember) or Titus (or both) that a church elder must be a husband of one wife.  So no, if he has two wives, not only is he not able to meet the requirement of being a pastor, he's also in violation of his faith by being polygamous....I'm assuming this man claims to be Christian.  He needs to be separated from his wife (his second I think, since he's legally married to the first)
808742
I'll attempt to explain in a way that dosnt confuse you further,\n\nAll Christians can be ministers.... when they do something for example witnessing... or if they do something for others out of service to the Lord they are "ministering" to that person. Because what they are doing is to give honor to the Lord and follow his teachings. A Pastor is actually the pastor of a church... he is there to bring the message each week yes.. but that is far from all of his duties. As a Pastor he is responsible for looking after the members of the church their spiritual needs, if they have a problem of some type he is there to provide help and guidance. Many people believe the Pastor is the head of the church.... as a Pastor myself i can tell you the Pastor is a teacher yes... but he is the servant of the church. A preacher is someone who preaches the word of God .... an evangalist is a preacher but he usually is not a pastor... he travels from place to place preaching in different churches... or for example the old "Tent camp meetings"... while he is an Ordained Minister he does not Pastor a specific congregation.  Some churches may have members that are Ordained Ministers but they do not evangalize or travel... they attend a home church and may preach on occassion when the Pastor is sick or out of town .... they are preachers.\n\nI hope this helps you and does not confuse you further.\nGod bless you :)
930352
Ask a pastor at church........ Quit attempting to make up some false scenario just to suit some not-legitimate point..... GOD BLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
402035
No a woman is not supposed to be a Priest, or Pastor as these are positions of authority over men.\n1Ti 2:12  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. \nThe idea is that the headship is given to the man, and the woman should not take authority over the man.  Just like the husband is the head of the house.  Women filled many other positions, preached, taught, deacons, and others.\nThe only priests are in the Old Testament.  But priests there were men, the Apostles all men.
426659
You need to find a church that makes you feel comfortable and welcome.  You might need to try many.  I think that it is very important to find a church with a pastor that teaches from scripture.  There are so few out there anymore.  So many churches water down the teachings from Christ and put their own spin on the Bible.  How can you learn from God if you are not getting the teachings that he provided for us?  Don't let people bring you down, remember that just because someone believes in God it doesn't make them perfect, we are all sinners and fall short.  It is in our nature to fall short, that is why we need God.  Please don't let your disapointment in a person affect the way you see Christianity.  Pray about it and soon you will find a church home that is right for you, God Bless.
640584
i believe that there are annual church conferences with representatives from churches all over who vote and decide on various things one of those being whether a pastor stays or goes. For example at my grandfathers church he had the same pastor for 10 or 11 years and then in the last 4 years they have had 3 different people.
290165
If a man can not take care of his own household how can he take care of God's church.  Its an honorable responsibility you cant just let anyone do it. I think its referring to pastors they have to live a righteous life outside of the church also. God Bless!!
501762
break off from the ritualistsic traditions.\nThe Lord Jesus cant be found there, and Jesus would have no problem marrying you outside and niether should your pastor.
891868
...I don't know why that is (that few TV preachers are backed by or held accountable to any denomination or overseeing authority); some to be sure are money-grabbers. If one is accountable to no one, it can easily lead to abuses of many kinds.   I watch for doctrinal errors especially, lavish lifestyles, and endless pleas (and gimmicks) to get your money.  There are crooked evangelists and ministers, who have been caught in lies and criminal activity, but not all are crooked.  There are bad apples in every profession.\n...A biblical congregation should be led by male elders who are subject to God and each other.  I will not be part of a church which has no such elder board.\n...That is a warning sign to me.  Those who subject themselves to no one, are in danger of leading many astray, as in a cult following.  \n...Our pastor, re: any of his messages - he  encourages us to "check him out", to prove what he teaches.  The Berean Christians were commended in Acts 17:11 - "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the Scriptures with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so."\n...Don't be afraid to check them out - in fact, do check them out - examine the Scriptures daily, to see whether the things they teach are so.\n...God does know how to "clean house" too, that is, He is fully capable of removing people who dishonor His name. And in the end, Romans 14:12 says, "Each of us shall give account of himself to God."  They will not escape.
122561
Your church should already have guidelines of who should be allowed to be near the children. \n\nMy church has a background check done on all people that want to work with the children.  We also have teams of two workers per each class.  We try to have more women than men work with the children.\n\nAfter classes are done, it is the parents responsibility to keep an eye on their children.  We return their children directly to the parent and don't just let the children loose to roam the church grounds.\n\nWith rules and guidelines in place, a prison ministry should be fine.  Pedophiles are required to let the town they move to know about their background.  You can check your local listings.  They will have a picture of the person and the crime they have committed. \n\nAs a parent, I know there is always potential danger to my children.  Even at church.  The church is supposed to open it's arms to the world in love.  Not everyone that attends has Christ on their minds.
615806
Have definite rules. In my experience managing adults is a lot more difficult than children. If it's the youth choir, get the parents involved. If its adults, have rules and don't let rule breakers sing. Also, get the church leadership (pastor, deacons, clergy, etc) behind you so that your decisions will have teeth if someone tries to challenge you (and they will). God be with you.
163457
the office of a pastor is an ordained position, so the basic answer is that you would have to be called by a congregation of baptist believers to be their pastor.\n\nchurches will look for different qualifications in selecting a pastor, including training/education, adherence to the church's doctrinal statement of faith, and the biblical qualifications outlined in I Timothy 3:1-7\n\nthere are numerous baptist bible colleges and seminaries where you can be formally trained, and your choice of school will depend on the type of baptist church you are seeking to pastor. at the end of the day, while education is important, it is up to the local church to determine what they are looking for in a pastor.