Pastor-Pope

[Historian]

From my experience–(I am not from an IFB church, but did got to BJU for 4 years; then worked around and near a lot of fundies every since. My current ministry is basically "Fundy–mess Cleanup," with women who were lied to, deluded or just left laying in utter ignorance of anything the Scripture teaches by fundies because they were only women. As one example, a lady approached me years ago asking if I could do a basic Bible study with her and some friends. She was led to the Lord by fundies and went to their church for 2 years before asking me this. In our first lesson she said: "I know the death of Jesus is supposed to be important to being a Christian, but I don't know what it means or how it affects us.") So that's the background of my knowledge on the subject:

1. Is the pastor's belief-claim that he has a calling from God the same as proof of such a callling?–Yes, absolutely. I know pastors currently pastoring now whom everyone in their church and even other pastors acknowledge are in violation of several of the qualifications listed in Timothy and Titus. Doesn't matter. They have "the CALL."

2. Do a pastor's education and degree somehow prove that his ordination is valid?–This depends on the camp. I've known many that would say yes, particularly those who consider themselves intellectual. I've known others to bridle at this suggestion: there is no ordination. Anyone who wants to be a pastor is one so long as he can get 5 people to follow him. When I was at BJU for a while, I knew guys in the pathetic (academically) "Preacher Boys" program who would drop out of even that because "I just gotta preach."

3. What goes into fundy ordination, i.e., how do the ordainers know that the pastor has a calling and that he is fit to carry it out?Again, totally depends on the camp. Some do a q/a on basic doctrine. As Don said some are grilled about whatever pet belief the others don't like. MAny reject ordination entirely. And some ordain entirely based on relationships.

4. Since, according to most Christian theology, Jesus was the only perfect man, this means that all others are imperfect. When a pastor preaches or acts imperfectly, what interventions are made to "correct our brother in Christ"?In my experience, no one is authorized to correct or question the IFB pastor. Sometimes they will allow that other pastors may do this, and I have seen them make an attempt at it. However, because there is no organized mechanism for doing it, it's largely useless. If they really go after a man, he can always just drop out and start his own fringe group.

5. The pastor has the right to call out individual congregation members for praise or blame. Do congregants have the right to do the same with the pastor?Absolutely not. Never. (Except after they've left, or in splitting the church. But even then only rarely, and it's not so much that they have any "right" to do it as that they have decided to. Usually they're then pointed out as sinners for questioning the Man of God, and he is lauded as being persecuted with Christ).

6. Do any fundy churches have periodic evaluations of pastors' leadership?No, not in any that I have ever known.

7. Do congregants have the right to stand up publicly against a pastor's deliberate humiliation or even false witness against congregants?I don't think I've ever seen or heard of this happening, either.

[steveb1]

[quote='Historian' pid='105316' dateline='1341369075']
From my experience–(I am not from an IFB church, but did got to BJU for 4 years; then worked around and near a lot of fundies every since. My current ministry is basically "Fundy–mess Cleanup," with women who were lied to, deluded or just left laying in utter ignorance of anything the Scripture teaches by fundies because they were only women. As one example, a lady approached me years ago asking if I could do a basic Bible study with her and some friends. She was led to the Lord by fundies and went to their church for 2 years before asking me this. In our first lesson she said: "I know the death of Jesus is supposed to be important to being a Christian, but I don't know what it means or how it affects us.") So that's the background of my knowledge on the subject:

SNIP

Thanks very much for your experiences and insights. Sounds like fundyland is a place to avoid unless one revels in being a sheep.