Hi,<\/p>\n
The question I have is this: What should a person do in this situation? In the church I currently attend, we do not have any elders for several years. I see some things that are creeping into the church. For example, when my congregation had elders the preacher was very serious during worship. Now that we do not have elders, whenever the preacher delivers a sermon he tells jokes that make the audience laugh a lot and it\u2019s happening more frequently. This past Sunday the preacher did something that was very disorderly. During worship he had two women stand up and speak out during worship to make a point in the sermon he was teaching. He asked one of the women to state her \u201cdoctorate\u201d credentials to prove his point. He asked the other woman to speak in Spanish to prove that tongue-speaking is not happening today \u201cbecause nobody else in the building knew the Spanish that she spoke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many brothers and sisters have brought concerns to him about these matters, but he tends to think nothing is wrong with what he decides to do. Many people are also scared to go to him and express concerns because of his reaction when speaking to him, he reacts as if when people ask questions and comes to him that it annoys him.<\/p>\n
Sorry, it is a lo,t but I hope it made sense.<\/p>\n\t
It seems that approaching the preacher individually has not worked well. I would normally suggest that you follow Matthew 18:15-17 and have several approach him together, but his recent actions require stronger measures.<\/p>\n
There is nothing wrong with using humor in a lesson. If the group prefers a bit less, it is fine to express your thoughts and why you came to your conclusion. Not every topic should be presented with humor. “A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). If all he is addressing are topics where he can find humor, then he is not presenting all of God’s word.<\/p>\n However, having women address the congregation during a lesson violates the rules for worship that Paul recorded.<\/p>\n “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized<\/em>” (I Corinthians 14:34-38).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There is no need to fear a preacher. Everyone makes mistakes at times and need to be reminded of what is important. If a preacher demonstrates that he is not interested in being bound by the limits of God’s law, then it is the congregation’s right to decide to no longer support him or give him the opportunity to address the congregation. Preachers do no run congregations, they serve the Lord while being a part of a congregation. It is the group that makes the decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: Hi, The question I have is this: What should a person do in this situation? In the church I currently attend, we do not have any elders for several years. I see some things that are creeping into the church. For example, when my congregation had elders the preacher was very serious during worship.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1511],"class_list":["post-18777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-preachers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16921,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-the-preacher-use-his-time-to-conduct-a-bible-class-during-the-worship-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":18777,"position":0},"title":"Can the preacher use his time to conduct a Bible class during the worship service?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm a young man of seventeen and have been raised and brought up in a very conservative Christian home. I could go on and on about my father, the efforts of my mother, and the great strides I've been extremely blessed to make in being an active member in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28602,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-someone-be-withdrawn-from-for-not-moving-his-seat-during-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":18777,"position":1},"title":"Can someone be withdrawn from for not moving his seat during worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 22, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: This question is in a scenario form: A member of the Lord's church was asked to move his seating in the church building during worship on several different occasions. This member refused to do so after several requests. This member was consequently brought before the congregation with the charge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17133,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-church-choose-men-to-lead-when-there-are-no-elders\/","url_meta":{"origin":18777,"position":2},"title":"Can a church choose men to lead when there are no elders?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When there are no elders in a congregation and the church chooses certain men to lead, is this scriptural? Answer: I probably would need more information to answer your question. Much depends on what you mean by \"lead.\" During worship service, there are men who lead various parts of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18857,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-should-business-meetings-be-conducted\/","url_meta":{"origin":18777,"position":3},"title":"How should business meetings be conducted?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 28, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have no elders at our small congregation. Do you have information available on the workings of these meetings and its rules? What authority its president has versus its preacher? This probably a funny question to ask, but we do need some advice. Answer: It is clear in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62140,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-should-i-share-the-pulpit\/","url_meta":{"origin":18777,"position":4},"title":"When should I share the pulpit?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings to you, sir, I trust you have been doing well with your family. I have this concern bothering me. As a preacher, I understand that at some point I will have to share the pulpit with others, but at what point should that be? 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