As you know I have been in pastoral ministry for over 22 years now. I have been to conferences, retreats, seminars, and flatly heard from “church members”1 what a “good pastor” ought to be and do. When I attended Liberty University my homiletics professor even stated “The good pastor always preaches in a coat and tie.”2
So what does a good church member look like?
So here is my humble opinion on what a good church member looks like3 :
They’re born again. I know, I know, that should be obvious. But…
They’re not divisive.
Church is the body of Christ, not their body to run and control. This is in view of number 2.
They love and support their pastor and his family.
They love and support each other in the church.
They attend church on a regular basis.
They bring their bibles to church and actually read them along with the sermon.
They’re spiritually mature.
Read number 8 again.
They work alongside the pastor to minister to others in the community.
How about you? Do you have an idea of what a good church member looks like?
I always put “church members” in quotes now because some do not behave like they are born again.
But what if the preacher preaches heresy? But hey, at least his coat and tie is on!
I probably should have collaborated with James Tippins and Ed Soto on this but hindsight is always 20/20.
I concur and would add something along the lines of "They welcome the sounds of children over the sounds of silence."