Are You Qualified to Lead? – Toxic Leaders - Part 3 (Updated)

If you are a pastor or a ministry leader you have heard tales of someone who will “Steal Your Church”. Or those who will destroy the work of God you are in charge of doing.

So, you try hard to discern who you can trust, who you can put in leadership positions and who might be dangerous if they were in leadership.

Some Pastors put people in leadership without thinking about what the Bible has to say about who NOT to install.

Using the admonition of Paul to Timothy, lay hands on no man suddenly. Wait, watch, see, measure, and then by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit install.

Here are 10 different toxic people who could destroy your ministry if they were in leadership. Again all of these are from the word of God but like me as I review them again names and faces from the past come up before me:

1. Pretending Parroters
These are people who say the right words, who have watched TV or read a book and say what they heard or read. They may have heard others say what they say and they sound pretty good. But it’s all hollow. With a tip of the hat to Steve Scott these are empty headed men and women without an original idea that think by parroting what others say they will advance their cause. The worst are those who are basically rubber stamp yes men without the ability to ask a hard question, pose an unique perspective or cast a fresh vision unless they heard someone else say it. Worse yet if they just say what the chief leader says in order to curry favor. Pretenders.

That was the case with the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-16. They were out parroting Paul in the ministry of exorcism. Except they weren’t qualified. And they were beaten badly. Now, most of the time when this story is told it’s as a warning to people not to enter into something they are not qualified for. There is a deeper problem uncovered here. Whoever had the demon or the people caring for them had brought that person to these boys. They had already established by words the idea that they carried authority they didn’t. If they hadn’t been set back by the devil many would have been carried away by pretenders. Look out for the reader of a book who doesn’t minister in authenticity.

2. Thin Skinned People taking Offense at Everything
Jesus said that in the last days people would be offended at him. Some people just are ticked off by anything. If I see someone who takes offense at too many things too often they are stricken from the list of possibles. The opposite of this is the confrontation of Paul and Peter regarding circumcision. It was a knock down drag out battle. Paul describes the nature of it in Galatians 2:11-21.

If Peter read this after Paul wrote it and was a thin skinned person he would have cut Peter off. But the leadership in the Church in the early days were bound in unity by the Holy Spirit and love for Jesus. There was no offense to equal the offense of the Cross for the perfect man. Nothing was that big a deal to cause people to get all uptight about.

So, if you have a person who might be a good leader potential but they keep being offended over things big or small they are dangerous and should be kept out of leadership.

3. Teachers of Strange Doctrine
This is a two headed beast. There are some who aspire to leadership who teach things without understanding and with confident assertions that are just weird. Sometimes they are actually interesting. Sometimes they are titillating. The whole Mary Magdalene thing of last year with DaVinci code or the Gospel of Judas. Or some of the Mormon teachings about Jesus and the Aztecs in the new world. Or some of the alien spacecraft teachings that actually goes on in the Church. All strange, all fun, but all dangerous to have going on with a leader. You can hear much of this kind of thing on overnight radio on Coast to Coast with George Nory or Art Bell. It causes confusion. 1 Timothy 1:3-7

The other strange doctrine head is in 1 Timothy 1:9-10. Sometimes strange doctrine comes in the form of compromise of the world system and the word of God. This caused me to leave a denominational church 30 years ago when I heard them DEBATING issues like are these things right or wrong: Why should we allow censorship of movies and TV in the light of free speech?, Is abortion always wrong?, When is Euthanasia ok?, Is it OK to have an affair if the person I'm sleeping with is more spiritual than my spouse, I mean we even pray together?, Why can’t Homosexuals be Ministers?, Shouldn’t the state have the power to teach evolution rather than Creation in Public Schools?, Is the Media really liberal or is that just what Conservatives think?, The ACLU is good for Christianity or not?

If you think I’m kidding, look at this reference and read it, I have defined all the compromise doctrines this church taught or debated in order in the verse as it appears in the New American Standard Bible. Look out for those who want to debate compromise. They appear intellectual and wise but they are snakes in the grass.

4. Church Splitters
Paul instructs in 1 Timothy 6:3-5 to look out for those who are mixers, stirring up divisions. There will be divisions even among those seeking God, but there will be people who will exploit and fuel the fire by stirring them up. They look for controversy, disputes. They take half-truths and spread them. Sometimes they are doing it because they want to split the church and become Pastor (with a salary) at “NEWCHURCH”. I wish these folks would wear a Tee Shirt saying, “I’m here to split your church”. They don’t. Sometimes what’s worse is they come from your leaders. This person doesn’t get this level of influence unless you allowed it. When the fire starts you must put it out at once. Take control. If you have a person who looks to mix it up, stir people up, exploiting the divisions in any church that is a danger sign.

5. Impostors
2 Timothy 3:2-9. These are easy to spot and hard to handle. They are arrogant, religious types. The mantra they have is , “I was raised in the church, I was born a Christian”. They talk a good game but are sinful at the core. You know it after spending a little time with them. They don’t love the brethren, they love worldly pleasure. They usually come from a traditional Christian church background. Historical Christianity. Born saved. No real conversion from anything. Hard to tell if they ever were really saved at all. They love all the trappings of religion but they deny and eschew any potential for life changes or effect by the blood of Jesus. They are the classical people who “having form of religion but denying the power thereof” Christians. Many times they are easiest to spot with the mean spirited way they deal with other Christians. Not leadership material.

6. Big Talkers
The letter to Titus has a warning about Big Talkers. You know these people. Non-Stopping Radio Mouths. Try to get a word in edgewise. They are full of half-truths. Never blatant lies. Half truths. They stir up factions. They call other people names, even have demeaning nicknames for others rather than respectful. The core of their being is rebellion. They look for ways to use the tongue God gave them to build fires. James chapters 3 and 4 talks much about this Spirit. If you have someone who is constantly overrunning their headlights in action or conversation that is a danger signal.

7. Prophets who Aren’t
The anointing breaks the yoke. Anything less is annoying not anointed. 2 Peter 1:21 and 2:1-3 have clear warnings and measurements about people who claim a gifting but have no fruit. The issue is harmony with the revealed word of God. A false prophet without the Spirit of the Living God in him or her will drift into introduction of heresies that will eventually lead to denying the truth of who Jesus is. We are instructed not to despise or suppress the prophetic but we are to judge and watch for the warnings in 2 Peter. This is an area it’s easy to throw out babies with the bath water. We must have the prophetic voice in a church or it will die. But it must be a genuine prophetic voice. Watch for heresies. Watch for what the prophets say about Jesus. There’s the clue.

8. Dependant on Worldly Wisdom
Here is one of the most pernicious traps churches and Pastors fall into. The banker who is clever in financing is put in charge of the building program. The lawyer who has done some cute deals is put on the executive committee. The contractor who knows how to find bargain building materials gets the roofing done for half. The accountant who is a senior partner in a big firm is put in charge of the Budget of the Church. The danger is those who are wise in the ways of the world are put into authority and depend on their worldly wisdom for solving problems rather than the power and wisdom of God. This has the potential to evolve into an anti-Christ Spirit. 1 John 2:15-20 warns of this. It usually starts in the Church and comes out from among them. Some of the great church movements of the past were put to death by professionals that brought the wisdom of the world in and put out the wisdom formerly found in the Holy Ghost.

Now for all you pastors screaming at me at this point, IF you have someone able to set aside his or her worldly problem solving ability and seek God openly in the Holy Ghost I would say, keep that person. But if you are solving problems, dealing with issues because of worldly education and profession you run the risk of an Anti-Christ spirit rising up.

It looks like this in the end, “Why do we need Jesus, we have enough smart and clever men in leadership we can do anything”.

That is the peak of hubris and will be the beginning of downfall.

9. Control Freaks
3 John 9-11 talks openly about leaders who love to be the top dog. They love big titles. They love being in charge. Everyone else is wrong and he is right according to him. He doesn’t receive newcomers and new ideas well. He accuses others particularly in leadership of having a bad or evil spirit. He tries to get others expelled or set aside who disagrees with his controlling efforts.

This guy is real danger and if you have such a one on your board or even as a pastor, fire him today. He is a cork in the level of anointing for your church.

10. Those Without the Holy Spirit
Jude 4 talks of those who give license to immorality. They make stupid mocking fun of things with a coarseness that embarrasses. They are lust filled. Comments about others indicate the lust the feel. They pick fights with others. These are men who do NOT have any measure of the Holy Spirit restraining them. They are wild dogs on the loose in your Church. While it may be obvious not to put them in leadership, be careful that someone already in leadership doesn’t start developing this caviler attitude or demeanor. It a danger sign and worse it can be contagious.

Tomorrow now that we have dealt with who Should NOT be in leadership, we will look at some GOOD examples of proper leadership from the Acts and beyond. There are plenty. We shouldn’t have to struggle with this issue.

Then on Wednesday. The Single greatest factor that qualifies or disqualifies anyone for leadership. ONE attribute that if it’s missing probably makes your or anyone’s leadership illegitimate.

I’m sorry in advance for toes I am stepping on. This is a general publication intended for a broad range of church leaders who will read this. Certainly as I write I see faces and names before me from time to time. But trying hard to stick to the word of God I believe with all my heart that what I am saying is scriptural and accurate. I hope you will have open ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying.