An Enemy Within the Church
Almost every pastor has the experience of having some person or persons within the membership of the church who seems to take delight in creating problems for the pastor. I’ve known some pastors who became so worn out by such constant harassment that they finally chose to move to another church. We preach we should love our enemy, but sometimes our most honest desire is to wring their neck. How can we respond in a manner consistent with our faith?
A Christian Pastor’s Response to an Enemy in the Church
At first this may seem counter-intuitive, but let me suggest a radical tactic based on biblical advice. Recall Romans 12:20 “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” I used to ask myself how Christian can it be to heap burning coals on a person’s head. But thinking about it, I think Paul has identified an effective strategy.
Devious but Pastoral
Here is my suggestion. Do a little research and find a cause or charity that your enemy supports and doesn’t violate your conscience. Now, make a contribution to that charity in your enemies name and make sure they send him or her a notification of the gift and who made it. Now, sit back and wait. You can enjoy the fact that you have changed the whole dynamic or your relationship.
The ball is definitely in that person’s court. If they don’t contact you, it burns away at their conscience and the charity gets a supportive gift. If they do contact you, it does a couple of things. First, that person is likely going to express thanks to you. Second, it opens up a new conversation between you that does not begin in tension.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
I would suggest that you give some significant thought to how you are going to respond. What is it that you can say to that person that offers them an opportunity to see you in a new light? What, for example, might be their response if you said, “I know that you have not always been positive about my ministry, but I wanted you to know that I think your support of that charity reflects a quality of your faith that I appreciate.” I can almost guarantee you that you will have altered the pattern of how s/he responds to you. It’s another version of turning the other cheek.
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