How Much Pastoral Abuse Must We Take?

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Storm Update: Sorry Mac, the government is on the way. President Bush has declared Florida a disaster, and thus FEMA has been activated. Thank you President Bush for offering the assistance of FEMA, even though our Pastor Mac Brunson has been praying that you do NOT send FEMA, we are very happy that you have and we welcome the assistance. So until Mac "rises up the church" we'll take the government's help!

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This past Sunday the members of FBC Jax were treated to another childish rant by their pastor Mac Brunson. He doesn't learn from his mistakes, and its so painfully obvious that he doesn't have anyone who is willing to speak the truth to him about how he needs to stop abusing his congregation from the pulpit. His negative rants against his congregation are becoming more frequent, and more abusive.

Case in point: in Sunday's sermon Mac presumed to know whether his members had or had not filled out the "316 cards" that were passed out to members a few weeks ago. The "316 cards" were a gimmick to get people to write three names of lost people, and to agree to pray for them 1 time a day, for six weeks. Pretty clever, huh? Get it: 3 - 1 - 6, as in John 3:16). Do you think Maurilio Amorim, Mac's ace church marketing consultant, came up with this? Good job Maurilio if it was your creative team in Nashville that came up with the 316 card! After we get the A-Group to print more of the 316 cards maybe we can have them work on archiving and making available video of our services on the Internet!

Sunday Mac says the following to his congregation, in an accusatory, negative tone:

"We passed out two weeks ago '316 cards'; we asked you to fill those out. I wonder how many did that. I'm afraid to ask you to raise your hands. You all just sit there and you don't ever do what I ask you to do. I asked you to fill these things out....How many of us have taken those 316 cards and we're everyday praying for three people that are lost. See, we won't even pray for 'em. We won't even write their name down because if I write their name down then I'm under obligation...YOU'RE ALREADY UNDER OBLIGATION!! Not my word, if you got a Bible, Paul says it right here!"

Click here to hear it yourself!

Wow Pastor...thanks for painting everyone with a broad brush. How the h-e-double-hockey-stick do you know who has filled out the cards? Who's telling you that we aren't praying for people to be saved? And do you really think that preaching this way is going to motivate people to fill out your little card? Where's the love pastor? Why the anger, pastor? Not only that, how legalistic is this. Mac and Jimmy Smyrl like to preach about the dangers of legalism, even accusing our church of being legalistic, yet Mac boils down our faithfulness in witnessing to whether we participate in he and Maurilio's latest gimmick of writing names on a 316 card. Like you've told us Mac...YOU'RE LEGALISM STINKS.

This kind of anger expressed by a pastor, this kind of presumption to think the very worst of his congregation and lashing out...its just so against a pastor's calling to be a shepherd of his people. Even Mac knows this, as he has written in his "The New Guidebook for Pastors", where he is discussing a pastor's leadership and "shepherding" of God's people:

"It is obvious that God chose someone [David, as an example of a shepherd of God's people] who was tender and gentle and a reflection of Himself...The method of biblical leadership is one of tenderness, gentleness, and compassion. We are never more like Christ when we are shepherding God's people." ("The New Guidebook for Pastors", page 75)

Another example of how Mac is making money from his book (which is required reading at many of our seminaries) by telling pastors how THEY should behave, while he himself behaves in another way. Maybe Darrell Gilyard will write a book on marital fidelity and youth ministry and we can make that required reading too.

This case is not just an isolated event. Most Sundays Mac takes a swipe at his congregation. Whether its about bringing Bibles, or paying attention, or presuming to know what we're doing or not doing...how we are legalistic, or worshipping the past...he seems to find a reason to assume THE WORST in his congregation, not the best. So sad.

Later in this same sermon, Mac decided to whine about how he is not getting enough support for his "Life Links" initiative. But I'll save that rant for a post later this week.

Watchdog checking out...weathering the storm waiting for Mac and the church to "rise up" and bring their aid to help!