Pastors and Prophets

The modern church is dominated by pastors. The prophetic ministry can only be restored to the church, if pastors allow it. I believe that many pastors have (sometimes unwittingly) obstructed the restoration of the prophetic ministry in the church. This has prevented God from doing all that he wants to do. Sometimes pastors are hostile or fearful of the prophetic due to bad experiences, but this is not an excuse for robbing their people of what the prophetic ministry can bring to their church.

While some prophets have hurt people, the reality is that controlling pastors and inadequate pastoring have done far more damage to far more Christians. In numerous situations, a whole church has fallen when their pastor has lost the plot. Pastors have far more power over people’s lives than prophets. A pastor who gets lost can do far more damage than an over-zealous prophet. Where prophets have become unruly or controlling, the reason is usually inadequate or insecure leadership.

Mature pastors have no reason to fear the prophetic. A wise and God-fearing pastor, who is loved by his flock, can never be overcome or pushed aside by a prophet. Despite these facts, the bar of acceptance is set much higher for prophets. Some pastors may need to be more honest about the real reason for their indifference to prophetic ministry. The problem may be something in their own heart, rather than the prophet.

Pastors are often concerned about the damage that prophets can do. They should be more concerned about the effect of the lack of the prophetic in their church. Pastors have a key role in encouraging the development of the prophetic ministry.

The issue cannot be avoided. If they want to fully serve God, pastors will have to deal with the prophetic (and its problems). The church will never reach its full potential without the ministry of the prophet, but the prophetic ministry will only be restored in God’s fullness if there is a radical commitment from pastors to make it happen. The following scripture is very compelling. It implies that if leaders do not trust the prophets, they will not succeed.

Trust his prophets and you will succeed (2 Chron 20:20).

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