Pastor Isaac Love Pappoe, the founder and leader of Christ Love-Avenue Church, recently shared valuable insights on the essential ethics that ministers should embrace in their ministry. In a thought-provoking post, he emphasized that while one can dedicate themselves to prayer and fasting, even surpassing the devotion of Jesus Christ, it is the lack of sound ministry ethics that can prevent success in the long run.
He writes:
MINISTERIAL ETHICS FOR GUEST MINISTERS:
Could there be a reason you were invited just once and never invited again?
These ethics has saved me alot and I believe it will save you too. I learnt alot of these by personal experiences and from mistakes I did during my immature days (I am still growing anyways).
Ministry is a very long way. You can pray and fast more than Jesus Christ Himself but Without some important ministry ethics, you won’t go anywhere no matter how anointed you are.
This could be the reason why you were never invited again:
1. Don’t use your host to cite a negative example or examples that will make the membership mock him. Eg an example of a drunkard or an immoral pastor or sensitive issues about his past.
2. Don’t lay hands on your host if he’s your colleague or older than you’re or a little older than you are in the ministry. You need permission even if you’re strongly led by the Spirit or even if you’re more anointed than he is.
3. Don’t try to establish very strong or controversial doctrines in another man’s church. You might cause confusion and division and Paul says it’s carnal. You can still teach basic truths of Christ on salvation without compromising the Gospel of Christ and stirring up strife. Your good intentions might split a church. Do not let your good be spoken evil of. I have heard of a pastor who lost almost 15 pastors after another pastor came to teach some doctrine which was new to the entire church and chaos begun. They claimed the host pastor (who has been an amazing pastor though was still growing in New Covenant understanding) was deceiving them all this while and they took almost half of the membership away. That’s not a right spirit at work.
4. Be very careful dealing with the opposite sex in another man’s church of pastoring. It has destroyed alot of great ministers and great relationships. I know of a man who was hosted for a three days program and by the time he was done, he had slept with three members in his hotel already. Host pastor please be vigilant. They’re God’s flock in your stewardship. Some are weak and others are still growing. You must protect them from wolves in sheep’s clothing. Don’t assume your guest is an angel. Monitor him, be close to him from start to close. Be in every conversation if possible except you can fully trust each other when the relationship has been well built. You’re not intruding. You’re their father in the faith and every father must strictly be involved in everything their children do to help them. If there is any conversation your member doesn’t want you involved except your host, there is a big problem. Guest pastor, if any member says anything evil about your host, don’t easily sympathize and slander your host, it’s betrayal. Don’t receive the accusation of an elder except by two or three witnesses.
1 Timothy 5:19 KJVS
[19] Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
5. Guest minister, Don’t take numbers or give your number to another man’s flock without the host’s permission even if you’re deeper or more anointed than he is. Church members can be very troublesome. Be careful. It may end you in serious trouble.
6. Don’t demand extra monies from someone’s members secretly apart from your honorarium esp if you’re a prophet and the people love you. You’re a charlatan, you are a Gehazi, Balaam, you’re a thief, you’re disloyal, you’re a gambler. You’re greedy and ungrateful. Be content with your honorarium. Anyone who does this isn’t fit for ministry no matter how gifted he is. If anyone wants to bless you apart from the pastor, make it open and don’t do things in secret. It will give you a bad name before your host if he gets to know and trust me, your host will one day get to know about it.
7. Don’t talk to members personally unless you seek for permission. Don’t say the members forced you. You have the authority to call them to order. Members can cause alot problems between host and guest ministers. Don’t be a victim.
8. Ask permission before selling your books
9. After you are done with a program and you have left, make sure you keep a distance from the membership of that church. If you need anything, ask permission from the pastor in charge before you make a move… eg. If you need photos for the program you ministered, don’t secretly contact the media or IT department without the notice of the pastor. It will save you alot.
10. Listen to instructions given you respectfully. Eg. I went to a church and the pastor told me not to take offerings and seeds by making the people drop it on the floor in front of the pulpit. I had to obey. You’re not higher than the head pastor of the local church. You must listen and obey.
11. Don’t try to do things to outweigh or outshine the head pastor or make him seem useless and less anointed. There is a high tendency for untrained immature members to uplift guest ministers above the host. Especially the women in the ministry can behave like the women in Sauls time, “David has killed his ten thousand, Saul has killed his thousand”. Please be very careful, you could destroy another man’s work if you allow these praises to enter your head. You’ll start hearing things like “you’re too deep sir, I felt peace in my heart whilst you were preaching, I have never felt anything like this for 20 years of attending this church”. “You’ll hear things like “pastor, I think your message should go global, we need teachings like this, you’re better than this pastor” etc.
This is due to some reasons: they are familiar with their pastor, familiar with his teachings, style of leadership and style of ministry. When members see something new, they want to run there. When this happens it means the pastor hasn’t done a good job in teaching the members against familiarity. The membership must be taught extensively against it. Let them know they must not be bored with your teachings, they must never be used to your anointing else it won’t bless them. Let them know how you should be honored, it’s not pride, it’s scriptural. But of course you must stay within the scriptural boundaries and don’t demand worship from them.
12. Don’t be offended if your host still ministers shortly for a second time after you’re done ministering. Don’t feel he’s trying to downplay what you did. I know that feeling isn’t pleasant to some people but get used to it. He may have reasons for doing that, so respect it. They’re the people God gave to pastor, not you, so relax. You’re there to only help not to be hailed as superstar. He is their pastor, don’t be bothered. He can choose to do that from a genuine heart. Don’t feel he has done evil. He’s their pastor, you’re not. Take it easy.
Hope this helped? Let me know
Isaac Love Pappoe.