Marks of a Bad Pastor

I listened to a portion of a sermon by Perry Noble of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. I transcribed an excerpt from that sermon. Consider the following words and see if they should have come out of the mouth of a pastor who is supposed to be preaching the word of God to the people of God:

We have people come to this church going, ‘I want a church where I can know the pastor. I could never go to a church where I can’t know the pastor.’ You need to leave. I don’t have the time. I love my wife, I love my kids, and I won’t sacrifice my family on the ministry altar so I can come eat food that I don’t like and I can hang out with people that make me uncomfortable [faint laughter in background]. … You’ve never been told that by a pastor. That’s why he only stays at the church for two years, and then he leaves. … ‘I want to go to a church where the pastor comes to visit me in the hospital.’ No, you don’t want that. Because if I come to see you in the hospital, ya’ll know, it’s bad. The guy behind me has the bag you’re leaving the room in. ‘Well, in my last church the pastor would come.’ Well go back to your last church. … ‘I didn’t like the music last Sunday.’ Here’s the problem: you think I care [more laughter]. … You don’t understand how little I care.

Now, if the pastor is simply trying to curb false expectations among the congregants, that’s one thing, but he could have said it in a kinder manner, instead of making the sheep feel bad for wanting to be near the shepherd (does he expect the shepherd to feed the sheep?). And no hospital (but apparently death bed) visits? Seems kinda contra to this statement (which is also kinda ironic, given the whole “deeds not creeds” mentality of the modern seeker-sensitive movement):

“Then He will also say to those on His left, `Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me [nothing] to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’  “Then they themselves also will answer, `Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ “Then He will answer them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ~ Matthew 25:41-46

Listen to this interview with a former member of NewSpring (there is an analysis of these comments; the quote and the comments begin about 44 minutes into the broadcast). One of the saddest things, as the host of the show notes, is that Perry Noble is like “a rock star” among many young pastors today. This is one of the things that happens when numbers become the greatest measuring stick. As the host describes it, such pastors are more like cattle herders than shepherds.