As you probably know, I’m a fan of the Andy Griffith Show. Of course, one of my favorite characters is Barney Fife. If I’m not mistaken (and you Mayberry trivia buffs can correct me if I’m wrong), but Barney accidentally fired his gun 10 times, mostly while pulling it from his holster. The amazing thing is that he never shot himself in the foot.
I guess that’s that’s the difference between fiction and reality. You see, when we have these sort of mishaps, we usually end up harming ourselves.
Below are 10 common ways preachers frequently “shoot themselves in the foot.”
- Consistently put the good of your family behind the good of the church.
- Never say, “No.”
- Dismiss all criticisms and critiques of your work. After all, what do “non-preachers” know about preaching?
- Don’t allow people to see your weaknesses. Pretend perfection and sinlessness.
- Go on Facebook and be very vocal on political (not moral) hot-button issues.
- Sleep in. Arrive to work late and leave early.
- “Steal sheep” from neighboring congregations.
- View your elders as your “bosses” rather than your “shepherds.” (Or worse, view them as your “enemies” rather than your “friends.”
- Ignore the signs of burnout and overwork.
- Stop studying. That’s the reason you went to school. You’re past that now. Besides, due to your training, you probably already know more than most of the people in the congregation.
Do any of you have other items you’d like to add to this list? Just leave them in the comments section.
in order to make sure people do not come to you for help, use plenty of recognizable case histories in your lessons.
Not visiting members in their homes.
Allowing gossip to go on unchallenged.
This might sound odd, but trust me – never sell a car to a member of your own congregation.
Well written Steve!!
As an “Andy Griffith Show” aficionado (a word you would NEVER here on Andy Griffith), I’m happy to learn of the number of Barney’s misfires. I’d never thought about it.
But to the point–you nailed it. Or, as Andy would say, “Exactily-isomo”.
Oh, and Vincent, that last one, unfortunately, doesn’t sound odd to me at all.