DEAR STARTER : Of Secondary Pulpits, A Satanic Phenomenon, Associate Pastors, and House Keeping in Church

I think one of the most demanding role in the church is that role called assistant pastor or associate pastor etc. And I want to begin by celebrating everyone so called of God to fill this sensitive office especially those who have ruled well and are carrying out their duties with utmost sense of responsibility and privilege. Your reward is sure both here and in the life after.

The work of an associate demands the finest of attitude and the strongest of character…it demands a death to yourself and to become alive to followership as you have been so called.

Let’s see a few things here

Numbers 11:28
And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.

Can you see that….THE SERVANT OF MOSES…In most places Moses was referred to as the servant of God, but imagine the title Joshua got after all his loyalty and devotion. THE SERVANT OF MOSES.
If you are not dead to yourself you will imagine that your identity is lost in the followerhip of a vision and a man.

Let’s see this again

Exodus 33:11
And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Look at that again, MOSES’ SERVANT.
One of the things

Now unfortunately the dissatisfaction of being a follower, becoming a man whose life assignment is to REPEAT AND BROADCAST the words of God through another man, to stand steadfast and drive the vision that God has given to your Pastor, the crave for personal identity and uniqueness can and has led many Assistant Pastors to the PHENOMENON called SECONDARY PULPITS and ultimately the death of their ministry.

What is a Secondary Pulpit?

This is when associate pastors, assistant pastors and other trusted heads within a local assembly introduces to the flock or assembly a different and new voice of teaching, a different and new doctrinal stance opposed to the stance of the house, books contrary to the persuasion of the house and thoughts alien to what God has instructed the Setman or Apostle over that house to do and teach.

This is the propagation of strange ideologies even if considered by some to be biblical and doctrinal within the assembly. This is the breaking of ranks in the formation of God!

It is the physical manifestation of the works of the flesh to seek personal relevance and cause a faction, develop a sect within an assembly. It’s developing an individualistic tendency and nursing an independent spirit within a house you ought to be submitted.

Galatians 5:19
Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,
Galatians 5:20 Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), SELFISHNESS, DIVISION(dissensions), party spirit (FACTIONS, SECTS with PECULIAR OPINIONS, heresies),

It’s the satanic delusion to attempt to hijack honor beyond what God has placed on you through your Pastor. It’s the manifestation of an independent spirit where God has called you to be dependent on what he tells your Pastor.

Titus 1:7-9
For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast THE FAITHFUL WORD AS HE HATH BEEN TAUGHT, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

If you notice that after being blameless, the next instruction to him is “NOT SELF WILLED” meaning SELF is not the power behind his drive for the things of God.
But more importantly here is “holding the word of God AS HE HAS BEEN TAUGHT!!!! “
It doesn’t say here AS HE HAS LEARNT!!!

When an associate Pastor introduces to the congregation what he has learnt contrary to what he has been taught in word and truth according to the focus of the house he is in…HE IS INTRODUCING A SECONDARY PULPIT there.

When people say things like, so and so is my Pastor but I prefer and feed more on the messages of another so and so, and go ahead to recommend the books, tapes, conferences etc of the other minister without the consent and getting a go ahead from your Pastor…YOU HAVE BROUGHT IN A SECONDARY PULPIT to that assembly.

I always say this, if you feel you have learnt more and you feel uncomfortable as an assistant in a ministry due to the teaching of the house and it’s consistency with the word, bring it up with your Pastor subtly. Pray for the ministry. Bring it up again, Pray again, spend some quality time in intercession…if they are not changing, you may have to pray and let God lead you elsewhere. You can’t be gathering followership to your self and another minister you so admire within the sheepfold of another man.

Please note, leaving a ministry on this ground is not tantamount to a call to the Apostolic or to pioneer a work for God. Don’t mistake an understanding of God’s word in certain areas for a call to pioneer.
Being an Apostle is a calling not a leaving of a church due to differences.

Finally,

2 Timothy 2:2
And the things that thou hast HEARD OF ME among many witnesses, THE SAME commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

What Paul was saying here is that, the things you are to commit to other teachers within the ministry are the things you have learnt of me!!!

He said it unapologetically, he pioneered that church by the instruction of the Holy Ghost and he was bold to tell them what the stance of the Pastors under him should be.

If your Pastor’s assignment to the body is to be a teacher, you, as an associate can’t then carry the church members to organize crusades everywhere just because you love Reinhard Bonnke…if that must happen, it must be sanctioned by your Pastor
If the Man God has called you to follow and assist is Evangelistic in assignment, you can’t then begin to swing and sway people to yourself and say things like “WE MUST BE DIDACTIC AND NOT EVANGELISTIC “

Your work as an associate is to amplify the voice of the one you have been told to follow…to assist him in carrying out what God has told him not what you think another Pastor is doing.
In life and ministry , you will have occasion to be inspired by many sound Pastors across board, but make sure you are found where God has placed you.

If you lack such strength of character, such discipline of followership then, I don’t think you should accept the huge responsibility of an assistant Pastor

Welcome to Freedom!!!