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An Open Letter to The NDA Era of Church

              This is a letter I’ve thought about writing for years but finally had the courage to pray and put words to paper. I am currently a pastor at a large church in the Dallas Fort Worth Area. At this time, I will keep my identity confidential, but to those close to me this will not come as a surprise. I have worked for multiple churches that are currently in the top 100 largest churches in the country. While I recognize that myself and no one is perfect, I can stay silent no longer with what I am seeing. I do not believe the American Church is the reflection and representation of Jesus that it should be and we should continue to hold our spiritual leaders accountable until real change takes place. I want to list a few things that have really hurt me to see and then by the end of the post offer some options. I hope that while this will be uncomfortable for some people to hear, it would ultimately help to reform the church into what Jesus wanted it to be originally.

I have with my own eyes have seen too many friends due to fear sign NDA’s because of what they seen take place within the walls of a church behind the scenes.

Friends being black balled because they had to courage to report work place harassment or incidents.

Millions of dollars poured into buildings and “Disney like experiences or services”, while sex trafficking, homelessness, and the people near our churches are dying. *But don’t worry we will pick one time a year to do a donation, plan missions trips to foreign countries, and do a “Serve Day” to quiet down the voices in our souls that are telling us something is off.

I have seen too many ministry friends be able to barely afford rent and groceries while Executives and Lead Pastors are making in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually with extravagant sabbatical, vacation, and housing allowance packages.

I have been in too many meetings about how churches can increase the giving brought in financially or the weekend attendance numbers all under the umbrella of “We just want what’s best for people”. While secretly staff members or volunteers who do not hit certain giving or attendance thresh holds are labeled as “not bought into the vision”.

I have seen pastors expense things using church finances that have nothing to do with ministry or pastors have inappropriate relationships with people from the church. In some of those cases churches refuse to be transparent with the church members and those same employees are honored on the way out. Again, in today’s church almost anything can be solved with a NDA and some cupcakes in the lobby. 

              Truthfully, I could continue to share stories. The reality is I think you get my point. I want to talk about the time of history that we are in and what the men and women who are leading these churches can do.

First, if you are currently on staff at a church and things feel off, please have the courage to speak up. Even if it means losing your job and unkind things will be said about you. This is a dangerous time in the history of the church. When the NFL or NBA does things aggressively to make sure their brand, money, and power are protected most of us don’t truly care. But the church should be about Jesus and the people near us, correct?

Secondly, To those with real influence that can start making immediate change within the walls of these churches. Our request are below and I would contend they are biblical.

Start spending 50+ % of your budget on local and foreign missions. I know that you really like the light shows and big stages. But people are dying near our churches and need our help. If you need that kind of attention or validation, start a podcast.

Be more transparent with church members on what goes on behind the walls of their church and what you are doing with the money they give to you.

Stop paying your ministry buddies thousands of dollars to come and speak at events. Our people do not need more events, they need help and real discipleship. I don’t recall Jesus or the disciples making 50,000 to speak at a Conference. Raise up Godly leaders within your church to speak on occasion and use that money to actually help people.

Stop or at least significantly decrease the amount of NDA’s. I actually don’t remember Jesus having to use one. But maybe I just have the wrong translation.

Make lead pastor and executive teams, similar to elders in most cases, term positions due to their importance. If we have to vote for presidents every four years, why not significant spiritual leaders?

              Finally, we live in an era, especially in the technology age and AI coming around the corner, where people want to know what is real or not. Dear Church Leaders, please don’t make Church and Jesus one of those things for people. Matthew 5:14-16 says that the church should, “Be a light unto the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but a candlestick, and it giveth light to the entire house.”

Stop trying to impress people with physical light shows and be a church that the community around you knows loves and supports them at their worst moments. Introduce them to a real God and a group of people who no matter what happens in life will love them very much. That I believe, is the church that Jesus wants for us and the people in our communities. A church where staff meetings are more focused on how to fight real issues in our community, not just how to make a event more fun and we have enough snacks in the break room. A church where staff members to not have too turn those in need away because of how small the “benevolence and missions fund” is. One day we all will be held accountable for how we spent this life and stewarded what God has given us. It is not yet too late to change. Please, for the sake of God and the place near you, change for the better and become a church that we all would be proud to invite friends too.