3 Essentials to Survive an Attack in church: Fight or Flight? The Best antidote for a fledgeling church and antagonistic church members

3 Essentials to Survive an Attack in church: Fight or Flight?

 The Best Antidote for a Fledgeling Church and for Antagonistic Church Members: A God sized Vision and Faith

What's wrong if church members feel endeared to an old time religion preacher who may have had a moral lapse, a financial accountability lapse, or a loss of trust and confidence? After all, isn't there a time and place for restoration and reconciliation in the vineyard of Most High?

I guess it all depends from whose point of view you look at it. I have no problem if church members listen and follow Rick Warren, Joel Olsteen, Robert Schuller, Andy Stanley, or to bring it more close to home, Jose Rojas, Alejandro Bullon, Carlton Byrd, Dwight Nelson, Mark Finley, Ron Clouzet, Shawn Boonstra, etc., since I want church members and laity to be under the Word of God and learning from any Christian preacher who preaches and teaches the Bible faithfully. Oh, don't forget, John McArthur too. Since I don't preach too many borrowed sermons from these celebrity preachers, I don't mind. In fact, if they listen to preachers like T.D. Jakes, the master pulpiteer of our times, then when they listen and see me preaching they will actually start praying for me, so that my level and commitment to preaching will grow. We don't want to stay forever just as we were after the B.S. in Theology, or the Master of Divinity. No, we want to grow as preachers. I welcome suggestions and ideas. Pastor use more PowerPoints, use visual aids, don't just be a talking head, use feed back through text messaging at the end of the sermon, etc. I appreciate those church members who have a passion for excellence in preaching and in the services of the church.

However, when church members and especially leaders are listening to "fanciful theories" and are judging and criticizing your ministry and preaching based on what someone else's hobby horse or pet sermon topic is, especially when the Preacher they listen to is on television, then "Houston, we have a problem!" It's time to do some spring cleaning in the church and in the lives of church members. Remember, dirty Bibles lead to dirty lives. Yet, dirty Bibles (from non-regular use) and sweat stained television and cable tv remote control devices, lead to ignorance and to an affixiation with topics that may not be central or key to Christian salvation, faith, and practice. Watch for people's television and cable tv remote controls, when you visit them. Inspect them with a magnifying glass. Also ask people to show you the Bible they study with on a regular basis. You'll be surprised! (This is a joke, don't actually do it.) It will be the equivalent of the 1960s when pastors in Los Angeles, especially anglo pastors would visit their church members and go into their kitchens and open their pantries to see if there were any coffee containers or coca cola bottles. Imagine how we would fare off today, if that was still the case!

Start to preach powerfully and biblically. Read the book by Derek J. Morris, "Powerful Biblical Preaching" and get on your knees and open your Bible at your study desk. Pray Adventist Sermons. Like E.E. Cleveland, the only Adventist Evangelist that I know who baptized 1,000 people in one tent effort, used to say, "Preach like a Seventh-day Adventist Preacher. How should a Seventh-day Adventist Pastor sound like when he preaches? ... You've got to tell them "the nations are angry, and His wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged", Revelation 11:18. Maybe your preaching content has veered people away to start hungering and thirsting for the Gospel, and unfortunately they have ended up at the Devil's banquet feast instead! Don't be discouraged. Help is on the way. God wants to make you into a superb preacher, better than Henry Wright or Billy Graham. That is why God has called you! He wants to use you and polish and refine you to be an excellent preacher for His Glory!

However, your preaching may be Adventist and excellent and church members may still be looking for "present truth" in a container filled with poison tainted bread. They are looking for the bread of life, maybe Ezekiel 4:9 Bread, but have ended up finding a counterfeit. Bring them back. Do what you can, but also be willing to recognize that some people are just Devil's Rabbits. They will hop from church to church looking for the latest message discovered secretly from Ellen G. White's writings in Washington D.C., and they will never be happy with any type of preaching. They just want to be scared into the truth. They want to hear that the National Sunday Law is here, it's in Congress, and the Mark of the Beast is already being stamped upon unfaithful Seventh-day Adventists. Do yourself a favor, and just follow Paul's advice to Timothy. "Preach the World, be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort will all longsuffering and doctrine", 2 Timothy 4:2. Just keep preaching faithfully!

The Challenge of the Success of Non-Adventist Churches

Dare we say that as pastors, we face a great challenge. We are in the world, yet not of the world. We are a Protestant Christian Church, but not like every other Protestant Christian Church. We have a message to give to the people. It's ok to learn from other ministries and churches. You are a dead man or woman if you don't take notice of what method's and principles help to attract the lost to hear the Gospel story. Yet, as Seventh-day Adventists, we have something worth sharing also. It's tragic that some church members and perhaps pastors feel that "We have nothing to offer the world." I beg to differ. We have something glorious to offer other churches, other Christians, and lost people." It's the Sanctuary Message. A message not just of forgiveness, but of total restoration. That's good news for the thief or adulterer who keeps committing his sin even after baptism. Let him or her know that Help is available in the Sanctuary Message. Jesus is the Light, Jesus is the Bread, He is available to us every single day. Hallelujah!

What should we do if Hugo Gambetta or any other non-SDA Pastor is having success in reaching people? Should we envy them? Should we emulate them? Should we stop and see what they are doing that is being successful and try to implement that same principle in our ministry? I believe we can. Maybe, we need to take our ministry to the next level. Pray, pray, and after you have prayed, pray some more. Never do ministry alone, and always take the Holy Spirit with you! Ask God for a God-given and God-annointed Vision and depend upon him completely. Keep pushing the boundaries of your ministry, for God definitely wants to enlarge your ministry and territory.

For me, I am not the least concerned about Hugo Gambetta's ministry. If anything, I pray that people will be lead to faith relationship in Jesus through his ministry, El Evangelio Eterno (The Everlasting Gospel). The problem is when a ex-church leader claims to still be Adventist, yet personally attacks the church organization, hierarchy, and proclaims to be the sole possessor of truth. They claim to be God's modern day Prophet, and the only ones with special inside knowledge of last day events. Beware! Don't fall into that form of beastly preaching! Preach a balanced diet to your flock. May your preaching be entertaining, but not entertainment. Keep your audience on the edge of their seats because you are passionate about your subject.

Yet we can learn that successful television ministries take advantage of air time. Maybe it is time that you sharpen your sword and sermons and hit the air waves with a creative, engaging, and attractive radio or television program. Talk about families, Health, Prophecy, Biblical Archaeology. Step up your outreach just a little bit more. Don't worry about the success or other ministries. Worry about whether your vision is too small, and whether you need to ask God to "Super Size your Faith!" ... Cry out, "Lord, Super Size my Faith, My Vision, and My Ministry! Give me all that I can handle and even more!"

Practical Steps to Surviving threats in the church

Here are a few to conclude this blog:

1. Confront pessimists, naysayers, and enemies of the church in a timely manner. Tell these people that it is not permitted in church to speak negatively or pessimistically or in a threatening manner. If they are leaders, take it to your board of elders, church board, and have such people disciplined from participating in church leadership for 3 months.

2. Have an emergency plan in case of a expected catastrophe in your church. A shooting, a child gone missing, an earthquake, a fire. Have someone who will dial 911, and someone who is willing to take a bullet for you if necessary.

3. Win your foes and enemies into your friends. Use the Pastor Bullon Method. I got this one from Hawaii just less than a month ago: When you have enemies in the church, especially elders who are Patriachs and feel they own the church. Visit them, and tell them.

"Brother so and so ... I am here to apologize for what happened the other day in our board meeting or at church. I was wrong. I am a young pastor, and I never grew up with a Christian Father. I wish I had someone like you who could be a mentor and a spiritual father to me. Someone to help me because I don't have a lot of experience. I would like you to accept my apology and to please pray for me. Would you also consider being my mentor and spiritual father in the faith?" ... The elder will then possibly pray. "Dear God, thank you that pastor Garcia recognizes that he is wrong. Please help him to grow and to learn from his mistakes. Amen!"

That elder or enemy may become your best friend and defend you tooth and nail till the end.  Be sincere. Be willing to say you are sorry and admit your mistakes (even if you feel you may be right). For Pastor Alejandro Bullon, this old elder of his first church assignment as a youthful pastor went on to be his best supporter and defender. It helped that the elder was a person of influence and means in the church. He supported Pr. Bullon financially with any project and defended him as his very own son. Years later, when Pr. Bullon become an international author and speaker, the old elder would tell others. "You know that Alejandro Bullon? I helped to make him what he is today!" ...
Pray for your enemies and foes, and they will become your friends and greatest supporters.

4. Report real or perceived threats to your Conference Leadership and to the Authorities. It is better to be safe and out of a job, sorry and in a coffin six feet underground!

~ Salvador Garcia

3 Essentials to Survive an Attack in church: A bullet proof helmet, vest, and an emergency church exit (Part 2)

3 Essentials to Survive an Attack in church: Part 2

A bullet proof helmet, vest, and an emergency church exit

Let's face it. We live a world where church ministry and church planting can be dangerous for all the right reasons. We already have the Devil who hates us and wishes that we would just die or settle for mediocrity, and just tend or keep the aquarium of the saints. No need to rock the boat, just settle into maintenance mode. But have you noticed that the moment that you get knocked off your high horse, like the aspostle Paul in Acts 9, and get off of your tail and start venturing to do something great for the Kingdom of Heaven, persecution will come against you, your family, and your church where you serve. "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution", 2 Timothy 3:12.
There it is, the Biblical principle that states that "when you do something right for the Kingdom of God, the Devil will unleash his attack against you." In case you have forgotten, ministers and pastors are the primary attack target of Satan. He is not your friend, but is your foe. Never forget that.

One of the ways that Devil tries to slow you down and discourage you as a preacher is through people. Have you discovered that yet? He uses people, especially their mouths to discourage you. "You can't do that! No one has ever done that before", or "You'll never be able to reach that goal or vision in this church." Negative comments from naysayers can be combated with a positive spirit and prayer, after all, "Stick and stones may brake my bones, but words will never hurt me."

Two pieces of counsel that have helped me survive and thrive in the ministry are as follow. Though remember that it is best to operate in both modes, survival and success. Why? Have we forgotten the Nebuchaddnezzar syndrome: "Is this not the great Babylon I have built", and then ever so quickly came his demise! Here are the two pieces of advice.

The first piece of advice is: You are not a golden coin so that everyone will like and love you. In the ministry, the job of certain individuals and church members is to give you a hard time and make ministry impossible for you. Stay on your knees. Thank God for your enemies. See them as purifying agents in your life, ministry, and leadership.

Second: Be life teflon. Never let anything negative stick to you. Silence those naysayers by claiming God's promises and reminding yourself that God chose you to this sacred work, and you did not volunteer or sign up for it. You were drafted as God's #1 pick in his Ministerial Draft. Live and lead with that purpose in mind and heart.

What about attacks or threats in the church? It's one thing for someone to say: "You can't do it. I don't believe in your leadership. God is wrong in sending you to this church or community. You are the wrong person for the job." It's another thing for someone to make a verbal threat against you, your family, and your church. What is a church leader. Let me correct, what is a servant of the Most High suppose to do? ... Put your head under the dirt like an ostrich and pretend everything is fine and dandy, or it is time to take action, preventative action? ... Is it time to go the army store and buy a bullet proof vest, helmet, and confirm the church emergency exit for the pastor?

Threats in the local church

So what does a pastor due when he is verbally threatened by a church member? Do we nurture church members for the sake of nurture, and just pretend nothing happened? I don't think so. Walter Pearson, ex-speaker of the Breath of Life, used to say:

"I believe in Jesus Christ. But one of the greatest things that God gave a preacher is a BRAIN! Lady, do you want me to call 911, or shall you?!"

 Just recently, in Los Angeles where I pastor a small church of 120 members, a mentally unstable individual, church member, and leader decided to threaten the pastor. That is what get's me the most. "Why do we nominate people to leadership who are not mentally stable?" The pulpit is sacred in the sense that is for promulgating the Gospel of Christ that brings life and liberty. It is not to present personal agendas or hobby horses or topics. Don't use it to sell Bibles like one pastor does, or to sell your books or cds. Sell those outside the worship place. This church member who has been given access to the pulpit because of his leadership went on to say. "I know I'm not suppose to mention this name of this person. I have been told I am not suppose to mention this name in this church, but" ... and here is what really gets me. The church leader goes on to say, "But I'm going to say it anyway. This person is doing so much to take "the message" ("what message I ask?") and is doing so much. We need to learn and be like him. The person I am talking about is Hugo Gambetta*. He is getting the message out there to others."

As the pastor of the church, I try always to be inside the church at all times to listen and to feel the spiritual pulse of the congregation: "What are the talking about? What gets them going? What are the heresies or errors that people are believing? I was in the sound room loading my powerpoint onto the church computer. When I heard the church leader say,  "I know I'm not suppose to mention this name of this person. I have been told I am not suppose to mention this name in this church, but I'm going to say it anyway. This person is doing so much to take "the message" to the lost."

I already knew where this church leader was headed. As a I sat there I said "Don't go there. Don't do it, don't do it". The sound guy thought something was wrong with the computer. I told him, "No the computer if fine. Just get ready!" Then he said it. "I know I'm not suppose to mention this name of this person. I have been told I am not suppose to mention this name in this church, but I'm going to say it anyway. This person is doing so much to take "the message" and is doing so much. We need to learn and be like him. The person I am talking about is Hugo Gambetta*." When he said that front of the church, I just got up from the back of the church and all calm, smooth, and collective, and went up the front and told him. "Thank you. That is all". With a look of incredulity on his face, he vehemently replied, "I'm going to get you back." And with those words, the wolf dressed in sheep's clothing was revealed. I faced a challenge. I could blow this thing up in proportion, or I could just side it and move on and deal with it head on in the moments to follow. I chose the latter. I said as if nothing had just happened. "Happy Sabbath! It's great to see you today! We are so glad you have chosen to worship with us this morning. We have a few special announcements to share with you." And we moved on, we transitioned. But that threat still lingers in my head, "Pastor, I'm going to pay you back. I'm going to get you back", as though I am an enemy of the church. But if truth be told, maybe the minister is the enemy. Not the enemy of Christ, but the enemy of Satan. Thus, it shouldn't be a surprise at all to be attacked by the Devil even in church on Saturday morning.

So what is a church pastor to do? We have either one of two options at this point. We can flee or we can fight. In relationship, we are told to fight for our families and marriages, and never to flee or abandon our spouse. Therefore I am sure we should fight for our ministry? Yet how? Should we invest in purchasing a bullet proof vest and helmet, and have an emergency exit and escape for the preacher should he be confronted by a mentally ill church member or visitor with a drawn weapon? Should a church pastor carry "pepper spray" or a "tazer gun" to fend off would be perpetrators? These are important questions. The last part in this 3 part blog will develop and lead us into some practical answers and problem solving skills.

~ Salvador Garcia

* = Hugo Gambetta is an ex-Seventh-day Adventist Pastor and Ex-Vice President of the Lake Region Conference who was and is a celebrity preacher since he is on television and preaches sermons that could correctly be labeled "Beastly preaching" without the lamb. He preaches a neutered form on Adventism, in that he shares only the Lion and not the Lamb of the Gospel. He also has lost his credentials and ministerial license, and is banned from speaking in Seventh-day Adventist Churches.

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3 Essentials to Survive an Attack in church: When the Devil showed up Dressed in Red Part 1

3 Essentials to Survive an Attack in church: Part 1

When the Devil showed up Dressed in Red

It was the summer of 2007. The class was General Field Work with Professor Russell Burrill at Andrews University, his last class before retiring that year. Yet is happened so unexpectedly. One weekday, while Pastor Burrill and his wife arrived at the seminary building, he was there waiting to carry out his pre-meditated plan. If being dressed in a red suit is not a sign of the "devil", I don't know what is. (First Clue) The fellow seminarian had mental problems and apparently was disturbed by Pastor Burrill's book, "Revolution in the Church". The book apparently had caused him nightmares while reliving his experience in Europe during a revolution in his home country. He asked to speak to the professor privately, then followed him into his office in the NADEI office floor. He locked the door behind Pastor Burrill and stated, "You are not getting out alive" (Second Clue). Pastor Burrill thought the seminarian was having a bad day, but the fact of that matter was that he was having a bad life! After a heated argument, he asked for prayer. Pastor Burrill conceded and prayed, but the student became more agitated. He seemed very restless and paranoid (Third Clue). After the prayer, the heated argument continued. The seminarian (25-30 years old) punched Pastor Burrill in the face, who was over 65 years old at the time. When Pastor Burrill fell, the student got on top of him and began to choke him. His destiny and fate seemed certain. Death due a mentally ill seminary student. In that split second his life and ministry flashed before him. Yet it was also his desire to live. Finding strength from within his inner being and soul he tried to fend off the attacker as long as he could. He was no match for a young man in prime and vibrancy of his life. Yet a miracle took place. His wife, Cynthia Burrill, and the NADEI secretary heard the heated discussions and cries for help, and scrambled to find a key to the office just in the nick of time. They pushed the would be killer off of Pastor Burrill. The seminary MDiv student, dressed in a red suit, seemed to be in a drunken stupor, and just sat in a chair for a few seconds. When reality hit him of what he has just done, he ran out of the NADEI office and tried to escape running out of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, MI. To his surprise, the Andrews University Public Safety officers where there to encounter him, tackle him, and arrest him. He was taken to jail and to a mental hospital and prison.

I still remember that same day as if it was yesterday.  Dean Dennis Fortin walked in to our 2-5pm class that same day along with Pastor Russell Burrill to notify us of the events that transpired that day. Burrill was there, swollen, black eye and all, to continue to teach fellow pastors and evangelists his heart's passion.

Pastor Burril said to us: "Go out there and do the work!!! Preach as a dying man to a dying group of people. Go and finish the work."

 He came to class that day, and I don't think any of us paid more attention in any other seminary class period than we did that day during our seminary training. We were flabbergasted, in awe, and wonder.

The irony of it all was that it was one of our very own, a fellow seminarian, who had attempted against the life of the retiring NADEI Director. Ron Clouzet was the incoming NADEI director. Burrill's words still echo in my memory: "I have preached all over the world. I have envision perhaps dying of some disease, like malaria or typhoid fever or something while doing the work out there. Never in my wildest imagination, did I ever think, I would die in the seminary building while teaching future pastors" ... with tears rolling down his cheeks. Dean Fortin prayed that day. Jon Paulin's chapel talk that week was, Forgiving our Enemies. What a challenge? Would you forgive someone who was mentally unstable (unknowingly to others), and drop all criminal charges against them, inspite of the fact that they pre-meditated to kill you and would have succeeded if it hadn't been for split second action?

The truth of the matter is that working in the ministry, whether in a church, a seminary, or as a church planter can be a dangerous vocation. How should we survive, and are the risks worth taking, as we seek to serve the Master and King, Jesus?

~ Salvador Garcia

Next Blog:

3 Essentials to Survive an Attack in church: A bullet proof helmet, vest, and an emergency church exit (Part 2)