The Sycophant, the Skeptic, and the Supporter

I present to you three types of church-goers for your reading enjoyment. Two are wrong and one is right. Which one are you?

The Sycophant

And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. — 1 Corinthians 4:6

Paul wrote this to a church that broke into factions of followers. And each man fancied himself the better Christian because of who he followed — Paul, Peter, Apollos, or Christ. And Paul applied ("in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos") several illustrations in chapters 3-4 to himself so that the Corinthians would see what these preachers really were — servants. They were just farmers, not the true increase bringers (3:6-8). They were just laborers on a building belonging to God (3:9, 16, 17). They were merely rowers in the lowest deck of a galley ship (This is what the word "ministers" in 4:1-2 implies). In other words, Paul was admonishing the Corinthian church to stop being sycophants.

The sycophant is a servile flatterer — a person who in order to gain social advantages props up the ego of another who they deem important. They offer insincere praise and hollow acts of service in order to elevate their own image in the church. Most Baptist church constitutions contain some sort of clause explaining that "no rendering of goods or services are implied in the giving of offerings." But goods and services are not what the sycophant is after anyway. He will do nearly anything, and gush over nearly anything the pastor does in exchange for reputation or to stay on the pastor's good side. I know of entire movements within our Baptist churches that grow sycophants like weeds. It seems common in the Local Church Only circles and other circles in which the pastor is more like the Old Testament MOG (Man of God) than a New Testament shepherd. You'll see this in movements like the BBF and IFB, et.al.

In Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them..." does not imply blind obedience to pastors or any sort of undying loyalty. Otherwise, Hebrews 13:7 would not exist "...whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." There is a sense in which they must be worthy of being followed because of great faith and conversation (conduct). It is not a blind following.

But the sycophant doesn't care about this. He lays it on thick, and it’s disgusting. They are often empty-headed, parasitic leeches who only follow and never lead. They create no ideas. They make no decisions about what they believe or why. They never do or learn anything beyond what their leader says, and the leader supports them by making them feel they've made actual choices. They serve relentlessly, but the sad reality for the Sycophant is that they only experience a facsimile of Christian service. The genuineness and liberty of the true Christian life eludes them.

Don't be the Sycophant to a pastor.

The Skeptic

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. — 1 Timothy 1:5-7

The skeptic is essentially the opposite of the sycophant. The sycophant asserts nothing unless he knows the pastor likes it, while the skeptic just enjoys being the contrarian. They have often had experience with truly spiritually abusive pastoral leadership. Some of them merely think their former pastor was spiritually abusive when in fact he was just right, and they felt conviction and didn't like it. Either way, they have a feeling of being burned — a real feeling or a contrived one. The point is, they don't trust pastors, but they are not yet willing to make the sad and unscriptural jump that many others have made and convince themselves that church is irrelevant and unnecessary. So, they attend churches and may even join one, but they want the pastor to know they are not going to just blindly follow him. They go too far the other way to the point where they believe they know better than the pastor in everything.

To the Sycophant, the pastor can do no wrong. To the Skeptic, everything the pastor does is wrong. They have lost all respect for the office. They cross their arms, furrow their brows, stonewall church progress, criticize sermons and the pastor and his family, and so on. While everyone else may be going one way, they're going to go the other way and make sure everyone knows about it, especially the pastor. To the skeptic, everything would be better about the preaching and the church if it was just done their way. Bad pastors they have known fool them into feeling superior to the good pastor they presently have. The sad reality of the Skeptic is that they have robbed themselves of the blessing of being a blessing. The true joy of service in the Christian life eludes them.

Don't be the Skeptic to a pastor.

The Supporter

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. — 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. — 1 Thessalonians 5:17

The Supporter realizes that getting behind your pastor should not be a blind endeavor. Nor should it be a man-centered endeavor. Being properly supportive of a pastor is actually a Christ-centered endeavor because the pastor-people relationship is the structure the Lord himself has prescribed. It is this scriptural structure that the Supporter is really supporting, not the solely the man. The Supporter has learned by observation the dangers of the two extremes of Sycophant and Skeptic. They are able to get out of their own head long enough to see things from the pastor's perspective and give him grace. They know what he faces everyday because they are facing the same spiritual battles.

The Sycophant and Skeptic don't face real spiritual battles because they have already put themselves where Satan wants them. The Supporters grow spiritually and think for themselves while also being teachable. They can both lead and follow. They can present ideas and even disagreements to leadership with humility, understanding, forbearance, and reconciliation. They can support without being "yes men." They can differ without being petty and immature. They do not easily offend. The Supporter knows both the liberty and genuineness of the Christian life and the joy of being a blessing. He is chiefly following Christ and the pastor gets secondarily and incidentally blessed by this. All without being unrealistically placed on a pedestal he can never attain unto.

Be the Supporter. The Lord will be pleased, your pastor will be blessed and thankful, and you will have real joy. Pastors want the Supporters. Worthy pastors deserve them.

Unworthy pastors want the Sycophants, and they shall have their reward.

Precisely no one wants the Skeptic. They get on everyone's nerves.

Be the Supporter, and everyone wins.