Flawed thinking, organizationally, leads us to believe that the reason we have so many small churches in the Church of God is that the pastors and the people in these churches have not been exposed to the right plan or formula that will create respectable growth for them.  Thisfaulty thinking creates an environment for the “magic bullet syndrome” to infest the ranks of pastoral ministry, which leads to disillusionment, discouragement, and ultimately defeat.

The concept of the “magic bullet syndrome”refers to being obsessed with the belief that there is a simple and easy solution that will quickly solve complex issues.  This syndrome becomes debilitating when this obsession controls the thinking and drives people to pursue these illusions ofvictoryand success with reckless abandon.  The perils of the“magic bullet syndrome” were firstdiscussedby M. P. Dumont and D. C. Lewis in 1972 in the Massachusetts Journal of Mental Healthas it related to the burgeoningbarbituratecrisis(tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and similar drugs)of the 1960’s and 1970’s.  During this time billions of dosages of these drugs were prescribed to the public, which over time caused the public to view these drugs as the “magic bullets” for their mental health maladies.Dumont and Lewisidentified thisproblem and recommended a detailed method of reeducating the public to understand the proper use of these drugs.

In the church, the“magic bullet syndrome”describes the currentpredicament that pastors find themselves in today. Every pastor wants the church they serve to grow, so we passionately seek for answers.In our desperation weattend meeting after meetingto hear the latest formula or plan that will break the barrier that we cannot break or usher in a new season of increase for us. We have been led to believe that all we need is the right formula or plan, a “magic bullet”.We arespellbound by catchy titles for conferences and books that promise us simple, easy, and quick transformations for our struggling churches. We are even taught to surround ourselves with successful pastors (those that serve a larger church than you do) because they have the words of the “magic bullet” and you could not possibly gain anything by associating with fellow pastors that are serving in a church like yours.Ed Stetzer wrote about our dilemma in a recent article,

“As a speaker at a number of conferences each year, I continue to see pastors and leaders going from one workshop to another searching for “THE” answer. They show up and hear amazing stories about implausibly happy people who willingly follow a new vision for their lives and their church.

They have heard all the strategies and promises, but for many small-church leaders, the conferences, led by rock star celebrity pastors, are like “ministry pornography”– an unrealistic depiction of an experience they’ll never have that distracts them from the real and wonderful thing.

In other words, the lust of the megachurch distracts them from the mission of their church.”

“Ministry pornography”? Graphic but true. The search for the “magic bullet” consumes pastors. Our identity is wrapped up in adopting the latest style of ministry, introducing the newest formula for success, and being in the group with the cool pastors. On a large scale, pastors arecaptive to the “magic bullet syndrome” and have been enculturated topassively wait for the successful pastors to hold a conference or write a book so they can emulate the success of those pastors.In 2017, Thom Rainer wrote a blog that listed the “magic bullet syndrome” as a roadblock to revitalizing a churchand further wrote, “the magic bullet syndrome never works. Never.”If we are going tofulfill the mission task God has for us, we must shatter the “magic bullet syndrome” that dominatesour thinking and hinders the work of the Holy Spirt.

Truths that will change your thinking and shatter the “magic bullet syndrome”.

Thank God for the great leadership training opportunities that are available for Church of God pastors today, leadership development is important and beneficial.  In fact, during my Organizational Leadership Master’s program at Colorado State University, I was inundated with hundreds of leadership styles and organizational paradigms that are being implemented across the globe to lead in these chaotic days.  As pastors we should study leadership programs, principles, and paradigms, but should these concepts form our core competencies for ministry? There is a notion being advanced by some that declares a deficiency in leadership skill and technique among pastors is keeping our churches small and killing our movement. Is this an accurate assumption?

To answer these questions, we must first and foremost look at what the Bible says to pastors and about pastors.  For instance:  

The language of Scripture seems to be focused on a more relational aspect of pastoral ministry as its fundamental reality; the relationship of a shepherd to his flock.  Dr. H. Lynn Stone in his book, Cost and Calling emphatically states,

“The designated mission of a pastor never changes. Their calling as a pastor – their designated mission – is to shepherd sheep. In the Bible the Greek word for “pastor” always means a shepherd. In the English-speaking world today, the word “pastor” most often is used in a different manner. It is used primarily in a professional sense simply to designate the leader of a church congregation. Its usage tends to emphasize leadership and leadership-principles, rather than the oversight work of taking care of a flock. In many ways this is unfortunate.”

Lee Eclov, an adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School writes, “When God calls pastors, He endows us with a certain spiritual instinct for the work, a shepherd’s heart.” The work of the pastor is spiritual and takes place among the flock of God which is unlike any other organization on earth.  Pastors must be directed by the chief Shepherd in order to fulfill their confirmed assignment and each pastor’s assignment is distinct. However, as a shepherd feeds, protects, and guides the sheep; the pastor feeds, protects, and guides the flock of God that the Father has entrusted into their care. These three cardinal duties form a foundation from which all pastoral ministry flows. 

Caring for a flock is not attractive.  There are no frills, no thrills, and no accolades; but it is what we are called to do.  Creating relationships with people that are broken, hurting, scattered, confused, angry, self-centered, carnal, sinful, and sometimes mean is difficult and demanding; but it is through these relationships that God restores and redeems fallen humanity.  For this reason, we must be careful to shepherd the flock of God as we lead them to green pastures. For a pastor, leading must come from a shepherd’s heart. In the book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper warns of the danger of replacing the spiritual nature of pastoral ministry with professionalism.  Piper does not deny that ministry can be enhanced from education and professional training. However, he cautions that nothing should supersede the spiritual nature of the work of the pastor. 

Ministry is professional in those areas of competency where the life of faith and the life of unbelief overlap. Which means two things. First, that overlapping area can never be central. Therefore, professionalism should always be marginal, not central; optional, not crucial. And second, the pursuit of professionalism will push the supernatural center more and more into the corner while ministry becomes a set of secular competencies with a religious veneer.” 

In our world today people are not just looking for someone to follow, they are searching for someone to care for them and somewhere they can belong.  Take advantage of all the leadership training you can, but never forget the calling to be a shepherd.