Investigating the Bible: When a church is led by a bully

Ray Stedman (1917-1992) was the pastor for forty years of the Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, and the church continues with a strong ministry today. With this anonymous rhyme, he recognized drama and dissension can infect churches: “To dwell above with saints we love, Oh that will be glory. But to live below, with saints we know — Well, that’s another story.” There were problems in an early church when one man thought he should make all the decisions.

Diotrephes was a prominent leader in a first-century church, and he did not want visiting preachers in his church. He wouldn’t give them lodging and even demanded that his members also reject other traveling ministers. The apostle John confronted him: “I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive us. This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church.” (3 John 9-10, Holman Christian Standard Bible used throughout).

As sometimes happens today, one person controlled that local church and he wanted no competition in his little domain. Perhaps Diotrephes was wealthy and his money talked. Perhaps he was good with words and proud of his skill. Perhaps he was well-connected to Roman authorities with power and influence. His actions were the opposite of what the apostle John preached and lived. To the apostle, this locally respected religious leader was not even a Christian! “This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping his commands. The one who says, ‘I have come to know him,’ yet doesn’t keep His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-4). “Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” (1 John 3:11).

There was another leader in that church who was a good man. John wrote: “…To my dear friend Gaius: I love you in truth. Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually. For I was very glad when some brothers came and testified to your faithfulness to the truth –– how you are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1-3). John told Gaius to not follow the example set by Diotrephes. “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 11). And he commended one of the traveling preachers to Gaius. “Demetrius has a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. And we also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.” (3 John 12).

Being in front of a crowd of adoring people feeds self-pride. Stedman was an articulate and skillful preacher. He wrote: “As a pastor I must confess that I had to stop the practice of going to the door after each service and greeting people as they went out. I found that when I did it regularly, it fed my ego in such a way that I had a terrible battle with pride. People were saying nice things to me, and I found myself loving to hear them. It is very easy for a pastor or teacher to perform his ministry for hidden reasons of personal prestige or glory.” “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18). “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6).

David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) lives in Oregon and is a graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.).