The Double Standard

In remembering the church I went to I have been thinking about things that I heard from the pulpit and the leadership. I began to see a double standard. It seems that the congregation and the pastor have 2 different sets of rules or standards.

1) -when things go wrong for members of the congregation they are reaping what they have sown or they need to obey God
-when this happens to the pastor and his family... they are under attack

2) -when someone does or says something wrong to the pastor or his family, they should be reported or handled
-when the pastor or his family does or says something wrong to someone they should just be forgiven and it should be forgotten

3) -when the pastor feels unappreciated and unloved by the congregation, they should have a party or a dinner for him to honor him and let him know how wonderful he is and how much he is appreciated
-when congregation members feel this way, they should be more mature, read the word and not whine or complain

4)-when the church has a financial need the congregation needs to give
-when a congregation member has a financial need, the member needs to give or give more

5) -the congregation members need to serve
-the pastor needs to be served

6) -the congregation members should never say anything negative about the pastor, his family, the church or other members
-the pastor can speak negatively about anyone, any church and any denomination from the pulpit as long as he doesn't actually tell some one's name

7) -congregation members should never compare themselves with themselves
-the pastor can compare his church with other churches from the pulpit to show how superior his church is

8)- people who leave his church are missing God
-when he left wherever he went to church before he started his church, he was following God

9) -when someone in the congregation falls into sin... they need to step down from helps ministry and wait for a period of time before serving again
-when someone in the pastors family falls into sin they need to stay in their position unless someone finds out and they are forced to step down

10)-the pastor questions anyone anytime he wants to
-no one can question the pastor

11) -the pastor does not keep his word
-congregation members are expected to keep their word

These are some of the double standards that I noticed in the church that I was attending. I don't think there is any room for a double standard in any area of ministry. The results are hurt, confusion, disillusionment, anger and many of seemingly wasted years.

One day I hope to find a ministry with a Godly standard instead of a double standard. I think I will examine the fruit.