Is It Okay to Question What Your Pastor Says?
The short answer is yes. The real answer is yes but with some nuance.
First, we absolutely can and should listen to what our pastor says and to think about whether we agree or disagree and why.
I can say as someone who has pastored for more than twenty-five years, I never claimed to be inerrant. Not only that, I changed my mind on certain things and what I said at the beginning of my ministry was somewhat different from what I said near the end.
I was influenced by my church background from before I became a pastor. I attended a church for a number of years at which we were not to question the pastor or anyone else preaching from the pulpit.
I was that annoying guy who would be flipping through my Bible to confirm what they had said. While our pastors were quite good, some of the guest preachers were way off. I would ask my peers if they had a problem with what was said and they seemed content to just agree with whatever was preached.
That was not the ministry that I wanted.
So where is the nuance.
It comes down to the two ways of being critical. You can have a critical mind in the sense of listening carefully and analyzing a message, confirming to see if it aligns with the truth. Being critical in this way is essential.
But there is another type of being critical that leans into criticizing another person. There may be a time to bring concerns to a person but you do not have to confront every time you disagree.
Pastors are generally good people trying to do their best to love their congregations and to share biblical truth. If you are going to criticize, consider why you are going to do it. What are you trying to accomplish?
I knew of a church that had members who met weekly just to criticize the pastor. That is not helpful.
The most helpful thing to do is to dedicate yourself to the truth. Be willing to learn from your pastor but also be prepared to think for yourself, even if that means taking a different position.
But do not seek to undermine a pastor. There are some strong warnings in the Bible about those who seek to create dissension. If you have to move to a different church, that is okay.
So please question what your pastor says. Check the Bible and common sense. Use reason. Be willing to think for yourself and develop yourself spiritually.
