The senior pastor or administrator restricts access to the platform.
Your Question:
“How do I work with a senior pastor or administrator who restricts access to the platform/stage during church services?”
The Issues:
You have been hired to serve under, and support, this senior pastor or administrator. This doesn’t mean that you must agree with everything he stands for, but it does mean that you must be respectful while carefully expressing your own views.
Scripture Foundation:
“Now people were even bringing their babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them. But Jesus called the children to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’” Luke 18: 15-17
Short Answer:
People have always placed adult needs over the needs of children. It is somewhat “normal.” The encounter in Luke 18 between the disciples and the parents who were bringing their children to Jesus reflects this natural tendency.
If your senior pastor or administrator restricts access to the platform during the church services, it might help you to understand the reason behind this restriction from his/her perspective. It might be true that he/she views children, or the CM, as “secondary” to the adult needs. If this is true, you must ask God to help change this perception.
He/she may restrict access to the platform during services to protect the limited time that exists for the sermon and other parts of the service. A senior pastor must protect the time he is given to deliver the sermon. Whoever plans the service also must consider the time given to worship. These two parts of the service; the worship, and the sermon, are usually “set in stone.” The rest of the time can easily be taken up with announcements and special prayer times. A senior pastor or administrator has likely been “bruised” by people who ask for “just a minute” to give an announcement but take 8 minutes instead. Those extra 7 minutes are taken out of the time for the sermon! So, access to the platform during a church service reflects trust.
The senior pastor or administrator has possibly leaned to not trust anyone regarding the time given during the service. If you ask to make an announcement, or to share a testimony, the senior pastor or administrator may “automatically” think, “How much time is this going to take away from the sermon?”
If you are given 1 minute to share your announcement or testimony, respect that limitation by being finished in 50 seconds. This is about earning trust! NEVER take more time than is given to you. You might also propose that you create a 1-minute video to be shown instead of a “live” announcement or testimony. The senior pastor or administrator may like the fact that the video is a set amount of time.
Restricted access to the platform may also reflect a philosophical view regarding the value of the CM! If the senior pastor or administrator believes that the CM is “babysitting” or “childcare,” then you will likely not be given any time during the service to make an announcement or to share a testimony of what the Lord is doing in the CM. See the section regarding a senior pastor or administrator who doesn’t value the CM, or the section about a senior pastor or administrator who refers to the CM as “babysitting” or “childcare” for more help.
Back to the “Working With The Senior Pastor or Administrator” page.
More help on the “Working With The Senior Pastor or Administrator – APPENDIX”
