UPC, ALJC, PAW, etc.

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by Holy Roller

I know of a few congregations where the pastors and their families uphold higher standards than the rest of the church.

However, this could be to a variety of factors.
* The church could be full of newcomers who haven't grown in holiness, separation, or obedience to the pastor.
* The pastor sees a lot of what he preaches as his personal conviction or pulpit standards, and therefore doesn't stress much emphasis on said matters to those in the pews.
* The congregation just might be in rebellion, and won't commit to such standards and expectations.
* The congregation itself may be "backing up" on such holiness standards and traditions, and has strained the church.

The pastor has a role in all of this, more or less, but to blame he or she entirely quite simply isn't fair or completely accurate. As aforementioned, pastors may not expect the same standards to be upheld by those in the pews unless such individuals hold positions in the pulpit or elsewhere in the church. A spirit of rebellion might have quite easily taken over certain individuals who have always, for the lack of better terms, "pushed the envelope" of standards.

Amen.