To Beard or Not to Beard, That is The Question

[TK Burk]

Originally Posted by Ehud

Good afternoon, Bro. Burk!

In your estimation, how much leeway should a minister be given when deciding what rules are "for those saints' spiritual well-being," and what constitutes "a valid reason?"

As both a preacher and a parent, I can appreciate your question about making rules.

In my study, I talked about how a standard against wearing local gang colors or gang clothing styles would protect the saints against misidentification or personal harm. Of course, that standard is not found in the Bible, but it is still valid since it is established for the specific purpose of the "spiritual well-being" of the saints.

In contrast, I know one pastor who loved playing the card game Rook. After a few years, he decided he enjoyed it too much. Instead of him stopping, he made his Rook problem into a church standard. He took that rule to the pulpit and preached that playing Rook was a sin. He asked all the saints to throw their games away so they would not be in rebellion. Years later this same pastor changed his mind and dropped that standard so the church (including him) could again play Rook. I never saw this "standard" serving the "spiritual well-being" of the saints. Instead, it was a personal conviction of that pastor, which he forced onto his congregation. So, because it was about him and not something related to God, I would say that rule was "invalid," so he was right to drop it.

With the above in mind, I think your question of "how much leeway" a minister has "when deciding" is better asked as "how much leeway" does a minister believe they have with God? What I mean is, since God calls ministers to act as servants and not masters, no rule should ever be made from a preacher's personal beliefs or selfish purposes. The first pastor's rule served the needs of his congregation. The second pastor's rule served him in his own struggle. I believe a minister should be able to tell those he serves a legitimate reason why a rule was being made and how it will benefit them. Any rule that sounds like a "do it because I said so" is probably coming from a preacher that doesn't see themselves as such a servant, which means their rule is probably not a "valid" one.