I am occasionally frustrated as a counsellor of other pastors at the paucity of teaching and training pastors receive to equip them to deal with wolves, false teachers, and other divisive people in the church. I’ve counselled numerous pastors who, in the course of describing their difficulties to me, seem surprised to learn that they’ve been dealing with adversaries who are not only identifiable by biblical standards but are promised to make an appearance in the church.
For example, in Acts 20:29, Paul assures the Ephesian elders: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” Peter likewise warns that “false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you” (2 Pet. 2:1). These warnings have not expired. We should expect the same.
And yet, the subject of wolves infiltrating churches to undermine and attack pastors is rarely addressed. Not every person who opposes a pastor is a wolf, and we should use this label cautiously and after much discernment and deliberation. But we should apply it when it fits. When we fail to do so despite clear evidence, we invite danger into our midst and allow disaster to draw near.
Devious and Intelligent
The 2012 movie The Grey, starring Liam Neeson, presents a bleak and ultimately nihilistic story. The main character, Ottway, survives numerous wolf attacks and outsmarts several clever ploys, becoming the last man standing in his group. However, in the end, he realizes that the wolf pack has been strategically herding him toward their den all along. The wolves turn out to be more devious and intelligent than Ottway could imagine.
Expect wolves in the church who are even more clever, wielding superior intelligence and an even greater capacity to manipulate. These wolves terrorize and cajole, flatter and attack, and are equally satisfied devouring their victims during their first encounter as after a prolonged pursuit. The sooner they can take down a pastor or a church, the better, but sometimes the longer game leads to an even sweeter victory. Either result is a win for them.
Those who attack the church are called “wolves” in God’s Word for a reason. A wolf can infiltrate a congregation in countless subtle ways. When given access, he builds a following among those who lack discernment and are easily deceived. He carefully affixes small hooks to many people by various means. He keeps those hooks attached with thin yet durable thread until he needs support.
When that time comes, he tugs on all those threads at once, and a subgroup of congregants suddenly acts in ways uncharacteristic of who you know them to be, revealing that they’ve been under a strong yet subtle spiritual deception, sometimes for years. I’ve seen this happen, and the cost is steep for the congregation and its leaders.
Emotional and Spiritual Impacts
Wolves are relentless but not always obvious, and when they are not addressed and expelled, the constant spiritual and emotional affliction painfully affects a pastor’s soul. Having encountered several people in the course of my ministry who could be described as wolves or false teachers, allow me to give you a sense of the turmoil that results in a pastor’s soul.
Even as a shepherd of the flock, you’ll second-guess your calling, your gifting, and your competence. Wolves sense uncertainty like fresh blood. They pick up the scent and move in for the kill. They may be patient, clever, and even polite, but they will show no mercy when there is an opportunity to make a kill.
You will be at war. You are a shepherd with sheep to protect, and that staff is in your hand for a reason. These predators approach and often outmatch you in ways you can’t imagine. They are masters of deception, wielding the weapons of spiritual warfare with precision. And you must face them down and repel them—or die trying, all for the protection of the sheep.
And when you do, many of the sheep will not thank you. Many, even most, will be unaware of what has transpired behind the scenes. Some of the sheep will wander into the realm of the wolves anyway. Some will align themselves with the wolves. A handful will even become part of the wolf pack and join the fight against you.
If you journal, you will write psalms of lament. You’ll ask God, “Why?” You’ll plead desperately for vindication. You’ll understand the imprecatory psalms in new ways. This is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. It’s every dreaded outcome at once. It’s more emotional pain than you think you can bear.
But you can bear it because God will sustain you and shape you through it. He alone can bring blessing from this misery. I’ve seen him do it; he’s done it for me numerous times.
The wolves will circle, and then they’ll sink their teeth in and wound you. And even though the greater power of a Sovereign Shepherd limits their harm, vexing questions will rise in your mind: Is this all worth it? Why is this so hard? What am I doing wrong? Will this ever end? Who am I becoming? Will I ever recover? Is this all my fault? Would these sheep be better tended by another shepherd?
Is It All Worth It?
Ask yourself repeatedly with all the courage and brutal honesty you can muster on your hardest days: “Is this all worth it?” You must believe that it is. And if you realize that you don’t believe that, find something else to do. “Is it worth the time I am investing? Is it worth all that I am forfeiting? Is it worth the toll on my body? My mind? My soul?” You must either believe that it is, or make way for someone who does.
They may treat you cruelly and dishonourably. They may wound, betray, or target you with the most painful and personal of mutinies. These are all possibilities; some of them are inevitabilities. But you must know all of this in advance and still commit yourself to the task.
You must stand in holy defiance, convinced in advance that even if the powers of hell align against you—and they are aligned against you—the bride of Christ is worth any personal cost that God sees fit for you to bear. Self-inflicted costs and consequences are another story, but the trials that God ordains are always blessings.
It is all worth it.
If you cannot come to believe this, if you cannot make consistent progress toward this truth, no matter what age, no matter how close to retirement, go and do something else. The bride of Christ is too precious to be led by half-hearted men.
Broken-hearted men? Yes. Wounded and weary men? Yes. Men who wrestle with God and walk with a limp? Yes. But never half-hearted men.
Half-Hearted Men
Half-hearted men will make a mess of themselves and the church. They will fatally falter under this pressure and bend the church’s vision and resources to benefit their ease, comfort, pride, and ego. Such men eventually bring far more hurt than help to the bride of Christ.
But you must see the bride of Christ as she is, in all her present mess and all her future glory, and be convinced that this is no mere “job”—not a way to pass the time or climb a ladder or build a platform. It is a firm calling with a glorious end. “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29).
We must also consider how pastors can be better prepared for these realities. What warnings are aspiring pastors given about the wolves who are often the architects of their quick demise? What are young pastors taught about their ways, ploys, and goals? What tools are offered to deal with such people?
In pastoral ministry, conflict and hostility are the rule, not the exception. We are promised to suffer for the sake of Christ, and many new pastors are surprised to learn that much of this suffering will be incurred by others who also claim to follow Christ. When we fail to make younger pastors aware of these realities, we lead them to believe they will experience the exception and not the rule.
When we fail to inform and train them, we send them onto a battlefield without a shield or weapons. And ministry is no place for spiritual pacifism. Ministry is wrestling, and it is war.
Pastor, aspiring pastor, expect this, prepare for it, and trust that God will sustain you through it.
