What If I Disagree with My Pastor?
1) Direct answer
Stay with the Word, keep your spirit right, and handle it in God’s order. Pray, search the Scriptures, speak to your pastor privately with an open Bible, and seek peace. If it’s only preference, submit and keep unity. If it is clear doctrine or practice against the Bible and he will not receive the Word, obey God rather than men and step away quietly without causing strife.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Test everything by Scripture: The Bereans “searched the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). “Try the spirits” (1 John 4:1). If any preach another gospel, “let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8–9).
- Respect the office and approach rightly: “Obey them that have the rule over you” as they watch for your souls (Hebrews 13:17). “Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father” (1 Timothy 5:1). Don’t receive accusations lightly—“before two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19).
- Handle it in order: Go to him “between thee and him alone” first (Matthew 18:15). If needed, take witnesses, then the church (Matthew 18:16–17). “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
- Keep unity when it’s not sin or false doctrine: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
- Separate if the Word is rejected: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). “Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine…and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject” (Titus 3:10). “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- God sets pastors to feed the flock, but the Bible is the absolute. A true shepherd points you to the Word, not away from it.
- If your disagreement is about taste, timing, or non-essential procedure, lay down your preference and keep peace.
- If the issue is clear Scripture—who will you follow, a man or the Word? If a leader asks you to do or believe what the Bible denies, your loyalty belongs to Christ.
- Don’t gossip, don’t rally people, don’t split the church. Speak face to face, with Scripture, in meekness. If there’s no agreement around the Word, step aside quietly and keep your heart clean.
4) Short reinforcing statement
Stay humble, stay Scriptural, and keep the sweetness of Christ. God defends His Word and guides the sincere who put the Bible first.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Questions and Answers
61-1015M §54
...s the commandments of the Lord. When they wrote over and said, "Why, the Holy Spirit told us!" Paul said, "What? Came the Word of God out of you? And came it from you only? If any of you all ... if you got any prophets over there, they'll acknowledge that what I say is the commandments of the Lord, see. [That's right!] But if there's any man shows he wants to be contrary, if he wants to be ignorant, just let him be ignorant, see. Just let him alone, leave him go on. Don't do any contrary to it." But remember, she's...
Questions and Answers
54-0515 §24
Now, but God said He was in His Word. This is God's Word and I believe it. I'm a Bible worshipper. That's the reason I disagree with Protestantism and the way of this church organization, because they teach things that isn't the Word of God. So I can't help from disagreeing. I don't fall out with them; no, sir, they're my brethren. I don't fall out with them, but I disagree with them because I have to take what God says and let everything else be a lie, see.
Church Order
63-1226 §49
Now the other question goes on: QUESTION: Now, have we misunderstood? No, sir. You haven't misunderstood, that's correct. I'm saying it again, the orders. In the army, they don't ask you, "Will you go do a certain thing?" If you're in the army, you're compelled to do it, see. And that's the way it is in the... I'm compelled to preach the gospel. I'm compelled to stand for this regardless of what other men and brethren and so forth say about it, I'm compelled to do this. I have to hurt feelings and cut men to pieces...
Questions and Answers
61-0112 §139
So that's right. No. And now, if that takes place in our church like that, like this, by some of our brethren or sisters here in the church that does speak with tongues, now, the deacons after the church, the board I think should meet them together, and say, "Let me refer back to you on a tape, just for a few minutes, you see. See? You're just... or the pastor..." Say, "I'm sure the pastor wants to speak to you. Would you just meet us over here in the study a little while, see, brother?" Go in there and speak to hi...
Church Order
63-1226 §40
QUESTION: Who should be the teachers? There you are, that's up to you to vote your own teachers in. And you ought to do that, put them in there, get somebody. And meet with the church, and say, "Who's... Who here feels led of the Lord?" And then get a qualified teacher. And then let it be done. It's got to be strictly business, brethren. If the teacher can't qualify to it, then change teachers. When the time comes, as under God, if I feel like that Orman Neville can't no more qualify to be pastor here, I'm going to...