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.
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 2
57-0922 §22
The only thing that I do, just is owning the property. And if something or another comes by that it's a... Like moving the pastor, and they want to take a vote on that, you couldn't ask a deacon to do that, you'd come ask me. I'd come down, and say, "If you want to move the pastor, tell me why. Has he done anything?" "Yes, we caught him drunk, or we caught him doing this, or doing something that wasn't right." "Have you got three witnesses of it?" "Yes, we have." Them witnesses must first be tried, "Don't receive a...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 5:E-121
...ans, "to conquer the laity". Now why is this such a terrible thing? It is terrible because God has never placed His church in the hands of an elected leadership which moves with political mindedness. He has placed His church in the care of God-ordained, Spirit-filled, Word-living men who lead the people through feeding them the Word. He has not separated the people into classes so that the masses are led by a holy priesthood. It is true that the leadership must be holy, but then so must be the whole congregation. F...
Personal experience with God
54-0724 §37
I'm sorry to keep you this long. A few moments now, we'll call the prayer line and go to praying for the sick. God be with you, my dear friends. Many of you'll be at your post of duty at your churches tomorrow. Greet your pastors for me. I'm not... I'm perfectly inter-denominational. I believe that all Christians are brothers and sisters, and we should worship together. It's too bad that the barriers break us down and so forth. And I have never, at one time in my life, ever knowingly to be guilty of proselyting or...
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 2
57-0922 §25
Now, if there's anything wrong in the church that you ever know of, some individual or some person or anything, you are duty bound and will answer before God if you don't clear that thing out; you, the church. Now, you remember, it's not on my shoulders; it's on yours. And anything wrong in the church, God will make you answer for it. That's right. That's the way He runs His church. That's the way it is in the Bible; that's the order of the Bible. That's the sovereignty of the local church: the pastor is the head....
Hebrews, Chapter 7, part 2
57-0922 §18
But if there's any complaint against any member, if a member has a complaint against one another, or something wrong, you're supposed to go to that brother, yourself; and talk to him, you and he alone. Then if they won't receive it, then the next thing takes place, you take one of the deacons or somebody, and go with you to that brother. Then if he won't receive you, then you come tell it to the church. Then if he won't receive the church, then the Bible said, "Let them be as a heathen and a publican." That's right...