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.
Hear ye Him
58-0301E §30
...and they were called the children of the devil. The sinner is not trying to see how you dress; the sinner is not trying to see how much education you got, and how well your pastor can say, "Ah-man," or some well-trained voice. If anything I hate is a well-trained voice, over-trained; stand and hold a note till they're blue in the face. They're not singing to God; they're singing to let somebody hear them. And there's nothing more Heavenly than an old fashion Pentecostal singing, where a man couldn't carry a tune in...
Questions and Answers, part 2
54-0103E §58
Now then, if in order, if this is what you're getting at... While the preacher is speaking everything should be silent to listen to the preacher. For there's the Word of God going forth, if he's preaching under anointing. Then, every spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets. When a pastor walks to the platform, turns that Bible down, the church should be silent, listening at the reading of the Scripture, listen to what he's going to say. If he says something that sounds good to you, you can say, "Amen, ble...
Revelation, Chapter 5, part 2
61-0618 §20
Now, remember this now, that if... Then if there's something comes up in the church, then let the pastor ... and if you have to, come get the pastor to take them to the person. Then if they won't hear that, then come up before the church and tell it before the church. Give them so much time to be reconciled, maybe from one Sunday to the next. And if they will not hear the church, then the Bible said, "Let them be as a heathen and a publican." That... See, as long as they are protected by the church, Satan cannot ge...
Super Sign
61-0430 §5
...ighty will bless you exceedingly abundantly. Now may his grace rest upon you. And remember, any time that you'd like to drop me a little card, just Jeffersonville, Indiana. If you want to, Post Office Box 325. We're not trying to get your address because ... I think my secretary is here today, of the church---Brother Jim Maguire---and I know we have a hard time getting help to answer the letters. But we're just only interested in trying to help you---on little cloths that we can send to you, a question... Now, if t...
Respects
61-1015E §75
If you can't respect the man, respect the office he holds in God. That's exactly right, see, respect him. If a minister comes up, your pastor, always respect him. I've heard congregations talk about their pastor, just talk about him, run him down, ridicule him. How is that pastor ever going to do anything for you? He can't do it. You don't re... I don't say this church, but I mean churches I have seen, that if... You've got to love your pastor. You've got to know that he's a human being, but yet God has made him Hi...