Wait to evaluate the most recent Pastor scandal, and think about the roads that have constantly led us into dark places like these.

Media-driven ministry has been the buzz in Ugandan church planting for years now, a “large” church with multiple radio programming and structure, we are told, is the best way to reach the whole world.

Forget your 50-member church where everybody knows your middle name and the usher is the market girl everybody buys from, today, you must dream bigger, leave that small mindset of yours at home “God is calling us to bigger things”- don’t you see?

Wait to have that sound doctrine argument too, this thing here is a mission of this man of God that God spoke to and directly commissioned in a dream (where you weren’t)

And so, A radio station here, a personal assistant there, a massive end of year event, accountability? What’s that? – I call the shots here. Founders need no accountability.

As a result, “image” becomes the goal, public relations, a little advertising here and there, super professionalism, after all, we are representing the King of kings, but what could go wrong?

You guessed it—the foundation, namely, representing him “our way” rather than “his way.”

God builds a spiritual house, Peter, the same person that heard the promise to build the church also heard the call to “feed my sheep. “ (Matt 16:18, John 21:17)

And so when God builds his church, he does it his way, his word as the root, character before curtains, doctrine, long before doors,  before God who is “not served by human hands” (Acts 17:25) builds a church, he re-orders our enthusiasm for working for him.

But what could go wrong if we insist our way? first, we establish new authority, God’s word is rarely supreme in spaces where Church “founders” and “men-a-Gad” are.

Two, we struggle to maintain what we started in our wisdom, churches sustained by marketability always lean back to pragmatism to keep afloat, and as a result, public relations becomes the goal, sin is concealed or given other names, congregants turn fanatical rather than discerning.

And as God’s word is pushed aside, the bone and marrow of ministry give way —the devil grins, having successfully masqueraded as the angel of light.” (2 Cor 11:14)

Three, we lose the capacity to handle crisis, sin will always rear its ugly head among the redeemed, that shouldn’t surprise us, what should is the unbiblical response we often bring on board, “preach on brother, everybody is a sinner” we almost insist. 

We turn to the very unbiblical methods that drove us under, we shout louder, we claim the church is under attack ( as if its always not, see — 1 Pet 5:8)

Sometimes we hide, we defend ourselves, we scorn back, yet for all these, God’s word is clear, Jesus is our main shepherd (John 10:11), rest are mere ministers, sinners — and therefore, “nobody is perfect”  is a diagnosis, not an excuse.

The church is built his way, not our way, with his word. His bride is washed with the “water of the word” (Eph 5:26) Without blemish, she awaits the Savior.

Elders are not to be perfect, but they ought to be above reproach (1 Tim 3:2) church discipline during crisis means and assumes a Pastor surrounded by elders that offer discipline  with a motive of restoration, not just humiliation (although the later may be the path to the first)

Uganda’s fast-growing spiritual enterprise is built in the exact opposite direction, and we shouldn’t be surprised then if the crisis, or lack of it, reveals another spiritual hurricane is coming, soon!

Lord, whatever it takes, build your church!