Preacher Followers

When I was growing up, occasionally, I would hear someone talk about a person having “preacheritis.” This is when someone is infatuated with a preacher because of his personality. I have seen a few cases of this. Those who have “preacheritis” are easy to spot. They will constantly talk about how “their” preacher (“pastor”) is such a wonderful human being. They hardly give any credit to Jesus Christ. They follow this man to the congregations where he preaches taking their family with them. They may even move and change jobs to do so. This kind of behavior is spiritually unhealthy and indicates a deeper problem in the lives of both the preacher and the followers.

Preachers should not want this attitude displayed toward them. Their tolerating it shows that they have a pride problem. On the surface, they may eschew the notion, but secretly, they vainly enjoy the attention. Instead, preachers should enjoin those who so behave to turn their attentions and efforts toward Jesus Christ. They should have the attitude of John the Baptizer who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). They should think about the teaching of the apostle Paul when he said, “so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). Preachers are servants of Jesus Christ, and the focus should be on Christ and His will for the lives of people. When a preacher is setting forth the teaching of Christ in its fullness, he will not attract people who have “preacheritis” because he will be redirecting them toward Jesus and His doctrine. He will not be doing things that magnify himself, but that magnify Jesus Christ.

God bless you, and I love you.

Kevin Cauley