Pastors or Impostors? Navy chaplain speaks out against Yuma's false teachers
The following article was published Aug. 30, 2007, in the official military newspaper of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ. It clearly addresses the "qualifications" of the false teachers who are robbing Yuma's Marines and community members. The leader of Generations Church is not a qualified nor educated theologian. In fact, his education stopped after high school. The Navy chaplain's message here highlights why this is a problem.
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Pastors or Impostors?
By U.S. Navy Lt. Shawn Osborne
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Pastors or Impostors?
By U.S. Navy Lt. Shawn Osborne
Station Protestant Chaplain
MCAS Yuma, Arizona
I have been living in Yuma for the past nine months and I am amazed at the number of churches in this city. I have seen churches set up in old theaters, the local food bank, warehouses and people’s homes. It’s quite commendable that there are so many places of worship available for Christians to choose from in the Yuma community. With that said, it is important for every churchgoer to educate themselves on the training and educational background of the person who is responsible for preaching and teaching.
A pastor not only preaches, but also does marriage counseling, leads Bible studies and is there during serious moments of crisis. To be quite honest, one of the reasons I went to seminary for three years was to earn the right to be taken seriously when I preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The message I preached never changed, but now I have the education and credentials to back it up. The U.S. Navy has very high standards for anyone who wants to be a chaplain.
There are three requirements: first, the candidate must have a Master of Divinity degree from an accredited seminary; second, the candidate must have at least two years of parish experience; and third, the candidate must be ordained and endorsed by a recognized denomination. These requirements alone would eliminate from contention several of the so-called “pastors” here in Yuma.
Think about it this way; if I were to call myself a doctor or a lawyer -- without any formal training -- and start practicing medicine or law in Yuma, I would be sued and put in prison. Yet these so-called “pastors” can preach and teach without any accountability.
This notion of a non-denominational Christian church is commendable, but every church has their own theological slant, which means they are of a particular theology even if they claim no denominationalties.
Recently, I called a local “non-denominational” church to see what kind of educational background the “pastors” have. The husband and wife “pastor” team was busy, but their personal assistant asked me if she could help. I asked what seminary the “pastors” attended and her response was, “I don’t know.” She then asked me if I would like to speak to another husband and wife “pastor” team on staff when they got in. I said that I would like that and then I asked the personal assistant what seminary this other couple attended. Her response again was, “I don’t know.”
Isn’t it amazing that someone who works for a church doesn’t even know the credentials of the leaders who are responsible for preaching and teaching its members? Now your argument for me might be, “Hey Chaps, look how big their church is, they must be doing something right.”
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” Big numbers in the church does not equate to truth.
Experience generated from applying proper education is priceless. Ask yourself, would you take your pet to a person who wasn’t trained in veterinary science -- so, how much more valuable is the human soul?
2 Peter 2:1-3 says, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign
Lord who bought them -- bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”
You owe it to yourself to make sure that those you are entrusting to your spiritual care are the real deal.
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I am a former member of that "church" I have personally heard Rich make fun of people go to seminary. He'll make a wise crack about those who go to (his words) "cemetery, I mean seminary" As if they are all about book smarts with no practical application. Proudly displaying his ignorance to a congregation who got a good laugh out of it. It's spiritual malpractice!
Makes me ill. Frightening that so many followers make major life decisions based on the instruction of those leaders!
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This article was written about Champion Church not Generations. Champion is basically Generations on a diet they don't come off as demanding as generations. I went to Generations for 3 months and you couldn't pay me to go back it was the worst experience of my life. I would rather hang on to the tail pipe of a gray hound bus with my mouth while being drug over a field of cactus's then go back. I also attended Champion on one occasion and was brought almost to tears with anger when I heard the word they were preaching. We need to also be aware of the silent predators. Here is the list I have come up with as a warning.
The River
Yuma Community Church
Generations
Champion
They are all prosperity churches hell bent on getting your money. It makes me sick to my stomach to see this happen to my faith.
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With all do respect, Yuma Community Church is not a prosperity church. They are baptist in doctrine and are against the health and wealth prosperity teaching. Just ask them.
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Goodness, I do <3 your website John. I admire the work that you are doing in Yuma and the support system you are setting up for those people involved in these sorts of churches. So I apologize for any criticism I do make.
But I will say two things about what the above pastor has mentioned:
1) the need to go to seminary. Meh. The whole bunch of Jesus' disciples were a bunch of uneducated fishermen. Schooling is not necessary to spread the word or to preach. The only requirements the Bible have for ministering in a church are found in 1 Timothy 3. Forgive me for saying this, but I find no mention in that chapter regarding seminary or a Masters of Theology. Given that, most of us are not qualified. :D
Similarly, uneducated doesn't mean that someone can't be moved by the psirit and cannot preach. Rather Moses considered himself to be a lousy speaker and Paul says that he was not eloquent. Paul even says that God used the foolish things of this world to shame the wise.
2) purely political, but the only reason doctors and lawyers are not allowed to practice if they do not have a degree is that the silly laws we currently have in place require such documentation. Would we have the govt license our pastors?
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I’m sorry but the Disciples in order to know that the Messiah was born and in order for them to follow him (Jesus) they had to know the Prophesies. Jesus completed the prophecy (by being born from a Virgin, healing the blind, being crucified, and resurrected are only a few, he had to do more than 600 to be the true Messiah) and that is how we know he is the Messiah. Anyone that is going to devote themselves to teach the word of G-D as a Pastor needs to know their trade.
In other words they (the Disciples) not only need to know a few passages from the Bible but they need to know how the Bible is a manual for them.
That’s why there are so many false prophets or sheep in lambs clothing these days; because they do not take the time to fully prepare themselves for this calling.
p.s.
All Apostles were studying to be Rabbis in that time that is what good Jewish boys were sent to do and that is why they knew Torah so well.
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"the only reason doctors and lawyers are not allowed to practice" ... "is that the silly laws we currently have"?!?! Laura, the next time you are ill, give me a call. And when you question why the only thing I'm operating with is duct tape and WD-40, I'll simply respond by questioning your faith in me.
If it moves and isn't supposed to: Duct tape.
If it don't move but it should: WD-40
I don't mean to pick on you and I do see your point, that spirituality can be found anywhere. But my point is, if you are going to set up shop and start dispensing advice on love, life, marriages, and money, then you need to produce some qualifications to show me why I should listen to you. I listened to my teachers because they had read the books and studied for years to learn it. I didn't listen to the kid next to me just because he was a chapter ahead of me. And for the kid who had already read everything last year but was held back a year: I tried not to listen to him either.
No, the government shouldn't regulate our pastors. But the congregation should. Impostor Rich is streetcorner peddler with slick packaging and cool lasers. But, the lasers are only cool when used for his shows, and not when he uses them to put dots on your forhead and make jokes about you looking like a Hindu. (This is a reference to the thread on Rich calling Hindus dumb.)
His message only works with people who value style over substance. Stay away from these people.
On a personal note: I've met Lt. Osborne, the chaplain who wrote the above letter. He is a good chaplain who genuinely cares for the Marines and sailors on MCAS Yuma. And I've never seen a chaplain ask or even imply that a service member tithe to the chapel.
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