During the initial wave of Covid, as a full-time pastor, I witnessed firsthand how unprecedented challenges can expose deep fractures within church communities. While masks and reopening policies dominated headlines, a more profound struggle was unfolding behind closed doors – one that continues to shape church leadership today.

When Covid hit, church leaders faced impossible decisions. Church members were divided: some angrily insisted that requiring masks showed a lack of faith in God and was just 'giving in to liberals.' Others desperately begged us to protect vulnerable people in our church family – the elderly, young children, and those with health problems. Just mentioning the word 'require' could start a fight. But all this mask drama revealed a bigger problem that nobody talks about: how church leaders often feel pressured to please the people who give the most money.

Here's something most people don't know: churches run entirely on the money that people put in the collection plate each week. That means everything – from paying the pastor's salary to covering health insurance for church staff and their families – comes from what church members choose to give.

When influential members disagree with a pastor's stance, their withdrawal of support doesn't just impact the pastor – it can threaten the local church's mission and stability.

When church leaders speak up against what big givers want, they're risking more than just an angry phone call. If you get fired from a church, there's no unemployment check coming – churches don't have to provide that. Plus, that firing follows you everywhere. Good luck getting hired at another church without knowing somebody on the inside. One controversial sermon could end your entire career.

That's why pastors often stay quiet about big issues like Christian nationalism, social justice, or controversial current events. It's not that they lack backbone or courage. They're just trying to keep the lights on and make sure their staff can feed their families and keep their health insurance. Every sermon becomes a calculation: Is speaking this truth worth potentially losing the financial support that keeps our ministries running? Pastors WILL calculate what they can challenge without losing too many people, but since the red hats formed, that process has grown much harder.

The church is meant to be a voice for truth, not just a place where people gather to feel comfortable. Yet the current system often forces church leaders to choose between speaking prophetically and keeping the doors open.

As we move forward, Evangelicalism must grapple with this fundamental tension: How can churches maintain both their prophetic voice and their practical stability?

For the health of our church and the sanity of pastors, we need honest dialogue about the power red hats yield. Truth must be spoken without fear of financial repercussions.

A note from Kenton: My normal publishing schedule for this newsletter is every Wednesday. However, with the holiday season and my desire to be extra clear with the words I choose, this was delayed by a week.

Footnote: I am referencing the ‘God-directed’ teaching from scripture, especially how members can influence the softening or avoidance of specific issues being taught. I am not saying that a church should not be led by its congregation.