Preachers and weight

That's for sure!

I remember this one teenager on the job who was what is currently classified as morbidly obese. It looked like he was wearing a life preserver around his waist. But he was always consciously aware of where he was relative to his surroundings, he maneuvered his bulk with grace and agility in a tight, fast-moving McDonald's grill area and he always got his job done.

Then there are the slobs - fat and thin - who never pay any attention to their surroundings, are always in the way and play on their phones constantly.

Pictures?

As seoulsearch pointed out, it can be hard for a pastor for social reasons... especially in the USA, down here in the South.

Then there are other reasons. Our pastor has a crippling honey bun addiction. (More like a habit, really, but it's more funny to call it an addiction.) He uses it often as an illustration when he's preaching about self control. He said God started dealing with him and his wife both about weight gain, when he got out of breath preaching and she was struggling to get through a song.

Now they d... di... ugh, I can't say that D word, but it's the four letter D word that means you reduce how much you eat... they d**t and exercise. He has cut out the honey buns and she will often walk a couple laps around the sanctuary (with her phone to count steps) while we're waiting for the rest of the singers to get there to practice, "Just getting my steps in."

They're both still overweight by any standard. But they are not overweight enough to hinder what they want to do.

It might be a matter of if this person can represent the gospel of Christ and Christians in general. People like to take singular examples from a group and then highlight their real of perceived flaws as representative of the whole group while ignoring the good they do. Happens all the time.

So can being grossly overweight give others the excuse they are searching for to reject the gospel? Possibly. Some people will accept any excuse, even when it's illogical, to reject the gospel.

Sometimes it's the presentation of the message: it was too long, not funny enough, boring, didn't like how it made them feel, was too complicated, couldn't relate to the preacher.

Sometimes it can be hypocrisy that turns people away. Sometimes legalism. Sometimes maybe it's their weight.

Other times they can't find a clear reason to answer the gospel call, their answer is simply "not today" or sometimes "not ever."

Some people have their mind made up, but some people are fence sitters and literally just waiting for someone to come to them and drop the good news of Jesus Christ into their lap.

Can't win them all, can't please them all.

I've seen the gospel rejected quite a bit and I know how bitter non-Christians talk about Christians when they think no one is really paying attention.

Biggest reason the gospel is rejected, in my experience, according to what I've heard, not enough love and kindness. People rarely, if ever, say "they were too overweight to preach."

I remember.. a young preacher.
- He was overweight..
---
He went through 'weight-loss surgery.'
- It worked..
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But his 'problems/main issues' in the church.. continued/did not change!
- People still did not like his preaching, etc..

I dont think it distracts from the message in itself but overweight preachers probably limit themselves in their reach, in that, if they are carrying too much weight they cannot go anywhere.

eg sometimes they may have to WALK and not use a car all the time, and I have noticed overweight people just dont like to walk. Its actually a struggle for some people to walk...imagine not being able to walk though, yet you are not paralysed. You have two legs, but carrying so much weight its not possible without huffing and puffing.

if a preacher is pregant thats different, but I think people would then say she ought to stay at home and make a nest for her baby.

Hebrews 12:1 suggest that we can run without carrying so much weight. Im supposing when the wight is your own body, you cannot run for any sustained length of time. Which is a real shame because imagine NOT being able to run if you wanted to.

If you forsake the assembly, you are committing sin.
The Scripture states that God gives teachers and pastors to churches for the benefit of all.
Now I know that some teachers and pastors fail. Some are even corrupt.
But, there is not one passage of Scripture that teaches that your lone wolf attitude is correct.

The doctrine of the call to ministry and the method of preaching and teaching is not something a true believer would despise.

I really could care less what a preacher looks like.
There are way to many of these modern day "preachers' with their fancy suits, styled hair, sparkling teeth, and fancy words, that are leading millions down the road to judgment.
Give me and old fat man in jeans or overalls, that struggles with his word, but preaches the Word with passion and humility any day.

I think preaching in a tshirt is a distraction. People don't t
People are all so different aren't they. I am more likely to prejudge the preacher in skinny jeans and a tshirt as not having much to offer and is probably just going to talk a lot and say nothing of weight but just another self help message about "breakthrough" and "keeping your hopes up", pabulum stuff, and I am more likely to think a preacher in a suit is going to come with the Word and content and preach a revelation of Jesus. It's funny how we are all conditioned differently.

We are different.
Some allow looks to influence their attitude as to listen or ignore. Some immediately dismiss those they think do not look the part by their standards.
I ignore looks and listen first and then decide if I want to hear more.

I am thinking anybody can preach if they are called by God to do so though. Even the rocks themselves will cry out, if nobody preached. see Luke 19:40

male, female, slave, free, we are all one in Christ Jesus.

The overweight issue is more like a rich peoples problems though. When Jesus says its hard for a rich man to enter heaven like a camel going through the eye of a needle, He was probably referring to someone who was so fat with riches or ill gotten gains that he couldnt fit through the door.

Sometimes I just shake my head in wonder....

This actually sounds like something sinners would do. Sit around cutting down on others because of their weight, style of clothes, and whatever other outward appearances. To be honest, there have been times when I've been guilty of judging others based on appearance too, but I'm sure it is not pleasing to God.

It's really not the love of God to be judging others on every little thing.

I'm not going to church to try to get a date with the preacher so I don't really care what they look like or how they are dressed.

It only matters what is in their heart and how the Lord sees them.

David was a little short guy and no one would have picked him to be king...but God did. He said he looked on the heart and not the outward appearance.

I'm sure John the Baptist wouldn't have fit any church dress codes either, but Jesus said he was the greatest man born of a woman.

So get over it folks or get under it one. If you don't like fat preachers don't go to their church, but if they are actually called by God and you are judging and standing in their way... then you are probably going to find yourself on the wrong side of the Lord...just saying.

Where are you from? In the USA obesity is linked to poverty. Most overweight people are poor and can't afford healthy foods. They have to take whatever they can get for cheap...like processed foods.

Also so some people are overweight because they have medical issues. I know some folks who have this problem and I feel terrible for them. I'm not a bit overweight, but can out eat some overweight people two to one. So does that make me some kind of better Christian because I can eat what I want and not gain weight. I'd say no, definitely not.

Also, I would be careful about changing scriptures around or adding opinions like that to what Jesus said. Anyone that wants to judge others for their weight or outward appearance has a whole lot more going on in their heart that they need to take care of first.

We'd all do well to remember to get the log out of our own eyes before we start casting stones at others....just saying.

I can only speak for myself, but this would be the very principle that would determine whether or not a spiritual leader's weight would bother me or not. If the pastor railed about everyone else's sins but neglected to acknowledge his own, then it would bother me.

Growing up in the church, I was surrounded by people who saw everyone else as being the sinners and not themselves. Sure, they would say they were sinners, but in reality, as long as they hadn't committed the "really bad" sins all "those other people" were guilty of (murder, adultery, stealing,) surely they couldn't be that bad. Never mind their own sins of hate, gossip, jealousy, and yes, gluttony.

I couldn't stay at a church where a pastor scolded others for their addictions if he refused to admit that his own addiction just might be fried chicken and cream pies.

I remember a guy once who constantly told me I needed to go on the keto diet to lose weight. It was hard to take him seriously when he himself was well over 100 pounds over weight, and not making any efforts to change his own lifestyle.

Completely agree with you...That is a hypocrite...in my opinion.

I don't like to go to any church where people are looking over the crowd and picking out things or what they think is sin to preach on, without even considering their own.

It's one thing to preach the word of God and scripture but to throw in opinions and judgement is another thing.

I've actually got up and walked out during a church service before. Went to a service where about 10 preachers from various other churches had came to the meeting... I thought wow this will be a good service with all these preachers here...Boy was I wrong. One got up and preached about one thing being a sin, then another who must have struggled with that particular thing got up and starting preaching on the other preachers sin...and on an on down the line it went. None of it was Biblical or done through love and was definitely not of God. It was probably one of the worst things I had ever witnessed in church so I decided not to give it any audience...I got up to leave and half the church followed me out.

murder, and stealing people generally get locked away in jail for but surprisingly not adultery, so, actually their might be a few adulterers in churches.....

Pastors have a burden and a privilege but that is between them and God. An overweight pastor does not distract me because I follow Jesus not man. There can be sin that I don’t see and he might be righteous in God’s eyes. A wise pastor leads his congregation through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. My responsibility is to pray for my pastor and his or her family. If God alerts me to blasphemy or that the servant is not preaching the Bible then I would not stay under that pastor.

I find that I can get really aggravated with sin in my life and sometimes my weight changed because of gluttony which is sin. I know my body is a temple and I’ve not honoured God the way He deserves. I have also looked fit while experiencing a very prideful attitude or consuming sin that others were unaware of. God sees my heart and sometimes I felt disqualified to share the love of Christ because of the way I looked.

God addresses that a leader in the church should be good family leader, 1 Timothy 3:4-5 and Titus 1:6, any other requirement to ”prove” anointing, authority and power would be the yeast of the Pharisees.

Yeah, but... that's different! When I tell you about it, it's good advice. When I'm thinking about doing it myself... nah, I'm alright. I know a lot of people who are worse off than I am (because it makes me feel a lot better when I think of people who are doing even worse than I am doing) and they're getting by, so I'll be fine.