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The CEO Pastor Isn’t The Problem

The CEO Pastor Isn’t The Problem

Evangelical Ecclesiology Is

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Nathan Finochio
Mar 08, 2025
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The CEO Pastor Isn’t The Problem
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The CEO Pastor: Megachurch Messiah or Corporate Overlord?

Let’s get this out of the way: I don’t have a problem with the rise of the CEO pastor, per se. I mean, Protestantism is already a chaotic free-market experiment where theological takes range from N.T. Wright-approved brilliance to guy-on-YouTube-with-an-iPhone-camera insanity. Maybe this hyper-efficient, entrepreneur-flavored church leadership model was just the next logical step.

Pastors Used to Be Nerds—Now They’re CEOs

Back in the day, Protestant pastors had a particular vibe: part-time theologian, full-time coffee shop philosopher. They’d spend 80% of their week crafting sermons aimed at impressing their New Testament Studies professor while their actual congregation sat there, nodding politely but comprehending nothing. These guys weren’t building churches; they were running indie bookstores with pulpits.

Now? Now we’ve got pastors who can grow a church like Jeff Bezos grows revenue streams. And you know what? That’s not inherently bad. Not everyone who ends up behind a pulpit should be there. In fact, let’s be honest—most shouldn’t be. Just because someone likes theology doesn’t mean they should be leading people. There’s a reason Paul didn’t just hand church leadership to the guy who read the most scrolls.

Wanna know what I think is the single mistake most Christians are making in their attempt to “discover what’s wrong” with the Church? I’ll tell you:

person standing near the stairs
Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash

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