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Breasts Sucking Christians: Is Pastor-Dependency A New Normal?

Feature Article Pastor Mensa Otabil
MAR 12, 2018 LISTEN
Pastor Mensa Otabil

Gordon Offin-Amaniampong writes
Otabil’s pill is bitter but it’s a potential cure for pastor-dependency, says this writer

I wonder what would happen to nursing mothers, if babies were wholly-dependent on breastmilk say for five years or more. Ideally, breastfeeding should continue for at least 12 months. But World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends breast feeding for two years and more. There comes a time in infantile life when all babies stop feeding on breast milk. In fact some nursing mothers even wean their babies before the 12 months period.

It may interest you to know that some babies don’t even get that luck thereof, because their fathers compete with them. So they’re introduced to iron- fortified formula to prevent anemia (low blood count) which has every ingredient like vitamins and minerals that are naturally found in breast milk.

Most Ghanaian Christians seem to be doing the exact opposite. And it’s a problem that permeates across the continent. Some of these Christians can’t just stop sucking their ‘pastors’ breasts’. They call on them (pastors) from daybreak to twilight--- seeking breakthroughs. They view their pastors as Mr. Fixers. To them, pastors can fix everything and anything that’s fixable.

Why some Christians are still sucking pastors’ breasts?

The Founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) Dr. Mensa Otabil has been a headliner lately. He’s been taken on by critics for his straight talk—calling spade a spade and not a digging tool. His comment that he’d watch (National Geographic a television programme that shows) animals rather than watch television programmes in Ghana triggered controversy last week. He’d blamed the Ghanaian media for not living up to expectation. And it doesn’t appear he’s going to allow what he sees as cancerous disease to fester at least amongst his sheep.

At the 34th anniversary service of ICGC last Sunday the renowned pastor told his congregants not to disturb his sleep. “Here we don’t teach dependence and that’s why I’m not going to say that everybody, after church come and see me for prayers; if you are going to travel come and see me for prayers, until I release you to go, you cannot travel. We believe that God hears your prayer and we believe that you can pray for yourself and you can have answers from God; we believe that God is no respecter of persons because we want to raise a church of leaders, a church of people who are spiritually strong in God, and, who are able to rationally think and make decisions for themselves and so everything we teach here is designed towards that”, he told the congregation.

Indeed, if you’d seen a video that’s gone viral on the social media recently, showing one particular pastor in Ghana pronouncing or prophesying deaths, accidents, prosperity, paralysis, divorce, blindness and madness…that some of his members are destined to have hepatitis B, prostate cancer and will lose their limbs through gory accidents you’d bear with pastor Otabil.

How would you feel when you receive a prophecy that you’re going to die a horrible death or contract a deadly disease like HIV/AIDS or you just have six months to live? Awkward isn’t it? But the narrative won’t change as long as many Christians today want to see signs and wonders.

Pastor Mensa Otabil gave us a hint of that. According to him there are people that don’t like to make decisions for themselves and would rather depend on pastors for everything.

“Now there are people who may come to this church and not appreciate that because some will come here and say: ‘Well, this church, there is no care for the people, there’s no love’ because they want the pastor to be there all the time, they want to come and knock on my door at 2am and tell [me] they swallowed a chewing gum and they don’t know what to do,” said Pastor Otabil.

…I don’t think you should disturb my sleep because of that. I think you should be able to deal with your gum after you swallow it at 2am. And that’s a true story. I’m not making it up. A friend of mine, a pastor, had a midnight call and the person came to him knocking: “Pastor I need help, pray for me” “What happened”? “I was chewing my gum and I swallowed it”. Please wait, after eight hours, it will solve itself.”

What happened to her again? She’d swallowed a gum.

Hello Church! I’ve got a message for you. Pastors are not physicians. So go to clinic, hospital or urgent care if you’re experiencing some funny feelings, a tooth ache, heart ache or an abnormal headache. Be reminded, chokes and swallows are not situations to be dealt with by pastors. Pastors are not gynecologists, they’re not physio therapists. They’re also not carpenters, mechanics or plumbers. They don’t mend shoes neither do they sow dresses.

If your child is not doing well at school please don’t call on your pastor first. Call the child’s teacher but even before you place such a phone call ask yourself whether as a parent you’re doing what’s required of you. Remember, pastors are pastors they preach and teach that’s their core and foremost function. They’re supposed to win souls ---call them soul winners.

Is pastor dependency a new normal?
Renowned German scholar Adolf Deissmann once declared: “There is no single person since Nero’s days who has left such permanent marks on the souls of men as Paul the New Man.” He noted that the grand Apostle of Christ, “rising from the mass of the insignificant many” is still molding the world at the present moment” (1957, viii).

In the first book of Corinthians and the book of Hebrews, Apostle Paul reminds members of the church that time is of the essence : “There has been enough time for you to be teachers- yet you still need someone to teach you the first lessons of God‘s message. Instead of eating, solid food, you still have to drink milk,” Hebrews 5:12.

Most if not many Christians today have become so dependent on pastors. They go to church every Sunday, fast and pray almost every week, observe all nights and embark on revivals week after week, yet they seem to think they cannot do it on their own. They don’t believe God listens to the prayer of every soul and his blessings are like a pouring rain it doesn’t fall on one man’s house.

They tend to think that without the intervention of a pastor God the all-powerful, the all-knowing, and the all-capable cannot solve their problems for them. In part, this explains why we’re witnessing the rise in this pastor-dependency.

Calvary Independent Baptist Church in in April 4, 2013 published an article titled: ‘O ye men of little faith,’ Matthew 16:5-12. It says the preaching ministry should have a variety of purpose. One ought to be to teach and explain the Word of God—so that we all might understand what God says. A second purpose ought to be find ways to apply those things to our hearts.”

Remember Apostle Paul spoke to all pastors when he exhorted Timothy.—“Preach the word be instant, in season out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” The word ‘doctrine’ refers to teaching—exposing and illuminating the Word of the Lord.

Ironically that advice appears to have gone unheeded by most pastors of today. However, the fact remains that if the first 12 Apostles or disciples had problem with little faith, then most likely we have even more problems, which perhaps explains why today Christians are chasing pastors for everything. But one can’t blame them (congregants) without putting the blame appropriately where it belongs.

Some pastors are responsible for this phenomenon. They’ve indoctrinated members to believe that they hold the key to success and failure and not God. They mention God’s name but don’t be fooled because even unbelievers and atheists call o his name.

“.There are people who are so pastor-dependent that simple things like that they have to go to the pastor and sometimes pastors take pleasure in making people feel until they pray for you, until they prophesy to your life, until they speak into your life, something will never happen. I believe Christ in you is what makes the difference,” stated Pastor Otabil.

And I think it’s about time we (Christians) are told that Manna used to fall but they don’t fall any more. Angels used to come home but such visitations are over. Manuel’s wife (Samson’s mother) was visited by an Angel. Mary the mother of Jesus had similar encounter. In the book of Acts it is written: “...Your sons and daughters shall prophesy your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.

So if you can do all that---see visions and dream dreams why call a pastor at midnight or 2am. What for? Don’t get me wrong, I am not concluding that it’s a crime or you cannot see your pastor for an advice. Yes you can. But don’t call him for a broken pipeline or when your refrigerator isn’t working because he’s neither a plumber nor mechanic.

And here’s my prescription: Your relationship with God is sacred and should be stronger and more frequent than your pastor. And if your argument is, ‘hey I cannot do it all by yourself.’ The truth is, no individual in this planet can do it all except God the Almighty.

See, the problem of pastor-dependency even has another layer, which seems to be the driving force of this craze. And I think it’s the quest for instant results. I think we must learn to wait on the Lord. Most Christians lack this element. How long did Abraham has to wait to realise the promised child? Wasn’t Joseph imprisoned for many years before God elevated him? Let’s learn to wait on the Lord. Also, we must learn that breakthroughs have no time limits.

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