Todd Wagner says many churches have 'spiritual leadership problem'
Former megachurch pastor Todd Wagner believes many churches have a “spiritual leadership problem” that hinders the spiritual growth of their members, saying pastors aren't doing enough to equip their flocks for "radical discipleship" and biblical obedience.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Wagner, the former senior pastor of the multi-campus Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, spoke about his own spiritual upbringing as a child, attending a church in the Midwest that he felt was inauthentic and didn't lead to much spiritual transformation in the lives of its attendees.
Wagner said his spiritual life didn't begin to take shape until high school, when he started participating in Young Life programming and met "really abiding Christians."
"Young Life changed my life," he said. "I had a great Young Life leader who understands that his job wasn't to get me to camp but to disciple me."
During the interview, Wagner was asked what he believes are the major obstacles to Christian spiritual growth.
“The condition of man,” he said, noting that many people are “not ready to follow Christ” because they lack a “function of the will.” However, he believes much of the blame for the lack of spiritual growth among Christians falls on church leaders themselves.
"Before I blame the ground, I blame the farmer," he added, stressing that “most people have trouble growing because most pastors don’t care if they grow.”
“I really mean that,” he continued. “They care if they come back to their church, they care if they keep attending their services, and support their local ‘ministry,’ but that’s not ministry.”
The pastor described the purpose of local churches as "a mission," not a "local gathering."
Wagner cited the 19th-century revival preacher Charles Finney, who is credited with stating: “If the world loses its interest in religion, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.”
“And I really believe that we have a spiritual leadership problem in our country,” said Wagner. “Most pastors are not calling people to the radical discipleship and abundant obedience that Christ expects for people.”
“People think that their job is to go to church and not get arrested for child porn," he added. "Both of which are good ideas, but not getting drunk at your company Christmas party is not the definition of bold Christianity.”
Wagner added that God "wants more" than just "politeness."
"He wants more for you than civility. He wants you to be His ambassadors and one of His mighty men that are doing a work in taking back the gates of Hell," he said.
“Most Christians have never heard that call for their life. They think it’s their job to support people in ministry. And I would tell you the job of people in ministry is to equip the saints for that work, not to have the saints fund that work.”
In 2020, Wagner garnered headlines when he announced that he was stepping away from his role as senior pastor of Watermark, which he had co-founded and led for more than 20 years, after confessing to the sin of pride. Watermark has several campuses throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
The following year, he made the decision permanent, saying in a statement that he was “fully convinced that today, in the interest of Christ, for me and for my family, and for Watermark in this next season, it would be best served by me ending my season in serving as pastoral elder of Watermark Community Church.”
