The prophet's handbook

leaving town or skipping a service, and that was his response. Naturally, I saw that the entire arrangement had grown dysfunctional and said as much. My answer to our young prophet was that any position with any organization would require such notification and that the issue at hand was not a matter of adulthood or childhood. It was a matter of accountability—professional accountability. I realized that this young prophet would be embarking on a long road to learn two very primitive prophet lessons: obedience and accountability. If it were not for the insight into what the Lord was going to have to do to teach him that the two go hand in hand, and that one cannot be without the other, I would have been more disturbed. As it was, I was grieved as Samuel over Saul because, knowing God as I did, I saw that it was going to get rough for this young learner. Rather than wait for the prophet to pray and get God’s answer, I severed the relationship by releasing the novice from my tutelage. I knew this outburst masked deep rooted problems springing from other issues that hindered his ability to grasp the most elementary of prophetic principles. Cases like this show why church prophets should not be installed who have problems with accountability, with reporting to the pastor as instructed, or with performing their duties according to the pastor’s directives. These all amount to insubordination and will culminate in a church insurrection. After a while, that is what happened in my case. The young prophet, convinced he was ready to go it alone, gathered a number of other neophytes and began to teach them. Ironically, the very obedience he required of his new followers was lacking in himself. I am sure many pastors have been in this place, and the sagest answer I can give you is to cut ties early, quickly, and decisively to avoid infecting the rest of your germinating leaders, should a prophet be unwilling to listen and learn from you. I am reminded at this point of those churches whose staff prophets have diverted the flock’s attention from the pastor to themselves. In some instances, the act of treason was so great that even the tithes due the church were diverted to the prophet. I have experienced this myself. A prophet, afraid he will not get the opportunity to do his ministry, attaches himself to a church for only one reason. That is to ingratiate himself to the pastor long enough to seduce the spiritually hungry or immature members with his prophetics. Once the prophet’s ministry has dazzled the susceptible members of the church, the prophet creates a situation where he can retaliate against the pastor for an artificial hurt by abruptly leaving the church, freeing himself to launch his ministry with the pastor’s flock. Beckoning disgruntled members he has inflamed over time, the prophet sets up a ministry to rival the church and convince its membership to