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Maybe it’s time to go back to reverencing the men and women of God — not influencers, not personalities, not performers, but vessels who carry heavy weight, walk in the anointing, reverence, and restore the honor that once made people move.
Because when the man or woman of God spoke it’s was regarded as God speaking and a Rhema word from heaven.
Not blaming anyone but gossip bloggers and websites may have contributed and done more damage than good — especially when it comes to how people view world leaders, relationships, and especially the respect for Men and Women of God.
These websites may have normalize disrespect. Dishonoring the church. I would like to believe it was not done on purpose.
But turning people’s failures, struggles, or private moments into entertainment. After years of consuming this, society has become desensitized to dishonor. Mocking our leaders has become normal. Disrespect for them has becomes a sport.
Let's be real in today’s spiritual climate, it has become painful to watch. And as these believers are losing their respect for Men of God, and this shift is reshaping the church, ministry support, and the way prophetic voices are received especially in the black church, across America.
And in many cases the way people see God, the Bible, and black leadership. They are reverencing what our ancestor’s called a “strange doctrine” and practices right before our eyes.
They see these things as more powerful than God and his word.
And while many leaders are in denial, church attendance and trust in the black male’s spiritual leadership has declined sharply.
Pew Research reports that only about one-third of U.S. adults now attend religious services at least once or twice a month, while nearly half rarely or never attend, and Gallup shows weekly attendance has dropped from 42% two decades ago to around 30% today.
People are no longer engaging with church the way they once did, and what they are searching for spiritually is God.
John 12:32, Jesus says:
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
So “lifted up” carries both a literal and figurative meaning: Literal: Jesus was physically lifted on the cross. Figurative: To be exalted, glorified, and worshiped — praised as Lord and Savior.
For example, there was a day when people ran to their pastors in moments of crisis, trusting their prayers and guidance to carry them through the storm.
According to the Pew Research Center’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study, 44% of U.S. adults pray daily, and another 23% pray weekly or a few times a month. According to Christian prayer-statistic summaries, about 77% of Americans believe prayer can help solve problems. These reports also suggest a strong majority of Christians see prayer as central to their faith.
Yet, from another report, about 13% of U.S. adults say they participate at least once a week in prayer groups, scripture-study groups, or religious education programs.
In a Pew survey of Black American adults, only 18% said they rely “a lot” on advice from religious leaders when making major life decisions, while 56% rely on prayer and personal reflection.
This suggests that for some groups, personal prayer or reflection is more common. But people aren’t turning to religious leaders for guidance as much anymore.
Again, the Bible says in Psalm 24:3–4,
“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.”
It’s become many crave authenticity over authority, preferring leaders who are relatable and transparent, yet this very desire has unintentionally weakened the reverence once given to God’s mouthpieces.
As godly leaders began emphasizing their humanity—wanting to be seen as “just like everyone else”—they also sacrificed the sacred weight of their calling, blurring the line between the divine and the ordinary. This has impacted support as well; parishioners now give conditionally and holding back out of fear, saying things like “I’ll give if I feel led,” rather than responding instinctively to prophetic instruction.
Recently, I watched a prophet ask for a simple $1,000 to travel to his next assignment. Instead of support, he received hesitation and spiritualized excuses, and I could see the embarrassment on his face. There was a time when prophets spoke and people moved—when their words were seen as directives from heaven rather than suggestions.
In biblical days, prophets shaped nations; kings kept them in their courts because they carried the voice of God.
Even though Elijah and Elisha didn’t live in church buildings, they lived among the people with deep honor and provision, traveling from synagogues to synagogues, wilderness, towns like Gilgal and Bethel, and staying in the homes of those who recognized their anointing. The Shunammite woman built Elisha an entire upper room—furnished with a bed, table, chair, and lamp—not because she was “led,” but because she discerned his assignment.
Today, however, people hesitate, question, analyze, withhold, and demand emotional confirmation before supporting men of God, and ministries are suffering because of it.
The price of being “normal” is that prophetic leaders have lost the reverence that once empowered their voice, and the people have lost the spiritual urgency that once guided their obedience.
As church attendance declines and trust in institutions weakens, younger generations, who are less religiously affiliated than any generation before them, often see spiritual leadership as optional rather than ordained. This erosion of respect is not just organizational but spiritual; when prophetic authority fades, guidance, correction, and divine direction become harder to receive.
If something doesn’t change—if congregations don’t re-examine their posture toward the prophetic and if leaders don’t reclaim the sacred weight of their calling—we risk losing one of the most vital connections between God and His people.
They remove the sacred covering of honor. In Scripture, God always protected the dignity of His prophets even when they were flawed.
Today, gossip sites magnify flaws and erase calling. This destroys the spiritual principle of honor — and where there is no honor, there can be no flow.
This moment is a call to return to honoring the mantle, recognizing divine assignment, and restoring the reverence that allows prophets to speak, lead, and move in the power God intended.
I’m not suggesting that anyone is beyond accountability, nor that leadership scandals should be hidden. But just like with any public figure, there must be ethics, balance, and responsible reporting.
As the church loses its backbone in a culture obsessed with exposure, there is an equally urgent call for leaders to walk in integrity, restore sacredness to their offices, and reclaim the honor that once defined spiritual leadership.
The church’s influence, perspective, and voice are more needed than ever. Society is flooded with messages that shape morality, values, and behavior, but too often, these messages lack spiritual grounding.
The church has a unique role: to speak truth, provide ethical guidance, and offer a perspective rooted in divine wisdom rather than fleeting trends.
Its voice is essential not only for nurturing individual faith but for shaping communities, influencing social norms, and reminding people of higher purpose and accountability.
Without a strong, respected, and consistent prophetic and pastoral voice, culture drifts into relativism, leaving people to navigate life without the moral compass that faith institutions are uniquely positioned to provide.
In John 17:14–16 again Jesus says something like:
“They are in the world, but I am not of the world.” (and later, about His disciples, “You are in the world, but not of the world.”)
Being “in the world” means we live here physically. We eat, sleep, work, interact with society, and experience life. Christians don’t escape the realities of life just because they follow Jesus.
Example: Elisha lived among people, served in Israel, but didn’t adopt the world’s sinful ways.
Not of the world” doesn’t mean hiding in isolation or avoiding society. It means our values, thoughts, and allegiances are different from the worldly system: We don’t follow the patterns of greed, pride, selfishness, and sin. We operate by God’s principles, not man’s approval. Our identity, priorities, and mission are grounded in heaven only, not earth.
Jesus calls us to engage with the world but not be molded by it. Matthew 5:13–16 (Salt and Light) reinforces this: Salt flavors, Light shines, without losing their distinct identity. Christians are meant to influence the world positively without being corrupted by it.
In the Old Testament with the prophets like Daniel, Elijah, and Elisha, in the world of kings there was a clear distinction from God’s prophets and the false prophets. And they obeyed God completely.
Jesus Himself ate with sinners, healed the sick, engaged society, but never sinned with them or sought worldly approval. We see these things Centurion said, I’m not worthy that you should come to my home.
Therefore in this modern world as Christians we should know how to work, live, and engage in society, but our morals, priorities, and mindset reflect God’s kingdom, always.
Live here but be light. Be in the world — work, have fun, play, love — but don’t let the world change your gift and anointing. Your heart and life belongs to God, even while your feet walk the earth.
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