Dropping Like Flies~pastors and moral failure part 2

(This second post on the topic of pastoral moral failure was written in response to comments made to Dropping Like Flies part 1. Because the first post generated good discussion, I felt another post was needed to clarify some of the issues the first post raised. I hope those who read these two posts for the first time will be challenged in the same way readers who posted comments were. Re the comments made, all were well thought out and many of them interacted with various ideas, making various points in relation to the overall context of Matthew 18. Thanks to all for the further reflection the comments caused in my own life)…

My primary point in writing (Dropping Like Flies part 1) was to say that one of the reasons some pastors continue in a pattern of sin, resulting in their eventual exposure and disqualification, is because they find themselves serving in environments where it is unsafe to be honest and open, albeit with a few select and trusted friends, about their real life struggles; and the result, usually due to a fear of loosing their job and ministry, is secrecy about their private lives. In the end, the thing they fear the most happens and they are put out of ministry. The tragedy is that the disqualification could have been avoided in some cases if the church was a safer place for leaders to be less than perfect.

Granted, many pastors who are ‘dropping like flies’ deserve to be disqualified. Many have long established sin patterns which are purposly kept under wraps and which might even mark them as false teachers. Both Peter and Jude point this out (2 Peter 2: 1-22, esp. vs. 12-14; Jude verse 16). Further, those in positions of pastoral/elder leadership are to be held to a stricter standard, as James points out in chapter 3 verse 1 of his letter and Paul requires in 1 Timothy 3: 1-7. I surely do not deny these truths.

I can’t help but believe, though, that some men who fall really strive to live by this higher standard while being as human as everyone else; and would have been prevented from falling if the churches they served had been healthy enough to handle pastor/elders who were ‘less than perfect’. An environment of grace and understanding, after all, would allow such pastor/elders to walk in the truth of James 5: 16, where we are instructed to ‘confess trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed’. This, in itself, is a deterrent to secrecy which leads to a fall.

The verse in James five dove-tails naturally with Galatians 6: 1: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” But how will those who are spiritual know whether a brother is being overtaken in a trespass if we create environments in the church which militate against honesty and open confession of our failures as pastor/elders?

Fortunatly, some churches do create communities of grace, where even pastor/elders are free to be human. One church I attended recently is striving to create this type environment from the top down. All of the men in the church are encouraged to be active in smaller groups for accountability; and the pastor/elders lead the way in this. One of the commitments the men in this church have to one another is that they will work to be open and honest with one another, even about their sin struggles, in order to prevent critical stops in each others lives; and they have developed a series of eight questions which they ask each other regularly. Three of the questions are:

1) Have you been faithful in your quiet time, reading of God’s word and prayer?

2) Have you been struggling with impure thoughts? Have you looked at questionable materials (movies, TV, books, internet, magazines, etc.) which would bring shame to the Lord Jesus?

3) Have you been alone with a man/woman in any kind of situation where your feelings or actions became inappropriate or where others could have suspected that something inappropriate was going on?

The final question, after all eight questions have been talked through, is ‘Have you lied or compromised your answer to any of the former questions?’

Granted, some men have the ability to lie without blushing when asked these sorts of questions. These sorts will eventually be exposed and rightly disqualified from ministry. After all, accountability is only as effective as the honesty of the persons being questioned. But men who have a desire to be right before God and man and who struggle in some area will have a difficult time lying to a trusted confidant who is asking these sorts of questions in an atmosphere of grace and true concern; and it is these sorts of men-those who struggle but who long for freedom-who I’m concerned about.

I believe that if more churches created this sort of environment, the number of men who ‘drop like flies’ would decrease. Another way to put this is to say that, when churches create environments of grace and understanding in regards to the sin struggles of their pastors, elders and people, Galatians 6: 1 might become the norm so 1 Timothy 5: 20 and 1 Corinthians 5 doesn’t have to be.

It seems Jesus extended grace to those who were open about who they really were. We should do the same, creating church cultures where this is the norm, even for pastors and elders. We will still need to practice church discipline; and some men will still ‘drop like flies’. But the numbers of those who do may decrease significantly, for the good of all involved, to the praise of His glorious grace.