The news made me feel sick.
A pastor—a man I had respected—had been caught in secret sin. Even worse, he’d covered it up. When he was found out, he resigned, leaving behind a trail of devastation.
Sadly, this hasn’t happened just once in my life. How do we respond when a Christian leader falls? What if it’s our own pastor? How do we navigate the doubt, make sense of it all, and move forward well?
Face What Happened
One of the first and most important steps is to face facts. It’s challenging to process difficult news, so we may be tempted to minimize the seriousness of moral failure, but denial is never a healthy response. We shouldn’t exaggerate the sin nor go digging for details, but we should acknowledge that something serious has happened so that we can begin to process it.
A key in facing the situation is to separate forgiveness from consequences.
Through the finished work of Christ, forgiveness is freely available to anyone who sins (Romans 3:23-24), but that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences for sin. It’s important to realize that someone can be forgiven by Christ but still lose a job or relationships or even face criminal charges. Even forgiven sin can have consequences.
When a Christian leader fails us, we can feel shocked and tempted to minimize what happened. Don’t do this. Face the reality of what happened so you can deal with it well.
Remember: You’re in Danger, Too
I used to think, “How could they?” Now I realize that all of us are capable of catastrophic failure (Romans 3:10-12). Every guy, no matter how godly, experiences temptation. In fact, we’re never more in danger than when we think, “It could never happen to me.”
When I hear about a Christian leader failing, I take the opportunity to review my own life. Am I dabbling in sin? Am I allowing unnecessary temptation into my life? Do I need to shore up any of my defenses? Do I have any secrets I need to share with a Christian brother or my wife? I also give my wife permission to ask me tough questions.
We’re all capable of great sin. Christian leaders may face even greater danger because Satan knows how much damage he can cause the Church by drawing leaders into sin.
Don’t look down on those who’ve failed. Instead, examine your own life and realize that if you aren’t vigilant, you are in danger, too (1 Peter 5:8).
We’re all capable of great sin. Christian leaders may face even greater danger because Satan knows how much damage he can cause the Church by drawing leaders into sin.
Pray and Encourage
The sin of a Christian leader often leaves so much damage that it feels like a disaster site. It reminds me of a scene from the news: rescue workers sifting through rubble, looking for survivors. It’s hard to know what to do.
I’ve found two responses helpful.
First, pray. Pray for the leader. Pray for their family. Pray for all those who are wounded and affected. Pray for the church or ministry. Pray for the protection of other pastors and Christian leaders. There are some things only God can do, and so it’s necessary to cry out to Him for His help. God is good at bringing some good from even the worst circumstances (Romans 8:28).
Second, encourage. If there are victims, see what you can do to support and strengthen them. Look for people around you who are discouraged, and tell them you care. I know someone who was planning on leaving their church and finding a new one closer to home. When the pastor failed, that person decided to remain at the church a year longer to encourage others not to give up. I want to be like that. I want to stay when others may be tempted to leave just so I can encourage others not to give up when it’s hard.
Keep Looking to Jesus
I asked someone why they stuck around after a Christian leader failed.
“I didn’t join the church because of that person,” he said. “I joined because this is a church that takes Jesus seriously, and that hasn’t changed.”
His response reminds me of something Robert Murray McCheyne once said:
“For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief! Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in his beams. Feel his all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and repose in his almighty arms.”[1]
People will disappoint us, but Jesus won’t. We can’t afford to put all our trust in people; they will always let us down. But Jesus is unchanging and sinless, and He will stay faithful even when others fail.
A wise Christian leader once said that it takes two years for a church to recover from a leader’s moral failure. Recovery will take some time, and it will be hard.
But be a man who can face what happened, remember you’re in danger, pray and encourage, and keep looking to Jesus.
Christian leaders will sometimes fail. But don’t give up. People may fall, but God is still on His throne, and He can and will bring good out of even the most challenging circumstances.
[1] Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne (Edinburgh, 1894), 293.
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