When Pastors Fall

This past week we got the news again, another pastor has fallen to sexual sin. It is becoming all too frequent these days. And, this time, it hit a little closer to home as it was a preacher that I have personally corresponded with several times over the years and ministry that I was a steady supporter of financially. The news has grieved me for sure.

However, I’m not going to spend my time on this pastor rebuking him, calling out his sin, and putting my two cents in about what should be done. That is for his church and their elders to handle and rightfully so. That is what is biblical.

Instead, I want to focus on some issues within the church itself when things like this happen that I think are a grave situation for us to find ourselves in.

With this week’s announcement we have seen some of the worst behavior of Christians coming out. We have people on a different side of the theological fence literally celebrating the fall of this pastor as if it is some feather in their cap and a win for their theological viewpoint. That is sinful. That should never be the response when a brother falls.

To think that you hate a different viewpoint than yours so much that you find yourself rejoicing because someone has fallen into sin is unfathomable. I do not understand it in the slightest. How dark must a heart be for that to be the response?

The sin of a brother should grieve us as it grieves the Holy Spirit. We should never rejoice in it. Our hope and prayer should be to see the brother restored. Not restored to the pastoral ministry as he would now be disqualified (1 Tim. 3:1-6, Titus 1:6-9), but restored to a fellowship with the family of God and communion with God (Galatians 6:1). This is the proper response.

But that is not the only problem we have seen this week as the news keeps churning. We see a problem of gossip in the church. All over Twitter (or X) we have seen speculation of the “exact nature of” the pastor’s sin. Speculations on all of the salacious details of the inappropriate relationship that were not divulged from the elders of his church. This is wrong. This is sin.

Scripture tells us that we are to think on whatsoever things are pure and lovely and honest (Philippians 4:8). Paul also tells us in Ephesians we are to build up and there is to be no corrupt talk to come out of our mouths (Ephesians 4:29). The Bible also tells us that we are not to be slanderers, literally diabolos. A devil (1 Timothy 3:11). Yet, this is exactly the behavior we are seeing. It is tragic and it is sinful.

Finally, we have a church at large that does not understand the process of church discipline. People seem to think it is “their right” to know all of the details of the sin and are demanding information be made public. But that is not how church discipline works. It is being handled within his local church body and that is the proper place and people to be handling the discipline. Yes, we are to rebuke sin. But openly posting insults and stern “rebukes” on Twitter to a man you have never met is not rebuking a brother. It is being a clanging cymbal. 

Now, on this final point, I too, have sometimes been guilty of that very thing. Social media can be toxic. We need to be careful.

But the point is, while the pastor’s sin is egregious, grave, and disqualifying, the amount of sin being committed by the people who call themselves “Christians” is mounting higher and higher in their responses and ongoing interactions with the news. It is sad, and it is sinful. May the people of God repent and turn towards Christ.