Another Pastoral Failure

The sheep will spend its whole life fearing the wolf, only to be eaten by the shepherd. -Something I heard on the internet.

One of the models of good preaching assigned to us as undergraduates was the expository word spoken by Pastor Dr. Tony Evans. He spoke so easily, so passionately, so eloquently. Surely I could never preach as well as he could, but I could be inspired by him.

So, it was all the more disappointing to hear that he was stepping away from his pastoral duties for a “sin” issue he had committed years ago.

I remember the first time I saw Robert Morris preaching as well. The church I was in was using some of his teaching on generosity. People admired him, and his perfectly swooped hair.

He, too, has been found to be committing nasty and illegal sins.  

I am glad they have been found out. Years of hiding sins causes ministries to be built on a foundation of sand. Repentance is necessary so everyone can heal.

I am weary of the regular appearance of another pastor and their moral failings. As a pastor myself, it makes me feel as though my job is constantly getting harder. People are less likely to see me as someone trustworthy, but more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. There are guards up against the religious establishment, and it is hard to blame people with all the bad news circulating.

It is very bad what these pastors are doing and I don’t want to minimize it in any way. I think it not trivial, however, to think through the many valuable lessons that organizations of every kind can learn from moral failings like these, so that they might regain trust of the community and keep leaders from wrong.

5 Lessons to Guard Against Failure

1. Accountability structures are not optional.

   Accountability structures use a community of boards and advisors and other relationships to guide leader and community behavior and guard against the misuse of power. This is a basic organizational check and balance to keep organizational leaders on track.

2. Leaders, and all people, should hold themselves to high bars of personal integrity.

   Maybe this one should have been first. Outside of the checks and balances that an organization should have in place to guard against failure in it’s leaders, leaders themselves should come into such a position of authority with an already high bar for personal integrity. People are placing a lot of trust in the leader. Therefore, a leader should be a high character individual with a long track record of being an upstanding individual.

3. Rhythms of self-care are super important.

   One of the reasons I hear often from pastors on why they struggle in ministry to remain focused on the mission is due to the unhealth they carry from the stress of the position. If we desire to be good leaders, or even just good members in our sphere of influence, we need to make sure we are healthy. Eat well, sleep well, hydrate, get time away, and be with friends.

4. Choose to be transparent.

   By making the choice to be consistently transparent, it reduces the opportunities you have to withhold a dark secret.

5. When you do mess up, show humility and be repentant.

   As much as we hate to admit it, we do not always lead well in every situation. Sure, maybe you will never do something to the level of some of these pastors, but you will roll your eyes or speak in a demeaning tone or make a wrong directional decision. In those moments, it is good to practice humility and repent. This builds character in you and trust with that other person, which is worth more than it’s weight in gold.

In Other News… Happy Independence Day!

Here’s a video of Zuck riding a wakeboard with an American flag. LOL!