There are few moments more disorienting, discouraging, and difficult to unravel than when a trusted Church leader reveals or, worse, is exposed for a glaring misconduct or breach of character. The hypocrisy seems to stain our souls in a way that other mistakes and sins do not. While this confusion and sorrow are not new to our time, the globalization of the Church, the media, and social networks has created an echo chamber where it feels all too devastatingly common to hear of spiritual leaders who have succumbed to the shadows of sin, to a moral or ethical failure.
Some of you reading this may have attended a church where a spiritual leader had to resign or leave their post. We grieve with you over the loss, pain, and betrayal you felt or may still feel. Many of you have likely heard of churches where similar events have occurred. So, how should we, as believers, approach this reality?
We begin by understanding that this is often an incredibly nuanced and emotionally charged conversation. It would be folly to attempt to outline a one-size-fits-all kind of response, a type of silver bullet solution. The very nature of pastoral leadership demands a person-by-person type of nurturing, so it is only natural that in the face of the fracturing of these bonds, the response and hopeful healing of the people involved would also be person-by-person.
There are, however, a few similarities in a Scripture-saturated response that we can cling to, finding some guidance and direction through the fog and the darkness. These similarities can anchor us in truths that transcend our circumstances, truths that have long sustained God’s people when the walls around them seem to be crumbling.
First, we acknowledge that in the face of such disappointment and devastation, God invites us to walk with Him and to grieve and process honestly. God is no stranger to lament, as is evident throughout the Psalms (Psalm 13; Psalm 42), and He desires to comfort the afflicted and to lift up the heavy-laden. Scripture says that He draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). We will likely not move past what we are unable or unwilling to grieve, so before stepping into more practical responses, a good starting guardrail is to sit with God in the suffering and the struggle.
One of the tensions that keeps us from turning to God with our vulnerability in these moments is that we naturally associate church leaders with God’s authoritative representation on Earth. And there is some merit to this being God’s intention, in that He invites and, in fact, charges church leaders to lead, guide, and shepherd the people of God. Therefore, when a church leader falls, we can quickly look beyond the leader and cast blame on God, letting the seeds of broken trust ripen into a sour fruit of distancing ourselves from intimacy with the Almighty.
However, it is important to acknowledge the Scriptural truth that while under-shepherds may fail, the Chief Shepherd never will. Pastors, churches, and spiritual leaders will come and go, both in every church and in every generation. Some will step out due to moral failure and falling, some to old age, some to a shifting vocation, or a wide variety of other reasons. But there is one Shepherd who will never change. Will never fall. Will never stumble or shift His attention elsewhere. Jesus is committed to building His Church, of which He is the head. He is committed to loving and adoring His bride, to presenting her as blameless and pure before the Father at the culmination of time.
Because of Jesus’s stability, we can remain tethered to God even in the midst of chaotic circumstances surrounding the fall of a church leader. This stability doesn’t paper over the pain, disappointment, or processing, but it does give a source of security that will remain true as we walk through the wreckage of a fallen church leader.
A third Scriptural truth that helps guard our hearts in these circumstances is that justice, the consequences, and judgment belong to the Lord. While this may sound trite in the face of real pain or abuse, this truth can free us from making revenge or retribution our mission. This does not mean that reparations or restorative actions are improper. Entrusting justice to God is not an excuse to forego the wisdom of taking practical steps for healing, setting up good accountability measures for future leaders, or rightly handling the resulting consequences, both for the leader and the church at large, with grace and truth.
This Scriptural guardrail does, however, release us from having to balance the scales of justice in such a way that there is a kind of equilibrium between the depth of our pain and suffering and the depth of consequence for the fallen leader. In truth, we are terrible judges, quick to desire mercy for ourselves but equally quick to condemn others. A great burden can be released in our hearts when we acknowledge that God will judge these circumstances as He best sees fit, and that no sin will go unpunished before His throne. So we can proceed practically with truth and grace, finding peace in the knowledge that the final verdict is not ours to administer.
The last Scriptural truth to hold to in the face of such difficult circumstances is that the local Church is still, and always will be, God’s primary plan for our sanctification. One of the most devastating realities of church leaders falling is that people are often tempted, justifiably so, to drift away from the local church altogether. That is where the real danger lies.
This does not imply that believers must choose to stay at the exact local church where a leader has fallen. It does not mean that believers must continue to serve in the local church in the same ways. And yet, participating in some format of an in-person local church must remain a priority for believers. While we might feel betrayal, pain, or confusion, a healthy local church is meant to be a key source of comfort, solace, and community in what can be a very isolating time (Galatians 6:2).
Because the local church is meant to sanctify us, continued participation in the gathering of God’s people will also challenge our tendency to let these difficult circumstances become our consuming narrative. We will be stretched to choose hope over despair, to forgive rather than to foster hate or bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), and to fight for a renewed trust in God’s provision, faithfulness, and leading in the face of human shortcomings.
By the grace and mercy of God, would a fallen leader not lead us to fall out of the church completely. The disorientation and discouragement may feel overwhelming, but these four Scriptural guardrails can help provide some guidance through the fog and darkness: God is near to the brokenhearted, so draw near to Him honestly. Jesus, as the true leader of the Church, will never fail. Justice belongs to the Lord, and the local church is still the primary plan for our sanctification. Rather than running away from church, would we run towards the only One who can truly offer us this promise: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
