You can read the whole open letter here. It is an interesting read
A Letter to the Church: The Problems of Moral Failure and Misconduct Are Real and Must Be Addressed. Now.
The open letter is an interesting read but it is not without its difficulties. We obviously do not need to be reminded about the ‘failure’ of the church. The news and unbelievers remind us of it on an almost daily basis. But we should be thankful that perfection is not criteria for membership. Sin will always rear its ugly head inside the church for whatever reason it has to exist. If it isn’t a moral failure, then there would be some other sin failure plaguing the church.
Christians should not be traumatized that other Christians sin, especially Christian leaders. They are not immune to temptation or poor judgment. Moses did it when he struck the rock instead of obeying God and speaking to it. Peter did it when he denied Christ 3 times. Yet, instead of condemning those who make mistakes, the church should be spiritually ready to handle these problems.
The world says, ‘two wrongs do not make a right’ and scripture says, ‘do not return evil for evil’. So when sin happens in the church, we need to respond in a truly Christian manner.
I regularly receive notes from pastors and church members around the country on how to deal with the moral failures and abuses of so many leaders in the church today.
In answer to their inquiry, the best and first step is always – be honest about it. Nothing good comes by hiding the sin, by spinning it, or by ignoring it. Christians are supposed to be adults, they can handle the issues that arise if they have been taught correctly and have been given the right spiritual food. being honest about those failings helps the different congregations learn God’s way of handling the problem.
We cannot pretend sin does not happen in the church. it does. The unbeliever will bring these episodes up so it is best to not stick one’s head in the sand and just deal with it biblically so the believer can be honest and admit to the unbeliever that the church is not perfect. They may get a seed planting, watering the seed, or an evangelistic moment out of being honest about the condition of the church. After all they say Christians are not perfect, just forgiven– so the Christian should set that example to the unbeliever. This may also give the unbeliever hope that their sins will be forgiven when they repent.
A few quick notes of clarification are needed here: the rash of leaders that we have seen fall within the past year and a half or so have nearly all engaged in moral failure. They have made wrong decisions regarding the proper and biblical way to act as leaders.
The secular world says that ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’, the Bible shows us examples of how leaders do struggle and fall. Even the father of the Israelites, Abraham, lied to protect himself. People will make wrong decisions all the time if they are not strong enough to make the right ones. Those right decisions are hard to make because often, they set the person apart from their friends and has them standing alone. The right decisions also open the person up to criticisms that are often hard to bear.
We need not be judgmental here but understanding, a trait that Solomon told everyone to get in the book of Proverbs. Understanding helps us use wisdom knowledge, justice, and mercy far better than any emotional response could.
But, some have also abused power, which I’ve addressed quite often. There is a difference. It’s important to note this, even though my focus in this article is on how we might respond. YOu see, people are hurting in many churches, and leaders either often don’t know or aren’t responding as they ought to those who have serious questions and concerns.
First, abuse happens,not just in leadership. Different congregations abuse their leaders and pastors, pastors abuse their congregation and the unchurched world abuses both. Someone has to take the step forward and act in a true Christian manner and stop the cycle. That person doesn’t have to be the pastor.
Second, the church is not for perfect people only. It has many functions and has to spiritually feed the people while ministering to their physical and emotional needs. It is a place for hurting people to come. Jesus said ‘come unto me all ye who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest’. Guess who Jesus uses to facilitate that rest? The church people.
Third, sometimes the pastor does not know someone is hurting. The leadership in the church does not operate in a 1984 (novel) fashion. You cannot fault someone for not responding if they are unaware of the problem. Also, the pastoral staff may be to busy handling other problems or issues to get to everyone. That is where the congregation members need to step up and pitch in. It is unrealistic to expect one man to handle all the problems a congregation of 100 people or more.
Expecting the pastor and his staff to do it all, is not a wise move on the part of the congregation. Then, pastoral staff may told by godly people that a problem exists. The pastor may not listen to that person or conduct an improper investigation. This happens but it is more of a specific problem than a general one. It is in this situation where you can say the pastor or his staff failed because they did not respond in the way that God wanted them to.
But one thing is for sure, all the church members must realize that they are art of a spiritual hospital and that many other members need acute care. They need to be prepared both physically and mentally to handle the challenges that come when hurting people, both believers and unbelievers, bring their troubles to Christ through the church.
I am seeing two extremes happening as a response to this continual stream of news: Camp one is placing their proverbial fingers in their ears in denial over the serious and deeply troubling condition of many in the church today and camp two is standing with one foot out the door of the church, ready to shake the dust off their feet and walk out, unable to deal with so much silent sin.
We actually see more as some people in the church are not equipped, have not been taught how or are too spiritually young to handle different problems. We need to be careful that members of the congregation do not go on a witch hunt seeking out sins so the church can appear to be holy. That move is as bad as hiding sin. The church is not about subjective accusations or accusing innocent people.
The author of that article has a list for both the pastoral staff and the congregants, which we will only list the titles here
Dear church leader:
Break the silence.
Clean your own (personal) house first.
Don’t hide from people with hard questions.
Yes, the church should be open about sin in its midst. God was as we see how he separated those who sinned against Moses and Joshua while dealing with them justly. Before that can be done, each member must make sure to remove the beams from their own eyes and make their own calling and election sure before pointing a finger at anyone else. Finally, while this is important, there will be times you do not have an answer and it is okay to say I do not know, or that you will look for an answer. Most pastors do not have answers for all tough questions.
Dear congregation member:
Reach out to your leaders with your questions.
Continually turn to Jesus first
Know that many of us are cheering you on.
Hope
Use a little common sense when you ask questions.Make sure they are actually legitimate, the answer is not right in front of you and not troublesome. Remember that turning to all of the Bible is turning to Jesus. Jesus’ words are not limited to the red letters found in those red-letter editions. His words go from Genesis to Revelation. he could have used a better title for that third point. Very few people, when they are struggling in battle appreciate cheerleaders. If you watch sports, you will notice that the players on the court, field or diamond, etc., are not paying attention to the cheerleaders. They are busy being involved in their struggle and would appreciate a helping hand.
The last one is hard to figure as different people have different visions for their church. The congregation would have to be of one mind to use hope effectively. They would also have to have the truth and hold onto it.
People in the church need a mature view of what is happening inside its walls. That is why Paul said that believers are to grow up and put away childish things. God’s church needs spiritual adults not spiritual children to withstand the evil that invades its space.
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