In light of our sermon series on Paul’s vision for the church and recent events in our own city, I would like to discuss how a church can protect their pastors from falling into sin and identify when a pastor may need to step back or be removed. The book of 1 Timothy addresses both these topics: what an elder is to be and how an elder is to be removed.
At the onset, I want to make it clear that the best thing a church can do is pray for their pastors and remember that only the Holy Spirit can sustain anyone, including elders.
First, what is an elder to be, or who can be an elder? Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Notice that an elder is first and foremost part of the congregation, one of the flock, a fellow sinner saved by grace. He is not hired staff nor is he an elite Christian. He is a man who needs friendship and forgiveness just like every other believer. Second, notice that most of the qualifications are in the home and in the public eye, not how he behaves on a Sunday morning. As I said a few weeks ago: Get to know your pastors! Invite them and their families over to your home, to hang out at the park or over coffee, or invite yourself into their home (respectfully of course) so that you can see how they live and so you can better pray for them. Pastoring is lonely work. Just about every one of the sins mentioned are sins that fester without accountability but can be fought more easily with help from loving brothers and sisters.
Finally, notice that elders are called to be with their families. This means that pastors need time to be with their families and must prioritize their wife and kids. When we give John time off from preaching to spend with his family, we are helping him to fulfill these verses. I would add that one of the best ways to encourage a pastor is to show kindness and patience to his wife and children. When a pastor’s wife and kids feel the love of the church instead of being judged and watched by the church, their whole household flourishes. Growing up a pastor’s kid, I saw this first hand. There were seasons where the family drew close to the church and blessings abounded on both sides. Yet there were darker seasons where I saw members who were cruel towards my mother and it effected our home and as a result the church.
But what should we do if we have concerns about a pastor? In 1 Timothy 5:19-21, Paul says, “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.”
Notice that a pastor’s regular struggle with sin should not be publicly displayed. They’re not to be publicly charged by every rumor or word. Pastors struggle with sin and temptation just as all believers do. But if there is suspected unrepentant sin, it should be brought to the attention of the other elders so that two or three witnesses are established (“two or three” means you might not be included and that is a biblical thing). This is to give the elder the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully the matter is a misunderstanding or already being addressed by another brother. The witnesses may need to observe for a short period of time, so this may not be a quick process, but the church should still give a pastor the benefit of the doubt. If the witnesses do find unrepentant sin, then the elder is to be publicly removed from ministry with no partiality. “No partiality” means that tenure, fame, number of books written, number of visitors brought in, or what the newspapers will think are no excuses for sin. There is no “I deserve” or “I have earned” when it comes to sin. Sin that is unrepentant, habitually entrenched (meaning that efforts to fight it have failed repeatedly), or is scandalous/illegal to the world (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-2) disqualify a man from eldership and should result in his removal, not a coverup. Paul established multiple elders in every church to facilitate this removal and to provide someone to take the place of the removed elder. A healthy church has no excuse to hide a disqualified elder from removal, but a healthy church should love their elder and his family too much to allow them to drift into loneliness, temptation, and sin.
Church, love your pastors and their families well. Pray for them and guard their souls just as they pray and guard yours and God’s church will flourish as we obey his design.
Jared Puls