And again, trust is a key word in these situations. I do believe 100% that Jesus himself would tell you to forgive someone in any given situation but you would be a fool to trust them with your money/wife/children again at least without major modifications to the previous situation.
I do believe that in the smaller house church setting it would be much harder to commit certain crimes/sins in the first place since there simply is not nearly as many opportunities to hide things. It would be much easier for a pastor to embezzle money in a church of 300 or more with a classic business structure then a group of 12 in a someones home.
And again, trust is a key word in these situations. I do believe 100% that Jesus himself would tell you to forgive someone in any given situation but you would be a fool to trust them with your money/wife/children again at least without major modifications to the previous situation.
The Bible tells us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Meaning that God never takes one's gifts or calling away. What do we do when faced with a man/woman who has fallen, is repentant, and who is indeed gifted and called of God? Do we override God's calling... or do we set standards for full reconciliation?
I like the idea of having the fallen individual "sit down" from any position for a set time, for example a year. During that time he should focus on rededication, re-consecration, healing, and the healing of his/her family. Should the outcome of this process be a positive one, the man should be incrementally restored to ministry over a years time. Allow him to open a few meetings. Then allow him to share the Word in a few meetings. Guage the way the body receives him. If he's received eventually allow him restored to an official position such as an associate pastor. Then hold a vote. If the body restores him fully, the body has spoken. If not. Allow him to remain an associate pastor and appoint an official senior pastor. Should another church vote the associate pastor in as their official pastor... that is that body's choice. Their body has spoken.
I don't believe one's restoration should be an arbitrary process based on the personal "feelings" of any one man. I believe a system of restoration should be in place to allow the fallen one to be restored to "ministry". Allow the body itself at that point choose to appoint "office".
There is one thing about this that concerns me. This pastor's sin was committed over ten years ago, am I right? What about the subsequent ten years? Was it faithful ministry? Would that that in itself prove his loyalty to the body, repentance, and change of heart? I think it would be best to allow the body to vote as to if they want to keep him as official pastor or sit him down and begin the restoration process. Now, I know he voluntarily sat down. I can respect that. But what if someone chooses to pressure a pastor for political reasons, using a private sin from his past to destroy his ministry?
I think every minister, pastor, and saint has had a private failing that could be used to destroy them and their reputation politically. Should something from ten years ago be a factor on the present?
The Bible tells us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Meaning that God never takes one's gifts or calling away. What do we do when faced with a man/woman who has fallen, is repentant, and who is indeed gifted and called of God? Do we override God's calling... or do we set standards for full reconciliation?
I like the idea of having the fallen individual "sit down" from any position for a set time, for example a year. During that time he should focus on rededication, re-consecration, healing, and the healing of his/her family. Should the outcome of this process be a positive one, the man should be incrementally restored to ministry over a years time. Allow him to open a few meetings. Then allow him to share the Word in a few meetings. Guage the way the body receives him. If he's received eventually allow him restored to an official position such as an associate pastor. Then hold a vote. If the body restores him fully, the body has spoken. If not. Allow him to remain an associate pastor and appoint an official senior pastor. Should another church vote the associate pastor in as their official pastor... that is that body's choice. Their body has spoken.
I don't believe one's restoration should be an arbitrary process based on the personal "feelings" of any one man. I believe a system of restoration should be in place to allow the fallen one to be restored to "ministry". Allow the body itself at that point choose to appoint "office".
Thoughts?
Here are my thoughts:
1) It would be a group decision with no one person making a proclimation that this man is now restored.
2) It would indeed take quite a while, year(s) in fact.
3) There should be red flags during the process if the man in questions seems overly anxious to get back to his former position. His willingness to be patient and allow others to regain their trust in him is ALL important and in fact is the ultimate final exam.
I think every minister, pastor, and saint has had a private failing that could be used to destroy them and their reputation politically. Should something from ten years ago be a factor on the present?
Maybe not, I don't know.
But if I was an officer in his congregation and he told me to delete my facebook profile because it "might" lead me to adultery, and then I found out that he has a past of threesomes with church officers, it wouldn't feel like something "in the past". That's just my thoughts and I'm not a member of his church so what I think doesn't really matter. lol
1) It would be a group decision with no one person making a proclimation that this man is now restored.
2) It would indeed take quite a while, year(s) in fact.
3) There should be red flags during the process if the man in questions seems overly anxious to get back to his former position. His willingness to be patient and allow others to regain their trust in him is ALL important and in fact is the ultimate final exam.
How can he be patient, when he's got a calling?
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Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
The Bible tells us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Meaning that God never takes one's gifts or calling away. What do we do when faced with a man/woman who has fallen, is repentant, and who is indeed gifted and called of God? Do we override God's calling... or do we set standards for full reconciliation?
I like the idea of having the fallen individual "sit down" from any position for a set time, for example a year. During that time he should focus on rededication, re-consecration, healing, and the healing of his/her family. Should the outcome of this process be a positive one, the man should be incrementally restored to ministry over a years time. Allow him to open a few meetings. Then allow him to share the Word in a few meetings. Guage the way the body receives him. If he's received eventually allow him restored to an official position such as an associate pastor. Then hold a vote. If the body restores him fully, the body has spoken. If not. Allow him to remain an associate pastor and appoint an official senior pastor. Should another church vote the associate pastor in as their official pastor... that is that body's choice. Their body has spoken.
I don't believe one's restoration should be an arbitrary process based on the personal "feelings" of any one man. I believe a system of restoration should be in place to allow the fallen one to be restored to "ministry". Allow the body itself at that point choose to appoint "office".
Thoughts?
This seems reasonable, though I doubt very much if I would ever trust a man who had risen to such high levels of leadership then engaged in such damaging, destructive, and grossly immoral behavior with other members of the church staff.
If someone else want's to do that, I would recommend a long, slow process.
As for his calling, he can continue to follow that as a Christian, witnessing to and caring for as many as he wants. Leading large bodies of people, however, requires greater strength and consistency.
The Bible tells us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Meaning that God never takes one's gifts or calling away. What do we do when faced with a man/woman who has fallen, is repentant, and who is indeed gifted and called of God? Do we override God's calling... or do we set standards for full reconciliation?
I like the idea of having the fallen individual "sit down" from any position for a set time, for example a year. During that time he should focus on rededication, re-consecration, healing, and the healing of his/her family. Should the outcome of this process be a positive one, the man should be incrementally restored to ministry over a years time. Allow him to open a few meetings. Then allow him to share the Word in a few meetings. Guage the way the body receives him. If he's received eventually allow him restored to an official position such as an associate pastor. Then hold a vote. If the body restores him fully, the body has spoken. If not. Allow him to remain an associate pastor and appoint an official senior pastor. Should another church vote the associate pastor in as their official pastor... that is that body's choice. Their body has spoken.
I don't believe one's restoration should be an arbitrary process based on the personal "feelings" of any one man. I believe a system of restoration should be in place to allow the fallen one to be restored to "ministry". Allow the body itself at that point choose to appoint "office".
Thoughts?
Good word.
I agree that a system should be in place like this...There are some cases that it might take years, if at all. They should be in place and under the operation of the Spirit of God and those that are spiritual...
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