Blog

Business development and communications for growing businesses.

The Continuing Problem With Restoring Pastors

Posted Jun 5 2010 by Jonathan Brink in , , with 5 Comments

I still love Ted Haggard.

Out of Ur recently posted the announcement that Ted Haggard is starting a church.  And some people are not happy about it. It seems we’re still wrestling with the same problem.  We don’t really know how to restore our leaders.  If Haggard has done one thing it has been to expose the fallacy of our “restoration” process for fallen leaders.

It’s interesting to listen to those sit in positions of power and question what Ted is doing, even calling it stupid.  But what if this is really exposing the tension we have with grace.  If the church (and I know I’m generalizing) has done one thing is ignore the reality of grace.  It’s hard.  We don’t like it.  We hold onto the insane notion that pastors are super people.  And it ends up killing them.  When they fall, it requires years to build them back up.  But when if the reality is that what takes years to build back up is not the pastor, but our willingness to trust?

So I love Ted Haggard because he’s forcing us to wrestling with our own sense of grace.

How do you feel?

{AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Tags:  Categories: , ,

About the Author

Jonathan BrinkI am an business development and communications consultant. I am also the senior editor and publisher for Civitas Press. I recently published, Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole, New Christianity. (Civitas, 2011)View all posts by Jonathan Brink →

  • Pingback: Two Guys Walk Into A Church « Jonathan Brink

  • http://www.calacirian.org sonja n a

    I love this sentence, “But what if this is really exposing the tension we have with grace. “

    I think that's hitting it spot on. I have a dear friend who was a youth pastor and fell from grace as they say. He did something stupid … had an intimate relationship with one of his students. He left that position and moved to CA. Where God privately convicted him of his sin. He confessed to his (new) church leadership and his wife. He got on a plane and flew back to the old church where he confessed. Then he went to the DA's office (without counsel present) and confessed to his crime — having a relationship with a minor. He spent a year in prison and 5 years on probation. Because of the way VA has changed it's sex offender laws he has now been permanently branded as a sex offender by the state. However, his marriage has remained intact. He has completed all counseling and then some. He has repented and repented and repented. He is a thoroughly changed and renewed man.

    BUT …

    He cannot find a church. Not a church where he will be hired. Just a church where he and his family can worship together in peace. Sooner or later his story gets out. Someone else flips out and they become nomads again. He has more or less thoroughly given up on the idea of ever being in any kind of ministry ever again. The best he can ever hope for is to be some kind of ad hoc consultant … which is a shame because he's got a rich and varied background that any church would be richer for having in its midst. But no one will have him. It's been over ten years now and he is still wearing an invisible scarlet S where ever he goes. It really is the modern version of leprosy.

  • http://www.calacirian.org sonja n a

    I love this sentence, “But what if this is really exposing the tension we have with grace. “

    I think that's hitting it spot on. I have a dear friend who was a youth pastor and fell from grace as they say. He did something stupid … had an intimate relationship with one of his students. He left that position and moved to CA. Where God privately convicted him of his sin. He confessed to his (new) church leadership and his wife. He got on a plane and flew back to the old church where he confessed. Then he went to the DA's office (without counsel present) and confessed to his crime — having a relationship with a minor. He spent a year in prison and 5 years on probation. Because of the way VA has changed it's sex offender laws he has now been permanently branded as a sex offender by the state. However, his marriage has remained intact. He has completed all counseling and then some. He has repented and repented and repented. He is a thoroughly changed and renewed man.

    BUT …

    He cannot find a church. Not a church where he will be hired. Just a church where he and his family can worship together in peace. Sooner or later his story gets out. Someone else flips out and they become nomads again. He has more or less thoroughly given up on the idea of ever being in any kind of ministry ever again. The best he can ever hope for is to be some kind of ad hoc consultant … which is a shame because he's got a rich and varied background that any church would be richer for having in its midst. But no one will have him. It's been over ten years now and he is still wearing an invisible scarlet S where ever he goes. It really is the modern version of leprosy.

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Sonja, that is a sad and troubling story. I wonder if the tension behind it is our wanting not to seem like we're validating the original act through grace. It becomes easier just to shun than stand in the tension.

  • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

    Sonja, that is a sad and troubling story. I wonder if the tension behind it is our wanting not to seem like we're validating the original act through grace. It becomes easier just to shun than stand in the tension.

Business development and communications for growing businesses.