Clergy misconduct

The news this morning reported a minister in a well-known megachurch has been arrested in an on-line sex sting. This minister thought he was talking to a young girl and drove to a location to meet her. According to the news report the on-line discussion was sexual and inappropriate.

After reading the report I was deeply grieved for the minister, for his family, and for the church he had been serving. I prayed for each one. I also prayed for the persons who will read this story and believe their misconceptions about the Christian faith are true. Every case of this nature has the potential to turn people away from Jesus Christ, and unfortunately, we hear of too many such cases today.

According to one study, approximately 30 percent of clergy persons reported they had been involved in inappropriate conduct with a member of their congregation. That is a staggering number, but it is possible that it is low. Some would never admit they were guilty of such behavior to themselves much less to someone else.

I encourage the readers of this blog to put measures in place to prevent misconduct from destroying your family, your life, your ministry, and the lives of others who would be affected by such behavior. Some judicatories offer workshops to help their clergy develop safeguards in their lives to help prevent such misconduct. I would recommend that you read Karen McClintock's book Preventing Sexual Abuse in Congregations. It is an excellent book that warns of potential situations in a church that could lead to abuse. It also puts the responsibility for the misconduct squarely on the person who is responsible: the clergyperson.

Too often clergy caught in such misconduct try to blame the other person. As the leader, the person in authority, it is your responsibility to avoid the potential for misconduct. Blaming the other person makes them a victim a second time.

Bivocational ministers are no different than other ministers. In this life we are all tempted at times to do things we know we should not do. Be very careful about ever thinking that you could not be tempted. The old cliche is true: There but for the grace of God go I. Let's pray for one another that we all might be strong. Let's pursue holiness in all areas of our lives, and when we fail in some area, let us be quick to pray for God's forgiveness. Finally, let's make sure we've put safeguards in our lives to help us protect ourselves from the temptations that will come.