LET'S US PRAY FOR AND NOT TALK AGAINST OUR LEADERS !


  1. Galatians 6:1
    Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Every time we turn around it seems that there is a new crisis facing the Church that erodes or reflects poorly on the values,
standards, and integrity of Christians and especially leaders in the
Church. Embezzlement,
mismanagement of funds, a televangelist caught in unbecoming activity, a
high
profile divorce. It seems that the accounts are never-ending. Is it
any
wonder that recent reports by the Barna research team indicate that
there is
little behavioral difference between church-goers and non church goers
across America. Why are divorces among leaders so frequent? Why do so
many clergy leaders fail
morally? What’s going on? More importantly, how do we respond?







In response to current events, a lot of people have responded with a “holier than thou” attitude . Evangelicals who fall prey to this trap are not only
misguided, but, in fact, miss the
opportunity to examine the true nature of the Church and a Godly response to
failure. This crisis is not something that is unique OR NEW.
Discarding all the powerful ministry in the name of Christ that is done by
thousands of preachers each day is equally offensive to God as the sins committed
by a few hiding behind the Church’s robes.[2]
The sad effect is the way in which many people think less of the vital ministry
of many Church leaders because of the behavior of a few.




Actually, this is a wonderful opportunity to personally examine attitudes and approaches to dealing with public failure when you are confronted with it. The bad
news about the current
crisis is that it further undermines credibility in Christianity and especially
in leaders. How much more can the Church in America take? When will the Church
lose so much respect that it will simply crumble? The good news is that the
Church will never crumble. After all, it is not “our” Church, it is not “our”
faith. It is God’s Church. It was created by Him, and although He has
entrusted it to imperfect leaders, He will not abandon it nor allow it to fail
in its mission.




The headlines cause deep questioning regarding who or what the Church is. To some it is synonymous with the denominations we have created to give order to
ministry. Yet in reality it
is not an institution. It is an organism that reflects the character and
priorities of God. To the extent that denominational church structures
understand and fulfill that call they embody the Church among their people.
The failure of leaders within the Church, while grievous and painful, does not
mean the failure of the Church itself. Don’t assume that failure in one means
failure in the other.




How should we then respond when this kind of crisis comes? One option is to conclude that the Church is bad because some of the leaders have failed. A more
appropriate response is to
recognize the pervasive, insidious effects of sinful nature and the threat it
is to us all – lay and clergy alike. With that starting point, The
two pillars that must always accompany such traumatic crises are confession
and repentance.




Though it is painful and
usually not politically correct, confession is the first step in being truly
Christian.

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Comment by Marie Rose on September 28, 2010 at 2:48pm
Amen and Amen
Comment by ELDER JONES GREEN on September 28, 2010 at 9:30am

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