When Christian Leaders Fail

Perhaps the most striking lesson in recent events is that sin can slip into our lives, growing, evolving, and leading us down pathways which are harmful to everyone involved. Failed Christian leaders often comment that they never thought it would happen to them, or that they never intended things to go as far as they did. As it turns out, we can’t put a leash around sin. Sin isn’t something which can be managed and controlled. It blinds us with the allure of stolen life. In recent years we have witnessed  that this type of brokenness can happen to anyone – even people we highly respect.

Who then can be saved? This was the question asked to Jesus in Matthew 19:25 after he gave his own bleak outlook of humanity. His answer deserves as much attention today as it did when he first spoke it: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (v. 26). Though this answer may feel outdated, overused, or cliché, the reality is that we have no other answer. We need no other answer. God is enough. God’s desire for us is for wholeness. When we fail, we need God’s spirit to convict us. We need to repent, find forgiveness, and empowered by God’s spirit, be restored to the wholeness for which we were created. We also need the body of Christ to hold us accountable to our commitments and to help us grow in grace into the people God calls us to be.

It should be clear that our leaders are not saviors. Only Jesus lived a perfect life, and only Jesus is able to save us. It follows then, that God uses imperfect or even horribly flawed people who accomplish his purposes. We see this throughout Scripture, and we continue to experience it today.

Paul has much to say about this in the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians. While it may be true in one sense that certain Christian influencers do much for our faith, it often leaves us feeling plundered or hollowed out when our heroes fall. The bigger picture is that God is the One who gives growth, not Christian leaders (1 Cor. 3:6). This is why Paul himself depended on God for ministry, “so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Cor. 2:5) Because of this, our faith is never invalidated when the messenger lets us down. “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9).

So what are we supposed to do with our feelings? We can present those feelings before God through prayer and lean into that rock-solid stability only God can provide. In that place, recommit your life to trust in God alone. Invite the Holy Spirit into your time processing those feelings. Work them out further with brothers and sisters in the faith. The result can be an opportunity to grow your faith in new ways.

This can be a difficult question to answer because there are so many factors to weigh against wisdom and how they relate to our Christian convictions of grace and truth. In fact, Paul and Barnabas parted ways because they couldn’t reach an agreement about reinstating Mark as a missionary partner after he abandoned them in their previous journey! (See Acts 15:36-40).

As we think through this, it helps to remember that God only uses flawed people (because all people are flawed). We also must recognize that even after King David’s sex scandal with Bathsheba and her husband (a sin that he never even owned for himself until he was exposed by Nathan!), David continued to reign as God’s King over His chosen people of Israel (See 1 Sam. 11-12, Ps. 51). Granted, David was severely punished, and deeply repentant (something we don’t always see in our leaders). But this goes to show that God’s grace often extends farther than we may expect.

On the other hand, we know that Jesus raised the bar very high for discipleship, and Paul gave certain qualifications for leaders (See 1 Timothy and Titus). Many leadership failures also involve victims, and they too must be considered, both for their healing process and for their safety. Though the body of Christ must always extend the grace of God, that may not mean reinstating the fallen leader back to a similar position. 

Fallen leaders must be held accountable. Repentant leaders need forgiveness and the opportunity that all of us need – to be restored to the wholeness for which we were created. After restoration, spiritual discernment is needed to determine whether a leader may be restored to a position of leadership. The process of restoration can take time and requires wisdom on the part of everyone involved. In many situations there are no easy answers or norms, apart from the grace and truth that God offers through Christ Jesus.