The Pitfalls of the Pastorate:When Leaders Fail and Fall

The word of the LORD came to me:
“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them:
‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves!
Should not shepherds take care of the flock? - Ezekiel 34:1-2

The past few days have been sobering ones for me personally. I have watched two pastors removed from their positions of leadership, one of whom is nationally well-known. One pastor (the one who is nationally well-known) voluntarily stepped down and is waiting while an outside team investigates the accusations that have been brought against him. Neither one of these men got caught up in sexual immorality, the all-too-common problem that snares so many pastors. I have had great respect for both of these men and have learned valuable lessons from both.

Now it would be easy for me to label these men as "hypocrites" or "false teachers" or "megalomaniacs." I could distance myself from them and their problems and think, "Well, that could never happen to me!" But I have seen too many men get caught in traps and I know too much of the sin in my own heart to take such an arrogant and foolosh position. The truth os the matter is that we are all sinful people. In the words of the great hymn, "Come, Thou Fount," we are all "prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love." And so we all need to be praying, "Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above."

One thing both of these men had in common is that they were both in positions without real, solid accountability. They were at the top of organizational structures that had either weak or non-existent ways of holding them truly accountable and under authority. A "top-down" hierarchical church structure is neither Biblical nor wise. The problems of the Roman Catholic Church over the years reveal the weaknesses of hierarchy, of having one man at the top. 

The Presbyterian form of church government is not only more Biblical, but it is also more prudent. We have connections and accountability both in the local church and between churches.  There is no earthly head of the Presbyterian Church; the only Head of the Church is Christ.  When a man is ordained as an elder in the local church, he is ordained to the highest office in the church.  Pastors are subject to the authority of their fellow elders on the Session and to the Presbytery, the regional body of churches.  Beyond the Presbytery level, cases can be referred to the Standing Judicial Committee (SJC).  This system is not perfect- no system filled with human beings can be- but it does work well.  In fact, in the PCA we recently had a well-known pastor held accountable for his actions by the SJC, even after he had been "cleared" by his Presbytery.

I need accountability.  I need to know that if I start abusing my position as pastor and becoming a self-serving shepherd, like the ones condemned in Ezekiel 34, that I'll be called to task, asked to repent and even, if necessary, removed from office.  The church is not centered on the pastor.  The ministry can never be about the man.  A healthy church and an effective, godly pastor must always be focused on Christ.  It is His kingdom we are seeking to advance and His glory we are seeking to magnify.  Structures of accountability help keep ego-driven men (and I can certainly be one of those!) from driving the church to serve their ego instead of Christ.