Keep The Faith magazine - Britain's leading publication about Black faith

“We may not be able to prevent incidents of moral failure amongst ministers, but we can demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to taking the strongest possible actions in dealing with individuals who fall short of God’s standards for their lives”

DOING THE RIGHT THING

Rev David Shosanya shares why churches should follow biblical guidelines on resolving conflicts and dealing with Christian leaders who fail to live up to biblical standards  
My reading of the Bible suggests that there are prescribed ways for how the Church - its leaders and members alike - should respond in certain situations where discipline is required, especially when it relates to the conduct of an ordained minister of the Gospel.
For example, Matthew 16 sets out a methodology for resolving conflicts that may exist between individuals. The writer initially recommends a personal approach, with a resolution being sought between the two parties themselves. In the event of that failing, the reader is advised to seek out a trusted person within the community and invite them to accompany them when they approach the person for a second time. If that course of action is also unsuccessful, the reader is advised to take the matter to the church, and to draw on the collective wisdom of the community. If the offended party refuses to accept the interventions and pleas of the community, the instruction is to excommunicate the individual concerned.

On the surface, this course of action may appear drastic. However, the writer is cognizant of the fact that a failure to confront situations and collude will ultimately lead to the situation being worse than if remedial action had been taken at an earlier stage. The exhortation to excommunicate the stubborn individual is therefore a call to exercise moral courage in the face of defiance.
In circumstances where the misdemeanour is more serious, it seems to me that the Bible is even more stringent and prescriptive in the course of actions it recommends. An example of this is where the Apostle Paul encourages the Corinthian Christians to act with courage in excommunicating a male member of the congregation who is sleeping with his father’s wife (Chapter 5). Again, the message is one of exercising moral courage in the face of defiance.

An even higher standard of moral excellence seems to be expected of Christian leaders. Paul offers Timothy comprehensive and stringent guidelines that should be considered when an individual is being considered for leadership in Christian ministry (1 Timothy 3). The implication is that the leader’s life should not only be different but exemplary.

Given the fallout that ensues, it is this imperative - for the leader’s life to be exemplary - and the specific commitments taken by leaders at the outset of their ministries to seek to pursue a life of holiness, which make it all the more important, that wherever and whenever leaders succumb to common human temptations and fall into sin, swift remedial action is taken to put measures in place to remove the minister from ministry.  This action is taken not as a punishment, but as protection for him or herself, and to preserve the integrity of the church in the eyes of the world.

We may not be able to prevent incidents of moral failure amongst ministers, but we can demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to taking the strongest possible actions in dealing with individuals who fall short of God’s standards for their lives and, in some cases, the law of the land. This is particularly true when issues of exploitation of minors and vulnerable adults are being considered.

So why is it the case that church leaders and congregations are often slow in appropriating biblical prescriptions about how discipline is to be exercised when a leader falls into sin?

It may appear that I am barking up the wrong tree in seeking to offer reflections on how the church responds when a leader falls, by making reference to the current allegations about the scandal concerning mobile phone hacking. One might ask, ‘What does phone hacking have to do with stories about ministers who fall into sin, and how the Church responds to them? It would be easy to conclude that there is no link, possibly a tenuous one if stretched, between the two scenarios. I would suggest otherwise, and offer three observations.

Firstly, both sets of circumstances betray the fact that there are individuals within their respective professions who fail to take seriously the codes of conduct – the media code of practice and the Bible - expected of them in their professional practice, and will indiscriminately abuse their position of power and privilege by flagrantly disrespecting the dignity of another human being for personal gain or pleasure.

Secondly, both sets of circumstances are compounded and characterised by a cowardly lack of moral courage, which prevents those who are able to challenge unethical practices or behaviours from speaking for fear of personal loss. In such cases, sadly, self-interest is given a higher precedence than the conviction of the conscience and/or the revelation of Scripture.

Thirdly, both sets of circumstances are indicative of what happens when an individual’s personality and charismatic gifts are given greater precedence than their character. Whether it is an editor commissioning a private investigator to hack phones, or a minister abusing his or her position by exploiting another person, both sets of actions are the concrete expressions of an underdeveloped character and a predisposition to use others. These traits are often known to those individuals closest to the offender.

My prayer is that we would have present within us, as the Church, ‘the fear of the Lord’ that compels us to speak the truth with biblical authority and love, not only to society but also to those within our ranks who need to be challenged about their behaviours that bring the Gospel of Christ into disrepute, irrespective of their function within the body of Christ.

Rev David Shosanya is a Director and Regional Minister with the London Baptist Association