Drunken minister?

Question

So, I met this dude that had recently been in jail. I had talked to him for a while and, to make a long story short, he is a minister at a local church and has been arrested numerous times (has been to prison, even) and the people at his church keep accepting him back as their minister. Assuming he wasn't just blowing smoke up my a$$, are the people who run church, in general, that leniant with people like that? All of his charges were mostly DUI related, but if it had been someone with a non-church related job, I'm sure they would have taken disciplinary action, perhaps even termination.
So tell me, is this something that normally happens in the church under circumstances like these?

Answer 1

No it is not normal cirumstances. And if all this is true this person is under some physical and spiritual bondages and should not in any way be in a place of spiritual leadership or in the ministry at all.
How can he help someone be freed from sin and the powers
of sin and Satan when he himself is bound? Like the Bible
says how can the blind lead the blind?
The church he attends is a sham there is no telling what all goes on with those people I tend to think maybe its one of those Ma & Pa gonna start a church thing.

Answer 2

Most Christian Churches would not put up with it from a Pastor, as a matter of fact the first time it happened would have been the last (unless in the case of a one time thing like wife died, child died-something like that-that can be forgiven for anyone even a Pastor).

On the other hand too many people look at a Pastor and think we are better or should be better than everyone else, and people forget we are only human too..

We live and minister in the Philippines now for the past 3 years and it is so hard here to make people understand we are only humans and we have no special rights to drink, commit adutery or any other sin.

(If) he is a Pastor (I doubt it) he does not deserve the title.

Answer 3

Dear One Amon,

First let me say that any true church follows God, and God's standards are very clear in the Bible. The Bible teaches in 1 Timothy that pastors (ministers) are to be sober. The Bible teaches in Ephesians that Christians are to be filled with the Spirit and not drunk (it does not mean that a Christian can not drink, but he is not to be drunk and let alcohol be the solution for his problems). So if that's the standard for a Christian- how much more should that be expected from a minister?

In most churches there are checks and balances. Most pastors before they are even hired go through thorough background checks and are interviewed by a board. Pastors are also at-will employed and especially such behavior would not only tarnish the reputation of the church (i mean who wants to go to a church that conducts itself in such a manner?) but more importantly teach untruth about God. I mean for the members of that church to tolerate that- they're saying hey God is cool with a minister being drunk (whatever people's personal beliefs are- that is far beyond what a normative expectation for a pastor/minister should be.

It's not a normative practice to allow the behavior you described above in a church.

I'm sharing this as a long time youth worker, and as a youth/college Pastor.

Kindly,

Nickster

Answer 4

No, this man is not lead by the spirit of God nor does he retain his word. He is like yeast and he must be removed until he can get his mind together, the church is in danger. There is a reason why he drinks, it is something going on with him that only God can fix. Christ loves the church and he would not allow that to go on ...pray about it ...pray for him...this is not normal.It is a scripture in the word that says a pastors conduct should be flawless,he should set and example and be a good leader. Some people choose to keep things the way they are because of their comfort zone, and in the process destroy not only their lives but others. They do not want Gods true word,apparently they just want to act like they do.So if this is true and he told you this he is in his own comfort zone and he does not have to answer to them, but he has sinned against God and him only for misguiding his people.

Answer 5

My old church kept covering up a preachers sins for 20yrs.
We finally found out about it & rented our own church building & left the other church full of a bunch of bitter old greedy sinners!
He was imbezzling church funds & also defrauding the gov.& leading other churches to believe he needed a new church building,on his web site!He kept all the money they sent!They thought the church burned down,but it was only a small fire at the parsonage & was repaired by the men in the church.
This is wh7y alot of ppl today do not believe in God.The devil uses men like this to turn them away from what is right & true.

Answer 6

Unlike most professions, you don't need a license to say you're a minister. All you need is a diploma from the address on the matchbook cover, a large bible, and a few gullible folks to listen to you, and voila! You're a religion!

Having said that, I seriously doubt any minister of a mainstream Protestant faith would be allowed to keep his job if he had a drinking problem. So as you say, he was blowing smoke.

Answer 7

Hey, if the likes of Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart and Benny Hinn can become prominent, highly paid preachers there's no reason why a chronic drunk can't become a minister at a neighborhood church.

Answer 8

Once, maybe, but with certain conditions. Repeatedly, no. The church should continue to offer to help this person but to accept him back as the spiritual leader is not acceptable.

Answer 9

Yes.

Most church-goers are very forgiving. A business must protect their image to keep customers both happy and their sales growing.

A church doesn't have customers. Forgiving is how they keep a positive attitude. That is their way of keeping everyone happy.

Answer 10

Roughly half of the Protestant denominations have no church structure, which is to say there is no authority above the members of the congregation. So, they can do what they please. They could hire me to burp into a mic for 45 minutes.