immorality in the church?

Question

I am an associate pastor in a slum area church. I joined the ministry in June last year. Before I joined the ministry, a pastor friend called me from my hometown and told me to be careful with the pastor am joining because he is a known immoral person. I have since received information from various church members concerning his sexual behavior but I always pray and keep the information to myself.

We had a Church Board meeting yesterday in which our pastor suggested we build a small house in the church compound to accommodate a young sister who lost her husband last year. The late husband was a senior deacon of the church. We agreed but when I mentioned it to my wife, she told me that she had received information that our pastor is not only having an affair with the sister, but also her younger sister whom they are staying together. This latest information has shocked me a lot because, besides the sister being a key leader in our worship team, she is also a needy person whom I feel if it is so; the pastor is just taking advantage of her vulnerability.

I am now very confused. What do I do?

Answer 1

The Bible tells you exactly what to do. You go to this pastor privately and tell him that people have notified you of his indiscretions. Ask him how you can help him overcome this sinful behavior. He will either thank you and the two of you can work out a plan of accountability. Or he may deny it. Or he may admit it and refuse to give up the sin. Then you need to go to him with two or three others. If he still refuses to change things, then you & the church board have no choice but to remove him from the pastorate.

Likewise, you should also go to the women whom you know are involved, privately. Tell them you have heard about the affair(s) and offer your services as their pastor in overcoming the sin. And so on.

Many a church has been ruined by allowing sexual immorality to hide in its midst. And don't forget that as a pastor, you have a responsibility to speak the truth and help people overcome their sin.

P.S. Put a stop on that house building project for now.

Answer 2

I would first talk to the pastor and ask him if what has been said about him is true. Also find out from your wife who has actually witnessed that something is going on between these people, so that you're not just accusing without anything to back you up. And I would try to talk directly to the people involved before it goes any further, since if it's not true, you don't want to create problems in the church. If you find that it is true, then I would speak to the church board about it and see what stance they take on it. If the whole church seems to think it's ok for the pastor to live like that, I would begin looking for a new church, and offer support, prayers and leadership to the faithful people in the church you're having issues with.

Answer 3

God, it annoys me when people use "immorality" to mean only that kind of immorality that involves sex. How about greed, dishonesty, cowardice, spiritual pride, anger -- all the really big sins?

Okay, that's off my chest. You need to talk to your pastor and the head of the church board, together, in one room, at the (same time. Even if it isn't true, as the leader of your church, the pastor needs to know what rumors are going around about him. (Unlike a normal situation, where it would be wrong to tell someone rumors about themselves.)

I don't know, though, whether you should have the woman in the meeting or not.

(I must say, it seems odd for a church to build a house for someone. Think of the precedent you're setting.)

Answer 4

i don't know very much about the structure of the church but i assume you have someone that is above you. perhaps you could speak to the person that oversees you and the immoral pastor so they are aware of it. it would be bad for church funds to be spend on a woman only because she is having an affair with the pastor. don't just leave, that won't achieve anything and the pastor will continue to get away with his bad behaviour. definitely go to someone more senior and discuss this with them. that's all you can do really.

Answer 5

Why not try actually reading the Bible???? How can you be a "pastor" and ignore what the Bible says?


"I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1Cor 5:11-13

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1Cor 6:9,10

Matthew 18:
15 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault,
just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along,
so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;
and if he refuses to listen even to the church,
treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Answer 6

Moral degradation in ecclesiastical organizations in particular, and in society in general, is a natural effect of spiritual philosophies not grounded on the complete understanding of the Truth. As mankind's understanding of the material world continuously evolves and progresses, the revealed knowledge naturally increases in depth and extent. This increment in the revealed knowledge should have motivated our Elders to expand the understanding of the Spiritual Realm, and consequently the attendant Spiritual Philosophy. Tragically, this has never happened. A wide gap, and thereby a dangerous Imbalance, between Science and Religion ensued, paving the way for a catastrophic correction that may happen sooner than later. As the old Adage eloquently expresses it, "We always reap the Fruits of the Seeds we sow."

Blessings,
Bob V.

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great" - Rev. 18:2

Answer 7

You are not alone!
The church in Corinth was fuill of the Holy spirit and they had a young man having sex with his own mother...!!! and the church full of every gift of the Holy Spirit was pround of it!!! Saint Paul ordered to deliver the young man to Satan... he wanted to take a look at his mother before saying anything about her!!!!!!!! Saint Paul was a very wise man! so we have all kinds of natural true to life episodes in the church!!!

1 Corinthians 5:1-2 - It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud!

EDIT:
BTW, Saint Paul never ever visited that church before or knew any of the people involved. He didn't start that church, either... he wrote them a letter... he delivered a young man to Satan on hearsay complains from some ladies elsewhere... so he obnviously sided with the ladies condemning the young man to be delivered to Satan... whatever that is! But he didn't say that the "mother" was at fault! I honestly wish to have known her, too... if the whole church ... including the father was proud of what was goiing on

Answer 8

Now let me get this straight---you not only LISTEN TO GOSSIP--but you pass it along to the entire yahoo answers community? What do you do with the scripture that says you go to the person involved and try to get the straight story. If you cannot get him to admit what he is doing you are supposed to take 2 or 3 people with you. If the gossip is proved to be true---then the pastor needs counseling. But it sounds like you don't have a clue what your scriptures tell you is the correct course of action. Perhaps you need to read your bible more and stay off the computer asking questions of non-believers and believers who stake out this website trying to find a reason to ridicule your brothers and sisters in Christ.

If the woman is vulnerable and in need of financial assistance perhaps the church could pay for her rent/someone could take her into their home/someone could help pay for her groceries/the community as a whole could reach out to her. Building the woman a home on the "compound" would facilitate her total reliance on the ministry. That was not how we were to meet the needs of the widows and orphans.

Brother, you need to get a grip---get a backbone---get a scriptural foundation to stand on.

Answer 9

The worst reason to go away the church may be which you have been "bored with it"or "bored with residing the form you have been taught", those reasons might in elementary terms be 2nd to "somebody indignant you". I even have nonetheless demanding approximately this and that i think of an excellent reason may be which you locate something greater helpful and go away, devoid of hate or malice, a team of people who for the main area believe only what you probably did in elementary terms a short while until eventually now. the form of decision is quite substantial and you does no longer choose for to be hasty. i will additionally see shifting a approaches sufficient far flung from what the church teaches that it does no longer be an excellent in good shape anymore. i think of an incredible style of prayer might keep in touch. BTW 7 of 9, my daughter had a appealing, superb, religious patriarchal blessing that she(and that i) will treasure perpetually, it is between the too few religious studies in my existence that I carry expensive to me and that i'm sorry yours replaced into no longer that way.

Answer 10

I think that you should make quite sure of your information before doing anything at all. Remember that people will tell you things as though they knew them for a fact when they really simply heard a rumor. Do you know the expression "Gossip is the Devil's Radio"?

That being said, you're probably hearing the truth about the guy, and once you've made certain of that, you've got a real challenge.

One thing that really concerns me about your post is the phrase "church compound". What exactly is that?