Bible Question:

What does a Christian do when their pastor sins?

Bible Answer:

God requires that pastors and elders of the church be held to a high moral standard and skill level (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). These high standards are to be used to determine who is qualified to be a church leader. When a pastor or a leader violates these standards, they are no longer qualified to continue in their role. If he fails, 1 Timothy 5:19-21 states that he must be removed from office. It also gives us the process for doing that. Here is a check list for you.

First — Are They Disqualified?

If after reviewing 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 it is determined that a church leader may be disqualified, a series of steps must be followed.

A common accusation that some hurl at those who believe that action must be taken is that Jesus taught us to not judge others. But such comments miss the point of Jesus’ teaching. If they were correct, then no one would ever be removed from office. The church would have to allow disqualified elders to remain in office. God did not give us Matthew 18:15-18 and 1 Timothy 5:19-21 to be ignored. Scripture clearly teaches that we have the responsibility to evaluate the character and conduct of others, but only with objectivity, righteousness and according to the guidelines God has given. God has given us 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 as the criteria for determining who is qualified to serve as an elder.

Second — Seek Their Repentance

If it is concluded that a pastor or an elder is disqualified, action must be taken. 1 Timothy 5:19-20 tells us the pastor does not have special privileges when it comes to sin and error.

Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. 1 Timothy 5:19-21 (NASB)

This passage assumes that the initial step of church discipline as given in Matthew 18:15-20 has already taken place. The chart below outlines the various steps of church discipline. The reader is encouraged to read the question “Biblical Guidelines for Church Discipline — Rescuing Sinning Christians.” since it describes the steps of church discipline.

The first step of church discipline requires that those who witnessed the sin seek to restore the one who sinned. Galatians 6:1 gives us some guidelines for the initial step. It is assumed that those who are aware of the pastor’s or elder’s sin will go to the person in private, in humility and with kindness (Galatians 6:1) to seek their repentance.

Guidelines for Disciplining Elders - English

Third — Two or Three Witnesses

If the pastor or elder does not repent, then we must approach the individual again but this time take one or two more people (second step) to serve as witnesses. If they still do not repent, then the situation must be shared with one of the elders.

If there were two or more people who were witnesses to the same sin at the same time, then they should approach the sinning pastor or elder together if they are in agreement that the elder was in sin. This would serve as both the first step and second step in the process.

1 Timothy 5:19 requires that two or three individuals were witnesses to the same sin at the same time. This does not mean that one individual witnessed a sin one day, another person witnessed a sin on some another occasion, and maybe a third person witnessed another sin. The requirement assumes that everyone is witness of the same sin at the same time, and to the same lack of repentance.

That is the meaning of “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.”

Someone might be concerned that a pastor or an elder had committed sin, but the leader escapes being removed from office if only one person witnessed the sin. The apostle Paul addresses that situation in verses 24-25 when he discusses how to discipline elders.. Elders will not escape. At the same time, the high requirement of multiple witnesses is a safeguard for church leaders who are extremely vulnerable to a wide variety of unfair accusations.

Fourth — Give Him Time to Stop

1 Timothy 5:20 imposes the requirement that the individuals involved in the process of attempting to restore a sinning elder must give the elder an opportunity to repent. It says,

Those who continue in sin . . . 1 Timothy 5:20a (NASB)

Why is that the correct understanding of the verse? The verb tense of “continue in sin” is a present participle. That means the pastor or elder continues sinning. That is, they repeat the sin and do not stop. This does not mean that those involved in the restoration of the pastor or elder must start looking for other sins. Those involved in the process must not become judgmental and “pile-on” the elder.

Fifth — If Necessary, Remove Them

If the pastor or elder does continue in sin, then the elders of the church must remove that elder from office. The last part of verse 20 says,

. . . rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. 1 Timothy 5:20b (NASB)

Then the pastor or elder must be rebuked before everyone. Verse 21 states that the elders must not show favoritism.

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. 1 Timothy 5:21 (NASB)

Conclusion:

The goal is to seek repentance in a spirit of kindness. We need to pray both for the individual and for ourselves. We need to go not in anger but in humility desiring that our brother respond to the Lord in humility and confession. May God help us all when faced with making such decisions.