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Should he step down ?

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Lewis

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Humans make bad choices all the time, even if you are a man of God you can make them. Should this pastor below step down ? Or go to God, hold your head up and continue on ? If he was called by God would he not' have to fulfill it ? I mean look at Jimmy Swaggart' or Jim Bakker. They showed you that any of us could fall if you take your eyes off of the Lord for a minute.
Megachurch pastor resigns, citing 'moral failing'
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/07/megachurch-pastor-resigns-citing-moral-failing/?hpt=hp_t2
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/07/megachurch-pastor-resigns-citing-moral-failing/
 
he already did. pastor bob coy stepped down apr 3rd. I agree that he should have. I listen to him periodically and his church has blessed my unit.my unit chaplain is member of that church.
 
He has chosen the proper path, for the right reasons. Stepping down is the only way he will be able to fully repair his focus on our Lord and on his family. Whether he returns to his ministry at some point in the future, only our Lord knows that answer.
 
pray for the church. the church has no leader at the moment. its vulnerable. and the radio station as well. reach fm. im blessed by them as I listen to them for the word each morning.
 
Interesting..Do you think that God disqualified him from his pastoral position or did man?
 
I guess the real test will be when his feelings of shame fade, he remembers his calling and his gifts are stirred again....
 
Interesting..Do you think that God disqualified him from his pastoral position or did man?
"Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach" (1 Tim 3:2)
"He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap." (1 Tim 3:7)
"Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example." (1 Pet 5:3)

It seems by these scriptures (and there are others too) that if he really did what he confessed to doing (not just having been manipulated into this, as Reba mentioned) then indeed God does seem to have disqualified him at least for now. The article says "He will now focus his full attention on his personal relationship with God and his family" and "The governing board of the church is providing counselors and ministers who will help guide him through the process of full repentance, cleansing and restoration". This seems to be to be the proper course of action for now. Maybe at some time in the future, if he works these things out, God will use him in a ministry again. But for now I think he did the right thing.
 
"Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach" (1 Tim 3:2)
"He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap." (1 Tim 3:7)
"Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example." (1 Pet 5:3)

It seems by these scriptures (and there are others too) that if he really did what he confessed to doing (not just having been manipulated into this, as Reba mentioned) then indeed God does seem to have disqualified him at least for now. The article says "He will now focus his full attention on his personal relationship with God and his family" and "The governing board of the church is providing counselors and ministers who will help guide him through the process of full repentance, cleansing and restoration". This seems to be to be the proper course of action for now. Maybe at some time in the future, if he works these things out, God will use him in a ministry again. But for now I think he did the right thing.
I fear that God must disqualify many from pastoral authority if all it takes is failing at one of the items on the overseers list is Timothy and Titus
 
I fear that God must disqualify many from pastoral authority if all it takes is failing at one of the items on the overseers list is Timothy and Titus
Yeah, I think that's right. It is what scripture tells us, and I believe in the authority of scripture as long as it's properly interpreted in the proper context. Of course, forgiveness and changed lives play a part too. I don't think if a person has certain things in their past that have been repented of and forgiven that God always still disqualifies them if they truly had this calling in the first place. But if the thing is a present and continuing issue, then yes, it is a disqualifier according to what it seems God is telling us here.

I think in the case of this particular pastor, perhaps he has repented of the adultery and been forgiven by God, but the damage to his good reputation has been done and will have lasting effects for some time. Not necessarily forever, but for some time. He is probably going to be facing a lot of family issues that he will need to try to work through too, if he can. That's why I think it was proper for him to step down (for now at least) and devote time to repairing his walk with God, repairing his relationship with his family, and repairing his reputation with his community (if he can).

I commend his church for providing ministers and counselors to help him through all of this instead of just kicking him to the curb and leaving him there. And I commend him if he takes advantage of the help they are offering, whether or not he returns to ministry some day.
 
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At times making stuff publicly isn't the best. Open confession sucks...but I frown at the idea when an ordinary member is dismembered and brutally criticised publicly . Now this people are like a football team without a goalie
 
Right, I'm not so sure everything has to be confessed publicly. That can actually make things worse in some situations. But as far as disqualification is concerned, if it is God that disqualified him according to scripture, it really doesn't matter if he confessed it publicly or not. He's still disqualified by God and that's what matters. God knows he did it. His wife probably knows too.

The head pastor at the church I work at was telling me of someone a long time ago who cheated on his wife and one Sunday, without anyone knowing what he was going to do, stood up in front of the congregation and confessed everything he had done. The stories he told embarrassed people, it embarased his wife. It embarased the woman he cheated with (a church member) and it made so many people uncomfortable hearing those kind of stories in church that some people never returned. And to accomplish what?

We are to confess our sins to God, but the general public doesn't need to know all the sordid details! In a pastor's case if he is stepping down, I think the congregation deserves and explanation of why, but it can be as simple as he is having a personal problem with a sin that disqualifies him and he is stepping down because of it. End of story. I'm not saying the Calvary Chapel pastor did the wrong thing, mind you. If that's the way God lead him to do it, so be it. I just don't think it was mandatory to give all the details.
 
A board or a group a bunch of 'leadership' guys suggesting or demanding this guy step down is way different then the guy saying Lord i failed and i wish to step down....

Obadiah :thumbsup
 

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