When leadership fails

When a leader falls, fails, or defects, it nearly always has a devastating effect on those who have served with them or under them.

When, during the Revolutionary War, Colonial General Benedict Arnold left the American forces and put his lot with the British, the result was nearly crippling. General George Washington, deeply affected by this turn of events, had to dig deeply into his own strength and courage to be able to overcome the loss of Arnold and lead the forces of independence to victory.

The same is true in the religious world as well. During the 1980s, when two prominent Assemblies of God televangelists were publicly exposed for immoral behavior, the denomination and, to a lesser extent, the whole Church, were rocked to the core. When, decades later, the Roman Catholic Church endured the “pedophile priest” scandals, millions were stunned and embarrassed.

In both situations, the average person in the pew as well as the “normal everyday pastor” was wounded and, in some cases, damaged by the actions of these church leaders. Leaders who fall, or fail, or defect do great harm to those who have looked to them for guidance and as role models.

St. John Chrysostom in his treatise, “On the Priesthood,” put much of the blame for the ills of the church squarely on the shoulders of the bishops and priests (or, in non-liturgical traditions, on the shoulders of denominational officials, pastors, evangelists, etc.) believing that most of the harm to the people came as a result of the failure of their leaders to be men of godly integrity.

And, in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, the 34th chapter, it is the shepherds of Israel who draw God’s fierce rebuke for tending to their own needs at the expense of the people’s needs and for “scattering the sheep.”

Certainly, in the history of denominations, it is rarely the lay person who divides and splits — most often it is a person who has emerged as a trusted leader, likely ordained or consecrated, who, for various reasons, has chosen to be at odds with other leaders and has caused strife and heartache leading to separation and division.

The New Testament Church is not immune from the fall, failure, and defection of leaders.

Judas was a man called by Christ to be an apostle and had a part in the ministry, alongside Jesus and the rest of the followers, for some three years. In the end, he betrayed the trust placed in him and caused great anguish to come upon those who would make up the early Church.

Paul, from his prison cell, lamented that he had been deserted by those Christian leaders that he had trusted: “Demas ... has deserted me ... Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me” (2 Tim 4:10,11 NASB)

The Apostle Peter was one of those who had been shaken by Judas’ defection and, in truth, he, too, had been a disappointment as a leader. In John 21, Peter sees another disciple (presumably John) and asked Jesus, “What about him?” Jesus’ response was, “What is that to you? You follow me!” (John 20:22b NASB).

And that’s the way that the failure, fall, and defection of leaders, whether bishops, priests, deacons, pastors, evangelists, and all the rest, must be handled by those who view or are affected by them: “What is that to you? You follow me!”

In Peachtree City, Ga., 17 men have been arrested for attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex. Unfortunately for them, the “14-year-old” was an undercover police officer. Of the 17, three were Christian ministers.

Disappointing? Shocking? Disgusting? “What is that to you? You follow me!”

The temptation is to write off all clergy because a few fall, fail, or defect. Some will use these incidences to excuse themselves from going to church or being active in local congregations and ministry. But the words of Jesus do not allow us to use the actions of others to justify our own shortcomings.

“But, God, look at what these television evangelists did! But, God, look at how those priests abused those boys. But, God, look at how those deacons fell. But, God, look at how those bishops defected. But, God, look at what those pastors tried to do with those young girls. But, God, look a how those men and women, those leaders, disappointment me and failed to meet my expectations.”

“What is that to you? You follow me!” The only response when others fail, when others fall, when other defect is to faithfully soldier on.

We are a free and independent nation today not because of the defection of Benedict Arnold but because of the faithfulness of George Washington and those who simply “soldiered on.” It is true that history, including church history, often remembers those who failed, fallen, or defected. But we do not have the luxury of judging those who, in our view, have been disappointments.

Jesus did not give Peter permission to judge Judas or to speculate on John’s motives, his future, or even his relationship to God. Toward these men and women, we are to extend grace and mercy, whether or not we agree with their actions. But our own path is clear: “What is that to you? You follow me.”