The “System” is Flawed

April 16, 2007 | Filed Under ecclesiology, leadership |

the-hurting.jpgThis morning (Sunday) the pastor of a large church where my family and I attend two or three times a month resigned after confessing an adulterous relationship with a fellow staff member. It was an enormous blow to everyone. If there was one pastor among the group of churches where I work (as a Church Planting Strategist) that I thought “had it all together” it was this pastor. In every area of ministry he seemed to always do the right thing. Over the past 17 years he led the church from a group of 75 to a church with an attendance of over 5,000. The church is a full blown PDC model with six services including one on-site video venue and two regional campuses.

I struggled with all the typical questions of how the two of them could have let this happen; how were there not some kind of “protections” within church procedures; where were the spouses, co-workers and other fellow believers. But later I began to reflect on the way we “do” church.

This tragedy seems to be another illustration of how the “system” is flawed. I can’t help but think that the Christendom, consumerist mode of church that we follow plays a part. When we follow a model of ministry that focuses the majority of resources and importance on the corporate gathering rather than genuine discipleship do we not open ourselves up to the problems associated with style over substance? The consumer driven model creates stress and work-load levels that are unhealthy to the well being of church leaders and their families. Moreover, when a church experiences the kind of “success” that this church has I am afraid the success feeds the darkest parts of our human condition.

I know because I have been there. Although on a much smaller scale, I have experienced the reality that when the depth and strength of my own personal spiritual vitality came into conflict with creating and delivering an attention-grabbing, “relevant” message, the time and energy attributed to the message always won out. It wasn’t until I came to the realization that I was called to Christ, not the church that I found relief. It wasn’t until I realized that I was living a “church-centered” life rather than a Christ-centered one. Unfortunately, today it seems to me that the current “system” of doing church only perpetuates the problem.

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9 comments so far
  1. Ariel April 16, 2007 11:47 am

    Thanks for the thoughtful analysis, Brad. This is the kind of thing I’m happy to be thinking about before I’m thrown into the thick of ministry.

  2. Rustin S April 16, 2007 2:46 pm

    This sort of thing hardly surprises me anymore because of the ’system’ you describe. I keep looking back to Nouwen’s “In the Name of Jesus” and his idea that leaders must be fellow travelers with those they lead. Instead, current models allow leaders to exist just ‘above’ the life of the congregation - disconnected and unaccountable - the church is Enron.

  3. Rustin S April 16, 2007 2:54 pm

    BTW, I didn’t mean for that to sound so matter-of-fact.

    I should have said that (although not surprised) I’m deeply saddened and grieving along with those who love him and his church. It simply hurts so much that it’s tempting to be cynical rather than feel the real weight of such a sad development.

  4. stephen April 17, 2007 9:25 am

    Excellent thoughts. I agree that the right emphasis isn’t placed on the right things, and when that happens we are destined/doomed for trouble/failure.

    Does the system being flawed, however, make what Rick or Ted or whoever justifiable? I think not. (Not implying you were saying this Brad).

    I so long to have my kids grow up in a culture where pastors once again have authority to change the world, not because of title but because of integrity. I hope that I can help change that.

    Thanks for stirring me.

  5. brad brisco April 17, 2007 9:37 am

    Stephen

    You are right, of course the system being flawed does not justify any of the wrong doing. But I hope recognizing that the “system” feeds some of the problems raised will prompt us to re-align how we do things and more importantly will force us to reflect on what should be at the core of our Christian walk.

  6. paul April 18, 2007 6:14 am

    Unfortunately, like Rustin, I was not shocked by this news. I hate to hear that it has happened but can’t help but wonder how our ecclesiological models end up contributing to this kind of thing.

  7. Brian Mayfield April 18, 2007 8:25 am

    Just 15 months ago my lifelong friend, who was serving in a church as a worship leader, called me to tell me he had been asked to leave his church b/c of an affair with a church member. He is now divorced, working odd jobs, trying to start a music career, and making a vain attempt at overcoming a sense of emptiness. It breaks my heart.

    The frustrating thing for me above all else has been - why didn’t he cry out for help? Why didn’t we see signs? Where was the accountability? I think you’ve hit it square on the head. The way we’re still “doing church” breeds and feeds these failures and is doing nothing to create the wall of accountability, discipleship and protection around God’s people that He has called us to.

    God, give us wisdom and courage to fight through this complacency and ritual.

  8. Caleb Land April 30, 2007 3:24 pm

    I also am growing numb to the constant reports of this type of thing. But, this one hit me extremely hard because only a couple of weeks ago the pastor who married my wife and I sat us down and told us he was going on staff of that church.

    He had nothing but great things to say about the church and especially the pastor, and he is a very discerning man. I really appreciated your commentary, Brad. I get scared just thinking about this stuff.

    I know that these ministers never set out to do something like this. I know my own ability to sin. Thanks for reminding me of the call to Christ, not the church.

    My prayer is that I would always find my identity in Him, regardless of the “success” of my church or ministry, and that He would help me overcome the temptations of sin.

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