WHEN A LEADER FALLS

When a prominent Christian leader falls from grace, there are significant lessons to be learnt. What are they?

                                                                                                                                   

• No one is perfect. Like all men, leaders too are weak and fallible.

• Character is more important than charisma.

• The performance of a leader or church should NOT be the most important yardstick to measure success.

• It is much easier to walk the straight, narrow and difficult way when we have not attained success, fame, power and influence.

• A prominent leader should be made accountable to a group of mature and responsible church council members. The financial affairs of a church should be subject to proper audit. Personal interests that conflict with the welfare of the church at large must come under objective scrutiny. Hopefully, with a proper system of checks and balances, we can prevent such tragic moral failures.

• Before we judge a leader who falls, we must remind ourselves that we too are weak and fallible (1 Corinthians 10:12). Let’s not gloat over their fall. When the dust settles, the delicate issue of loving, forgiving and restoring the leader has to be approached with much grace and wisdom. Let’s pray for our church leaders that they be preserved from major moral failures. 

Having said all the above, “prevention is still better than cure”. It is better to walk justly and humbly before our God than to have all the power, glory and success and then pay a heavy price through moral failure.

It’s so difficult to be just and walk humbly when we have attained fame, power and glory.

It was much easier to be just and walk humbly when we were just beginning our journey of faith.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

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