Restoration and Accountability
- Larry Kutzler
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
On our weekly Podcast, we have been talking about Christian leaders who have fallen. We are highlighting the many aspects of when a leader falls, from the victims of the indiscretions to the members of the Board of Directors, or the Church from which the leader is associated. No one sins in a vacuum. There is always collateral damage that is part of the fall out in these cases. It is true that no one is above sin, in fact, as it has been pointed out many times … Paul, David, and Moses all were guilty of murder.
The fallen nature of mankind is a part of all of us, so when a Christian leader falls, it should not surprise us, but that is no excuse for not protecting victims, and the ministry that God has raised up. One of issues we raise in the Podcast is the lack of accountability for leadership. For example, in the secular world, if a leader is immoral in the marketplace, that leader will probably not hold a leadership position again in the same manner. Yet, in the Church we tend to restore a fallen leader to the same position, almost as if there was no problem. In several of the recent cases of fallen leaders, there was a history that could be traced back to other incidents that were overlooked. Now, restoration can happen as a member of the Body of Christ is one thing … that happens through repentance and accountability, but restoring a pastor/leader back to a leadership position is something else.
Am I saying that once a Christian leader falls, they could never again hold a position of leadership in the Body of Christ? Yes and no. Yes, that leader cannot go back into pastoring a Church for example but can be a leader in other areas where there is accountability and oversight. Often, we treat moral failure as common as fibbing … it is far more serious than that, and often the victims feel as if what happened to them had no implications for the perpetrator. Leadership comes with power, and power when it is abused should never be placed back into the hands of a preparator. I know I may sound like it is antithetical to the Gospel … God’s grace is to restore, but it may have limits on the position that may be held.
The CitySites Podcast goes into much more detail on these issues, so check it out. This Podcast is a five-part series and can be found at citysitesurbanmedia.com in the Podcast tab.
Again, this is an important theme for everyone to have an awareness.
Challenging the Culture with Truth … Larry Kutzler