Church Crisis

 There is a mammoth problem facing churches today. It is not necessarily new. It does seem to be growing in frequency. Pastors, youth pastors, worship pastors, and priests continually fall into sin shaming our Savior and His church. 2024 was a terrible year for several high profile ministers getting exposed for secret sins which were brought to light. Some of those pastors were household names. They were held in high regard and served in high profile positions. They were highly sought out as conference speakers and authors. Each one that fell was another blow from the forces of darkness wreaking havoc on the church. 

This is nothing new. In I Samuel 2:12-36 we learn of Eli the priest who had two sons who also served as priests. They were sinful men who grieved God. They were greedy with people who offered sacrifices. They demanded to be given part of the sacrifice of meat, by force if necessary. They wanted their portion before God got His. This sin was great in the eyes of the Lord. 

There are many in the ministry for financial gain. They pad their pockets with the gifts and offerings of people who are often manipulated emotionally. Hardworking men and women support these preachers who go on television constantly pleading for more money for the next project or to be able to continue to broadcast. I kid you not when I say some of them are worth millions. A few even hundreds of millions. They live  lavishly but constantly plead for people to send more and more financial gifts to fund their ministry. They are shameless in their appeals. While the very people who fund their ministries, are seldom the wealthy as much as the common people sending in $50 here and $100 there. 

These so called prophets preach for profit. They fly around in private jets, live in million dollar homes, and wear designer clothing. On the other hand, there are faithful pastors who preach to small congregations and get paid so little they are forced to work a second and third job to make financial ends meet. They pray hard, preach hard, shepherd their flock faithfully, and work long hours year after year without being compensated adequately. Some churches simply cannot offer more salary. Other churches just refuse to do so. Still these shepherds sacrifice without complaint. They do not fly around in private planes, but drive jalopies that barely get them from point A to point B. They live meagerly and often go without. Their names will never be known by thousands. Some cannot even muster a crowd of 50 congregants. These faithful stalwart warriors of the faith may have hardships down here, but one day they will hear God say, "Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into your reward."

Eli's son also committed sexual sins. They fornicated with the females who ministered at the Tabernacle. Eli heard about all of this and did nothing. He scolded them, BUT HE DID REMOVE THEM FROM MINISTERING. It breaks my heart to learn that hundreds of preachers who have committed sexual sins get to move onto the next church with no accountability or repercussions. Things are swept under the rug so as to get rid them, and to protect the reputation and name of the church. Just like Eli these churches do nothing. 

Victims are often shamed into silence and ignored causing a trauma we cannot imagine. The Southern Baptist Convention did this with over 700 pastors. They concealed their names and sexual sins even though those sins were reported. In many cases, those pastors moved on to serve other churches and to continue their predatory behavior. The SBC did nothing just like Eli. One report indicated there are over 1,700 such pastors across denominational lines. THOSE ARE JUST THE ONES WHO WERE CAUGHT. 

One pastor of a prominent fast growing church was scandalized when seven women from that congregation came forward to report having affairs with the pastor while he and his wife were on vacation. A youth minister sits in prison today for sexually molesting young boys in his youth group even though he was engaged and preparing to get married. Another youth pastor preyed on young girls in his youth group. Instead of turning him in to law enforcement officials, the church he served remained silent as this sex fiend went to another church where he repeated the same sins. He was forced to resign and later arrested in a town about four and a half hours away. 

High profile names came across the evening news in 2024. It almost felt as if they fell like dominoes. Scandal filled the airways, hurt many who trusted these clergymen, and even one man's legacy was tarnished with his secret sins were revealed after he died. Tragic details of victims of abuse were kept secret by the very churches they trusted. These men who were supposed to shepherd them and feed them the word of God used and abused them. I attribute much of this pornography addiction by pastors. 57% of pastors report this addiction. 64% of youth pastors report addiction to pornography. It is out of control in our churches.  

Many get away with it. They intimidate victims into silence or bribe them to keep them quiet. There is no getting away with these sins before holy God. There will be a day of reckoning. A day when we have to face the consequences of our sinful choices. It will be a terrifying day for the con-artists who stroll the stage like showmen while living a double lifestyle in secret. 

I'm thankful for each nameless pastor who honors the Lord in the way he conducts his private life. You will never hear about them. They do not make the front page. They minister faithfully without fanfare. They often go unnoticed. They are seldom thanked. Rarely really appreciated for all the faithful service they render. They work as unto the Lord and not men. These faithful servants live mindful that God is always watching. They strive for holy living. They would rather die than shame the name of Jesus or His church. I thank God for these. It is the others that give all ministers a bad name and cause lack of trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. The unfaithful make it much harder for the faithful. 

May God clean up His church starting with those in the pulpit. May judgment begin in the house of God. May we all live in holiness according to I Peter 1:14-15.