Over the last few decades, the Christian church has been rocked with major sex scandals, which hints at the necessity to rethink modern leadership and place a greater emphasis on teaching morality. It can be argued that the cases that have made headlines have done so due to the type of individual involved, especially where church leaders have faced multiple accusations from several members. The cases highlight the existence of a huge gap in moral teaching involving sexuality. It can also be assumed that the church members themselves engage in sexual sins, but their actions hardly grab the media headlines. If the situation is allowed to proceed and many more church leaders get involved, soon the entire church will undergo an extreme moral decay.
This paper highlights the need for change in the modern Christian church, which targets the teaching of morals and consequences for breaches. A scenario involving a pastor and accusations of sexual scandals will be explained and analysis provided regarding what actions should have been taken. A prescription of the necessary actions is provided in the form of change recommendations to help improve the entire church in light of sexual morality issues.
Scenario Description
The case scenario involves a pastor in the United States accused of having sex with members of the church. The key players that will be described in this scenario include the minister, the boards of trustees and deacons, the court, the church members, and the Wells Fargo bank. The issue has been reported by Fisher (2021), where the details emerge that an Alabama church is working on removing the pastor, Juan D. McFarland, for these behaviors. The most shocking part of this case is that the pastor is believed to be infected with Aids, which means that the scandal is not just a moral issue. Such behaviors tend to place the lives of congregation members at risk by infecting them with Aids. Sexual immorality should be considered a serious sin in itself since it goes against all teaching of the Bible. In the book of Corinthians 5:1-5, sexual immorality is condemned and the church urged to remove those who engage in sexual sin from among themselves. The sinner is to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh and the spirit saved for the day of the lord. These highlighted consequences illustrate the seriousness with which the church should take sexual sin, which means zero tolerance.
The church in question is Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Montgomery. After the issue came to light, the deacons and trustees of the church filed a lawsuit against the pastor. However, drama ensued as attempts to remove the pastor led him to change the locks of the building and control the church’s bank accounts. The deacons and trustees had asked a judge to give them control of the church building, the bank accounts, and a car that was furnished for use by the pastor (Fisher, 2021). The behavior of the pastor raises criticism since it would appear that he has held the position of ministry as his own and used it to serve his selfish interests. He does not seem to comprehend the role and duty of a minister of the church towards the congregation. Church scandals often create turmoil among the members, which places an urgent need for the entire leadership team to restore order. The same case happened to this church as the board of trustees faced an immediate task to get the church back in order.
The scenario grew in complexity when even more stakeholders were dragged into it. For example, the Wells Fargo bank claimed that McFarland sought to change the bank account on October 6, 2014, which was only a day after the church had fired him. The bank was placed in a tricky situation since it could not determine who had the rightful claim to the remaining balance. At this point, the pastor violated not only the sexual morality principles but also other maxims that govern the running of the church. For example, Langberg (2020, p. 93) explores how system abuses occur when the church or other social systems take place for personal gains. In this case, McFarland used the church as a source of the material pleasures that were offered to him as a result of his position. For a church leader, it can be argued that his concerns were the money and women as opposed to leading the congregation.
McFarland should have been removed several years before the sex scandal emerged. He was diagnosed with Aids in 2008, where it also emerged that he had had sex with an unspecified number of female members. Efforts to remove him from the position saw the congregation vote 80 to 1. The decision by many was also based on the fact that the pastor was accused of using drugs while preaching, which further violates church morals. At this stage, it can be argued that McFarland is everything that a minister should never be.
In terms of consequences, the pastor was voted out of the church, and some members of the leadership team proposed to get him help. However, not all agreed with the idea, which means that the ultimate result was his removal from the ministerial role. The lawsuit and the involvement of the court did not yield much as he was not convicted on any of the accounts, which included knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease and misappropriation of church funds. The reputation of the church can be considered effectively ruined, and serious questions should be asked of the overall church leadership.
Analysis
From the scenario presented above, it can be argued that only a simple solution was sought, which is in the form of firing the minister. The change of the individual occupying a leadership position in the church does not effectively constitute change, which means that this section explored what the church should have done. However, it is important to acknowledge the fact that the leadership team, in the form of the deacons and trustees’ boards, acknowledge sexual sin cannot be allowed to persist in the church. The Holy Bible offers stern warnings and consequences for sexual sin. Most importantly, the church can be considered to have done what Corinthians 5:1-5 recommend in the form of casting out the sinner (English Standard Version Bible, 2019). However, it can be argued that the sin does not start and end with the minister, considering that female members were involved. The eviction should have proceeded to cast all those members involved in the pastor’s sexual scandals.
First, the church should have taken action back in 2008 when the problems first emerged. The leadership should have acknowledged the problem and the need for change. According to (Van Yperen, 2002, p. 12), there is no perfect church, but the church should acknowledge its issues and display a true commitment to resolving them. The phrase “this is a sick church” has been used by Van Yperen (2002, p. 12) to acknowledge the need to make the relevant changes. This recognition also comes with the statement that the church acknowledges its sickness and it is determined to change. The same approach should have been used by the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Montgomery back in 2008 when the minister’s infection and sexual encounters with church members first became public knowledge. Currently, the church may have fired the minister, but the core problem will remain as long as the sexual sin is not addressed. Excommunication may sound extreme, but this is only an interpretation of the Bible. However, the individuals involved can get the necessary help to repent and seek forgiveness if they are to continue being part of the congregation.
Second, the church should have reconsidered how ministers are chosen, alongside the entirety of the leadership team. Considering the behaviors exhibited by McFarland, it can be argued that he was not the best fit for the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Montgomery or any church for that matter. A church minister is the embodiment of the Christian teachings, which means that the behaviors and actions of such individuals should be flawless. These arguments can be supported by the Holy Bible, especially the book of Psalm 32:8, which states, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (English Standard Version Bible, 2019, Psalm 32:8). For a church leader, this verse expresses that God shows the way, which can be interpreted to mean that actions and behaviors of a church leader or believer reflect the will of God. In this case, the Bible offers several teachings on what can be considered good and righteous behavior, which should be expected of a church leader. McFarland does not manifest any of these teachings, which means the church failed to elect the right leader.
At this point, it can be argued that the first incidences should have been a clue for the church to change leadership. In this process, other issues should have been addressed as well, including the basic rules governing the church leadership. The behavior of McFarland reflects either a church that lacks rules or where rules are grossly ignored. Every social organization has to have rules that allow harmony to persist. The key element that should reflect in the rules is the power and how it is used or shared among the leadership team members. In this case, both the trustee and deacon boards are considered part of leadership where all individuals have a certain degree of power. The minister had most of the power, which allowed the opportunity to misuse it. A key question raised by Langberg (2020, 190) is whether the church will allow light to purify or it will continue to wrongly define and misuse biblical for worldly and personal gains. At this stage, it can be argued that the changes needed might be massive, but the church should still make an effort.
It can be argued that sexual immorality is a bigger problem than the church, which means that church leadership will be facing uncertain and challenging times. Changing behaviors and practices of the leadership should extend to the entire congregation. A key question is how modern churches should handle the issues of sexuality, especially considering how sensitive they can be. However, Bolsinger (2015, p. 41) argues that leading in uncharted territories requires adaptation, which means that the church leadership should take initiatives and adopt behaviors and practices accordingly. Such efforts were not made by Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Montgomery when McFarland’s behaviors emerged, which only served to make the scandal more complicated. At this point, the basic assumption is that serious violations of church leadership positions should be addressed as soon as they occur to prevent the problems from becoming even more complex.
The lawsuit was also possibly something that was not done right, or that should not have to happen in a church. In this case, it can be argued that the pastor refused to leave, which may have forced the boards to take the matters to court. The church should have a good conflict resolution plan that allows such matters to be handled by the church without external interventions. The question of rules also applies in this case, where ministers are made to understand the rules and the consequences of any breaches. In such a situation, the accusations should have led to a smooth change of church leadership without creating a drama that tarnishes the image of the church. The change that is taking place at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Montgomery can be described as chaotic, which is usually the right way as expressed by (Rendle, 1998, p. 41). However, the change, in this case, is a forced one where both the leadership and the congregation are out of control and situations are allowed to take charge.
Prescription
The scenario described above and how it was handled shows weak church leadership, which necessitates some critical changes. However, improved organizational health and effectiveness is the ultimate goal of such change processes, as explained by Van Yperen (2002, p. 38). If I was brought in as an external consultant, I would propose a critical path that describes some major practice recommendations for the church leadership team. The one is the introduction of a new church doctrine designed for both the leadership and congregation. The doctrine can outline the basic rules and codes to be observed by all individuals and the consequences stipulated for any violations. As mentioned earlier, rules are important in any social organization since it is the best way to achieve harmony. The McFarland scenario shows a church in chaos where even the leadership team struggles to provide direction. The congregation should never be allowed to experience a leadership vacuum within the church, seeing that people have placed their faith in their leaders. A church doctrine should be published and presented to all individuals. Additionally, ministers and other church leaders should have doctrines that guide their actions and behaviors.
The second recommendation is that the church leadership team should also comprise an oversight committee responsible for checking leadership behavior and effectiveness. The powers of the committee can be designed such that it is allowed to spot problems and make recommendations to the necessary leadership group for actions to be taken. Considering that the church can be a complex organization, such a group can b responsible for developing recommendations regarding what needs to be done before certain issues develop into bigger problems. As mentioned earlier, leadership needs to adapt to different environments, which means that this committee will also be responsible for helping the current leaders stay updated regarding their practices and behaviors. In the McFarland scenario, the problems should have been spotted several years earlier and a change of leadership done. However, the situation was allowed to persist until it became too extreme for the church to handle on its own. An oversight committee that keeps leaders in check can be the best tool for implementing change.
The third recommendation is an internal conflict resolution plan for addressing all problems involving church leadership and other church activities. A resolution plan outlines two broad elements, namely conflict identification and issue treatment. In conflict identification, the causes of the conflict are outlined, including its nature and scope. The events taking place and their role in the conflict are highlighted. During this stage, the extent and consequences of the conflict are also determined, which play a critical role in determining how the conflict will be approached. Examples include avoiding confrontation, cooperating, or compromising, where leaders can select what works best for the church. In issue treatment, three considerations are made: the plan, responsible people, and resolution timelines. The plan shows how the selected conflict strategy is implemented, which includes the activities and tasks to be accomplished. Taska has to be assigned to specific individuals, which is where the responsibilities are assigned to the relevant stakeholders. Lastly, the dates for resolutions are set to ensure that all plans are accomplished on time.
All these recommendations offer a template for the church to develop what can be considered best practices for both the leaders and the congregation. However, it can be argued that implementing disciplinary measures for leadership members works best in the short term, especially where rules and doctrines have been set. In this case, the establishment of a disciplinary committee is recommended, either an independent body or an arm of the oversight committee. Either, such a team handles all cases, which might include all forms of conflict. Therefore, the disciplinary body can work with the conflict resolution plan recommended above, as well as be guided by all the rules and doctrines that have been established. All problems identified by the oversight committee can be referred to this team for resolution. This means that members of the trustee and deacon boards should comprise the vast majority of this committee, as well as any expertise hired either from within the congregation based on expertise or within the country’s legal system.
Conclusion
This paper addresses a sensitive scenario within the church that calls for massive change in how churches are led. The McFarland case is a combination of moral issues and leadership challenges, as well as the misuse of biblical power. Considering that many churches across the work experience similar situations, the recommendations offered can work in any church, especially where such measured are not yet implemented. The main argument is that the church did not approach the problem properly, and the issues were allowed to deteriorate. To prevent similar issues from happening, most of the elements of the critical path offered have called for a framework where early identification and mitigation are implemented.
References
Bolsinger, T. (2015). Canoeing the Mountains: Christian leadership in uncharted territory. IVP Books. English Standard Version Bible. (2019). ESV Online
Fisher, J. (2021). The confessions of Reverend Juan D. McFarland. Web.
Langberg, D. (2020). Redeeming Power: Understanding authority and abuse in the church. Brazos.
Rendle, G. (1998). Leading change in the congregation: Spiritual and organizational tools for leaders. The Alban Institute.
Van Yperen, J. (2002). Making peace: A guide to overcoming church conflict. Moody Publishers.