Sometimes the events we see taking place in the church can make us feel overwhelmed and down about the church as a whole. For example, consider how many pastors have fallen in the past few years. A District President arrested for lewd acts. Other pastors cheating on their spouses. A pastor promoting transgender ideology from within their congregation. Pastors failing to stand for true doctrine or exercise due diligence on simple doctrinal matters like Baptism. Pastors destroying congregations, or congregations destroying their pastors. Lutheran schools taking advantage of their teachers, and much more. As we look around the LCMS, we do see ample proof that sin is real and that it even exists within our own church body.
It is easy to grow weary and despondent in the face of such things. After all, the LCMS is a church. We expect churches to be morally pure and holy. Church is supposed to be a place where we can be safe from the onslaught of Sin, Death and the Devil. With all these difficult things, aren’t we declaring publicly to the world that Christ is fake and that we are all hypocrites?
Perhaps. And yet at the same time, we should not be surprised. The church is for sinners. It is filled with sinners from top to bottom. There is no member of the LCMS that is not “Sinful in thought, word, and deed, by what they have done and what they have left undone.” And, as Christ Himself confesses, He has come for sinners (Mark 2:17) and bleeds and dies that all sin might be forgiven. This teaching is at the core of what we believe, teach, and confess. Jesus, the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world.
Now, let me be clear: Christ’s death and resurrection are not justification for wicked actions. We shouldn’t just gloss over them saying, “we expect these things in a sinful world.” No. We must address them. We must bring light to them. We must work to prevent these sorts of things from happening. But we do so anchored to the forgiving nature of our God.
In fact, dealing with these issues is why I am writing this article. We need to see where there is sin in our church and call it sin. We need to publicly call out public sin. When someone sins, we forgive the sin, but we also remove them from the positions where they will be tempted to continue in those wicked actions. Public sin tied to public office and public harm requires public accountability, not for punishment, but for the protection of the neighbor and the integrity of the office.
The shining of light upon these sorts of issues is not to litigate them in the public sphere. There are processes by which litigation should occur, both within the church and in the civil sphere. Bringing sin to light in this way is an effort also to show to the church at large that we take sin seriously and that it isn’t something to be ignored or glossed over.
Take, for example, an individual who is stealing from the church. When that is discovered, it is a public sin against the entire congregation. Thereby, the individual who committed the sin should be dealt with in such a way that the whole congregation is aware. Public dealing with the sin also prevents the individual from moving quietly to a new church to commit the same crime again. Transparency in this instance lessens the risk of repetition of the action. That said, the publicity isn’t meant to allow the congregation to gossip about the issue but to deal with it in a Christian fashion.
And this brings up an important thing to say. An individual may be caught in sin and absolved, but the absolution does not mean they should be entrusted with the same office in the future. For example, a pastor who cheats on his wife can be forgiven and remain in the church. But the church is bound by the Scriptures to withhold the office of pastor from him, for his own good and for the good of the church. Why? Because he is no longer “above reproach” (1 Tim 3:2). Once a pastor doesn’t meet the scriptural requirements of the office, he no longer can serve in that office or any related office. The church has the right, and the duty, to remove that man and keep him from serving in the office any longer. (As an aside, we have this issue in the LCMS as well. Just because a man is well trained, smart, and a good communicator does not mean he should continue to publicly preach or teach if he’s been removed from office! Augsburg Confession XIV.)
This doesn’t just open the door to congregations removing pastors willy-nilly by making false accusations to remove them for being “reproachful.” St. Paul anticipates that by stating, “Do not admit a charge against an elder (pastor) except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (1 Tim 5:19). In other words, the church should act deliberately, but quickly, to investigate and deal with issues in all truth and honesty. False accusations must be dealt with as just as seriously sinful as the actions of a man falling away. And to be clear, “reproachful” does not mean your pastor made you mad by calling out your sin or not singing the hymn you like so much in church. Reproachful means a scandalous sin that hurts the preaching of the Word and Administration of the Sacraments.
Whose responsibility is it to address these sorts of scandalous sin? All of us. If we know of scandalous sin, we should bring it to the proper ecclesiastical authority, perhaps a Circuit Visitor, or a District President, or any other faithful pastor. But then, when we have brought the issue to the proper authority, we trust them to handle it appropriately and faithfully, according to God’s Word and the church’s confession. This is why it is so important that we elect faithful men who will carry out their duty completely, wading through the mire of difficult situations to bring Godly resolution. Those who fail in carrying out this ought not serve in these positions any longer. This is also why we have asked the Synod by overture to redesign the process by which issues are addressed.
Finally, the one thing that every Christian can do is this: Repent. Daily. Of all your sins. Pastors, repent. Laymen, repent. Make good use of private confession and absolution so that your own sin does not deepen its roots into your soul. Hiding sin in the dark recesses of our souls doesn’t actually benefit our salvation. Confess it. Your pastors have taken a vow to never reveal the sins confessed to them, and this process is how God wants to bring certainty to you that your sins are forgiven. “If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
So do not despair. Christ is still alive, having defeated sin, death, and the devil. He is victorious, and His church is precious. He is always at work to bring people to repentance and faith so that they might be saved by Him. Keep your faith in Christ. He alone is Lord of the Church.
Pastor Adam Moline
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Lincoln, Nebraska
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