Accountability for volunteer ministry leaders

Bob Russell April 2, 2019

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

An inquiry I received recently regarding a sticky situation in a small church has interesting implications for all churches, pastors and church leaders. The note came from an elder in a church with about 100 in weekly attendance. Recently they faced a contentious situation involving their youth director, who is a volunteer rather than a paid minister.

While working in a job outside the church, he stole $100 from his employer, got caught and was fired. He immediately contacted the pastor to inform him. In turn, the pastor contacted the elders for a meeting to discuss what to do.

Six people attended. The man who wrote to me suggested the volunteer be terminated from his leadership role immediately, with the provision that he be encouraged to continue attending. While they would support him as they could, he should not be leading the youth, the elder said. 

Getting shot down

“I was ‘shot down’ by one elder in particular, but not supported by the others either,” the man wrote. “The elders seemed to feel we should keep this quiet and keep a close watchful eye on him and let him continue in the leadership capacity. We have not informed anyone of this.”

A little more detail: a while back the elders learned the church custodian was living with her boyfriend; they terminated her solely because of this living arrangement. She still attends the church. 

While the elder did not disagree with that action, he strongly disagrees with the non-action taken with the youth director. He pointed out that while both situations are sinful, only one is illegal: theft.

The elder asked for my input. He has considered not only resigning from office, but even leaving the church. While acknowledging he is not free of sin, he thinks things should have been dealt with differently. Thus, he feels very conflicted.

Normal problem

I told this person I am sorry his church is experiencing problems, but everyone does. As the old saying goes, “The church is like Noah’s Ark. If it weren’t for the storm on the outside, we couldn’t stand the stench on the inside!” 

Let’s remember the church is made up of imperfect people who seek to follow a perfect Christ.  However, church leadership demands a higher standard. For example, 2 Timothy 5:20 suggests if an elder stumbles, he is to be rebuked publicly “so others will takewarning.” 

While we can forgive someone who falls and pray they can be restored to a leadership role someday, there are consequences for leaders who make serious mistakes. In my mind, stealing any amount of money reveals a character flaw that disqualifies a man from leading for a significant period of time, especially shepherding youth.

The man who leads this youth group has a very influential position. Since he was caught stealing $100 from his employer, I can’t help but wonder if there have been other incidents where he wasn’t caught. That’s often the case. 

Forgiven and restored

In my opinion, he should certainly be forgiven and nursed back to spiritual health. But in the meantime, he should not be leading youth. Even one incident of theft reveals a serious heart problem, regardless of the amount. 

Plus, the fact that he was caught and fired from his job makes it hard for me to believe this incident will be kept quiet for long. Parents and church members will probably find out eventually and then question the inaction of the elders.

I suggested this elder not resign or change churches over one disagreement. That the elders practiced discipline in other matters in the past is a healthy sign. I advised him to continue serving, be cooperative, and allow God’s will to prevail.  

“Chances are the truth will surface in time, and as a result, you will gain respect for your stance,” I told him. “It seems to me this is an occasion for you to practice ongoing patience and quiet forgiveness.”

The Bible says we are to “make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit” (Ephesians 4:3). Therefore, church members should leave leadership assignments or resign membership only after fervent prayer and in-depth conversation. 

If there are additional, serious disagreements in the future, he may want to reevaluate his leadership role and church involvement. But for now, I believe staying and working through such issues is preferable to splitting apart. 

Photo source: istock 

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Bob Russell became the pastor of Southeast Christian Church at just 22 years old. That small congregation of 120 members became one of the largest churches in America, with 18,000 people attending the four worship services every weekend in 2006 when Bob retired. Now through Bob Russell Ministries, Bob continues to preach at churches; conferences throughout the United States, provide guidance for church leadership, mentor other ministers and author Bible study videos for use in small groups. Learn More »

• A multicultural church avoids intracultural leadership (by Bob Whitesel)
• 5 church communication resolutions (by Mark MacDonald)
• Eight unforced errors churches make (by Thom Rainer)
• Do you speak ‘guest’? Learning to speak community lingo (by Mark MacDonald)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now