Finding Hope When Leaders Failნიმუში

If the first three days of this Bible reading plan have felt like travelling through deep waters, take heart, in the next two days we are setting sail for fonder shores!

Today’s question I want you to consider is, “how do we appropriately honor church leaders?”

It can be tempting, in response to the failure of various church leaders, to view all church leaders with suspicion and seek to protect our churches from them. On the flip side, it can be tempting to choose a form of denial where we continue to blindly exalt our leaders and ignore the need to have wisdom or accountability with them.

In 1 Timothy 3, the apostle Paul gives very clear instructions about the appointment of spiritual leaders in the church. A starting point for appropriately honoring church leaders is to appoint them in a biblical manner! I wonder how many churches truly apply the instructions given here by Paul. Alternately, I wonder how many churches take them collectively as a “vibe” to consider alongside other “vibes”, such as gifting or charisma.

Having appropriately (and biblically) appointed leaders, we are then able to follow the instructions Paul gives about honoring them in 1 Timothy 5. Those who serve the church well should be honored, encouraged, praised and supported (v17). Their material needs should be met by the church (v18). They should be protected from false accusation (v19). Let me ask you: are these practices evident in your church?

When a spiritual leader does sin, there should be full transparency and public reproof. No sweeping under the carpet. No “saving the congregation from having their faith damaged” by being informed of the truth. Paul even instructs Timothy to make an example of them, so that the others will turn from their sin.

The relationship between a leader and their congregation is often deeply personal. It can bring great joy, as well as great pain. Whatever our personal feelings are towards our leaders–from affection to antipathy–we are called to act in the same way: to publicly honor those who serve well, and to publicly rebuke those who fall into sin.

Who do you know who is serving the church well? Could you commit to regularly praying for them? Do they have any practical needs you might be able to help with? Could you send them a message of encouragement today? Leaders carry a heavy weight of responsibility in the church. Those who serve well are worthy of our honor.