I guess no one was watching.
I pray for their repentance and ultimate restoration.
“”While we believe David Loveless can be restored to Christian fellowship and productive Christian service, we do not believe he can serve as a pastor at Discovery Church,” the statement said.”
At least they aren’t making excuses...
Mega-Churches usually have Mega-Problems.
To me, ALL “mega-church” pastors are suspect. They have political power that goes to their heads, not a lick of humility. They try to compensate with a gaudy, hundred million dollar structure, with a Starbucks installed, and think they are little kings over a kingdom.
Sorry, but small home churches is where it is, and will be in any coming spiritual awakening.
Right answer. If your life is out of control, step down.
You are welcome in the pews. You cannot be in leadership.
It seems like in every generation, certain pastors or other religious figures build up Christian empires and then are revealed to be frauds in some way. I’m not damning all successful ministers but its a good reminder of the temptations that come to them with fame and financial success.
I’ve never been impressed with mega-church “preachers” anyway. They tend to get heavily wrapped into a celebrity mentality. Give me a local fire-in-the-heart community church pastor anytime.
If only they were allowed to marry.
Ultimately, you can be sure that a faulty personal theology existed long before these affairs took place. It’s a heart issue, not a conduct issue, really.
As the 1st couple approaches Peter says “You can't come in. You loved money more than God; you even married a woman named Penny.”
The 2nd couple comes up and Peter says “You can't come in. You loved drinking more than God; you even married a woman named Brandy.”
As Peter looks at the last couple the husband says, “come on Fanny let's go, I'm pretty sure we're not getting in.”
People who are in leadership in general are subject to pressures and temptations and stresses that simply go with the territory.
People in church leadership are no different. And as churches grow, the pressures and temptations grow maybe exponentially. They more than anyone need people in their personal lives to keep them grounded and accountable. That, and an active prayer life to keep them connected and to “keep the annointing”.
Preachers who go off the rails are almost a cliche. They are humans. But this is why churches need a strong eldership who are not toadies, and who are prepared to speak up and step in before lines have been crossed that must not be crossed.
The first church, documented in Acts, had 3,000 male members. If you include the wives and children it may have been as large as 10-12,000 people.
So there is precedent for the Mega church.
I’ll take my li’l ol’ out-in-the-country Lutheran church, thank you very much....
Most of the Mega churches are that big because of sound preaching and doctrine. They are generally very conservative and are quite good, otherwise they would be smaller. That is my experience anyway.
The large churches that make the news are in the news because they are not the conservative churches. But they seem to be a bit unusual in that regard.
And this was after another Orlando area mega church pastor died of a cocaine/crack overdose a year ago or so
“My church is bigger than yours” syndrome is a problem in some areas
Pastors urgently need our prayer and spiritual support. They are men who face the same temptations we all do who are doing battle with Satan on a daily basis. Their Christ-centered proclamation of the Gospel of Christ and the Word of God pose a direct threat to the Devil, his kingdom and to those lost souls who are under his sway and control. Is it any wonder then that he is doing everything in his power to compromise and destroy the lives and ministries of those pastors and Christian leaders who are proclaiming Christ and rescuing those who are perishing.
Please pray for them and when it seems so easy to cast dispersions on their sinful failings remember the words of Jesus regarding one who rightly deserved death: "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."
The above is in no way written to excuse the sin, but to serve as a plea for prayer because those who stand outside of formal ministry often have no clue as to the trials, tests and difficulties that torment those who have sacrificed all for the cause of Christ.
A church is only perfect when no one is in it. Once you start putting people in there, things get messy. We are all sinners in need of a perfect God. I urge FReepers to quit piling on and pray instead.
Let's remember the good they have done and pray for their repentance and Salvation.
Peace be with you.
Never heard of him.