Tiger Woods

As a pastor you are a role model not only to kids, but to everyone with whom you come in contact.  If you let them know you’re a pastor, they set a higher behavioral expectation.  God did too when He said in Titus 1, “Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless–not overbearing . . . Rather he must be . . . one . . . who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

Over the past couple of years there have been many incidents of unfaithfulness on the part of pastors, the most publicized of which was Ted Haggard.  QuietWaters is only too familiar with the moral failure of pastors.
 
None of us should be surprised–after all, we have the Biblical knowledge that sin is a companion to all of us.  It just takes on different forms in our lives.  In a more than 20-year-old study, thirty-seven percent of the pastors surveyed had experienced inappropriate sexual contact outside of their marriage.  How would you answer that question today?

Recently one of our local radio talk show hosts told about standing on the street with his wife as President Clinton’s motorcade drove by.  He said he watched Clinton’s head turn as the President stared at the radio personality’s wife.  Although I’ve never seen his wife, I presume that she is attractive.

What about you?  Have you stared at a beautiful woman who was not your wife?  We don’t like to admit that we even have thoughts that would take us into this area of our lives because we know that Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)

Tiger Woods also said, “I thought I could get away with anything I wanted to . . . I thought I was entitled. . . .”  I remember reading that a pastor told his therapist that he felt it was all right to reward himself for his hard work in ministry by viewing pornography.

I’m sure that you know some pastors in your seminary graduating class or in your town that have fallen.  Guard yourself against moral failure.  Put in place the necessary protections that you need as a pastor.  You know them. But if you need a refresher on what those protections are, please give me a call.