Lying Pastor

[corbana]

I need some advice. My husband and I attend a church that we were definately led to by the Lord.
My problem: A while ago, I borrowed a book from our church library. On the very first page, I was shocked and horrified to read a detailed personal story related by this author that our pastor had blatantly plagiarized in the pulpit a few months ago! I know pastors "borrow" material from others all the time (this one does too) but what makes this worse is that he told this exact same story word-for-word, as though it was a personal story in his own life! He could have told the story and mentioned the book, but no he chose to decieve! Teachers of the Word have a greater accountability before God. I was hurt and angry, then I just wept for him. Now I'm scared for him and I think he's in great spiritual danger if he can compromise in such a way. It's really affected me and my husband. It's rare that we go to church, because now we don't trust his preaching. Our options for other churches are limited and I believe in speaking up, not just leaving in silence.

I know I should speak to this pastor, but I'm struggling with how to talk to him. I finally confided in a trusted, godly friend and she said she'd heard him lie before too! Her advice was to just pray that the Lord would convict him to stop doing this.
This man's ministry is very good otherwise. He's an excellent preacher, very good at teaching from the bible. The church is growing in leaps and bounds, we're building a new church.... Now not to excuse him, but I think that the people have raised their expectations of him and maybe he's trying to please man? The pressure is on to "perform" perhaps?

 

[Knight]

I'd suggest talking to the pastor and confronting him with this in love. The Bible teaches us to hold each other accountable.

Contrary to popular belief, pastors are human. Humans make mistakes and stumble in their walk. This could be a one or two time occurence or it could be a pattern of behavior.

I do not envy you this. It's a hard thing to call someone to account on a sin issue. Especially when it's a pastor. Be as nice as you can. Be prepared for him to deny it. Be prepared, also, for him to seek forgiveness. It could go either way.

If this becomes an issue for you and you decide to leave the church, make sure he knows why.

 

[ukok]

this must be difficult for you. You feel unable to go to church regularly because of the discomfort you feel at having discovered that your church pastor has omitted the truth from his story.

Might it be possible to present the book to him and ask perhaps, a little lightheartedly, why he felt the need to lead his congregation into a falsehood. Surely he would be aware of the possibility that he would be found out, due to the booki being in the church library, also, perhaps others had read the book and were aware of the false testimony given, you may not be the only one feeling uncomfortable.

I think that if this problem is separating you from fellowshipoping with other Christians, then this is a matter which must be resolved, not only for you and your husbands spiritual well being, but also for the Pastor's well being.

He holds a positiion of authority and you look to him as a tool through which God will enlighten you and help you along your Christian walk. He does need to be confronted, but i suggest this is done with the same kindness, as that which you yourself would appreciate if the Pastor had to approach you on some issue that was causing concern.

I agree totally with Knight, it is hard to call someone to account on an issue of sin, and though your pastor is only human also, you expect him to lead you in truth.

 

[ZiSunka]

Are you sure he didn't mention that it was from a book? Sometimes my mind wanders a bit in church and I could miss something like that. It's very common in my church for the pastor or one of the elders will read something from an email a book or a magazine, and they will say where it's from, but if I'm not paying attention I miss the information.

 

[eldermike]

I would say that God must have counted you faithful in this area of teaching. What I mean is that God teaches us through others, even great leaders were taught this way. Think on the examples in scripture when a man of God was doing wrong and then brought to conviction by another person. David is a good example. This is how God works, you have a burden here, teach Him and then allow God to restore Him. God will forgive Him and that process began when He gave you the task of teaching Him. You must also forgive at then put it behind you at the first sign of repentance.

 

[Icystwolf]

Amazingly, it seems that God has led you to a problem with the pastor. Amazing co-incidence!

I think in this case, the supernatural has happened, and I suppose God has given you the path, and that is to go up to the pastor and tell him of these things.

The normal procedures are obviously in the Bible, but specifically in the gospels.

Again...it's God's works that makes all his works amazing!

(These cool occurances occur so often, being an athesist is hard if they were in my shoes...lol...and seeing the true work of God)

 

[Blindfaith]

Please keep us updated here if you feel comfortable.

I agree with everyone else. God placed you in this position to talk with the pastor - I truly believe this. Be obedient to Him, and be prayed up before you speak with him. I'll be praying for you

 

[corbana]

Yes, this is very difficult for me. I'm positive he did not mention the book, because the story was so specific in some details and he said his wife did this, he did that, etc... and the youth pastor joked about that story when it was his turn to preach, that's why it stuck with me.

I also agree that God has given me the responsibility to go to him. This has been a pattern in my walk. I sometimes wish it wasn't always just me. Even so, God has worked in the hearts of others in a beautiful way although not always right away. It's probably more painful for me than for those I need to go to. When I was a baby christian (in another church), we got a new pastor that everyone raved about. I was the only one in that whole congregation who caught his blatantly unbiblical teachings. I did go to him (in love) and we ended up leaving that church, all our "friends" turned against us which was painful. I did continue to love and pray for all of them, especially the pastor. Well, a few years later, many people told me that they started noticing that he teaches a false gospel and that a lot of his teachings are unbiblical. Also, this pastor admitted to a mutual friend that maybe he was wrong after all. Hallelujah!!!

Eldermike, I really appreciate what you had to say, and the reference to God's dealings and David,... Amen!!! Amen to what you all said for that matter!

You know, just getting understanding feedback from all of you has really, really encouraged me. I will go to him with the book. Please pray for him, that God would prepare his heart and for me that the Lord would give me His words, not my own. I totally agree, it must be with love and kindness! After all, I'm remined of how tenderly God deals with me with sin in my own life! I know that God is teaching me too through this, so I don't want to miss out!

I will definately keep you updated. Bless you all!

 

[Auntie]

Sorry, but I disagree with you guys!

Please, give this some more thought before you do anything. Pastors are under an ENORMOUS amount of pressure. I'm not saying that your pastor was right in what he did, but this is the sort of thing that gets pasors fired. People gossip and pick a pastor apart, God forgive us! He is a fallable human being just like the rest of us. Only he is up there in front of everyone, every week, and his life is on display. It's REAL EASY to see all of his faults all the time. Whereas lay people can sit quietly in the pews and no one knows where they went Saturday night.

If you approach him at all, please try to do it in a light-hearted way, but I wouldn't approach him at all. At least give the Holy Spirit a chance to speak to him first!

"I finally confided in a trusted, godly friend and she said she'd heard him lie before too! Her advice was to just pray that the Lord would convict him to stop doing this."

Please trust in this Godly womans advice! We need to get the log out of our own eyes first! Pray for your pastor, but pray for your own sins first.

God bless!

Auntie.

 

[corbana]

Sorry, but I disagree with you guys!

Please, give this some more thought before you do anything. Pastors are under an ENORMOUS amount of pressure. I'm not saying that your pastor was right in what he did, but this is the sort of thing that gets pasors fired. People gossip and pick a pastor apart, God forgive us! He is a fallable human being just like the rest of us. Only he is up there in front of everyone, every week, and his life is on display. It's REAL EASY to see all of his faults all the time. Whereas lay people can sit quietly in the pews and no one knows where they went Saturday night.

If you approach him at all, please try to do it in a light-hearted way, but I wouldn't approach him at all. At least give the Holy Spirit a chance to speak to him first!

"I finally confided in a trusted, godly friend and she said she'd heard him lie before too! Her advice was to just pray that the Lord would convict him to stop doing this."

Please trust in this Godly womans advice! We need to get the log out of our own eyes first! Pray for your pastor, but pray for your own sins first.

God bless!

Auntie.

I respect very much what you're saying Auntie and that has been why I've waited and prayed for so long before doing anything. (Since February) I have cried out to God to examine MY heart. I have asked Him to show me if there are any "logs" in my eye. I have really waited on the Lord for His will and timing and wanted more input from my brothers and sisters who are not able to "gossip" or shred the man. I realise the pressure pastors are under and if more people would continuously pray for, befriend and encourage their pastors, maybe we wouldn't have so many "fallen" pastors. I agree they are no more "holy" than the rest of us and therefore, since they are brothers (and sometimes sisters) I still believe that we should all be accountable to one another. I really ask that his heart would also be prepared in one more way, that he would not take this as another personal attack. And pray for me, for timing, I'm still not about to pick up the phone today, but perhaps soon. Or not???

 

[Auntie]

Thanks corbana, you seem like a precious child of God.

I'll think and pray and write more tomorrow.

God bless!

Auntie.

 

[Phoebe]

Matthew 18:15

 

[Auntie]

corbana, I've given this some more thought and I still feel the same way. Especially since you say this has been on your mind since February? My opinion is to just let go of it. Let go & let God. There's another old saying "when in doubt--don't". I think if the Holy Spirit had wanted you to speak to the pastor, you would have done it a long time ago. But something has held you back, something inside you is saying "don't".

Like I said before, a preacher is under a magnifying glass. I can promise you that you will be witness to many of his faults, not just the one about lying. But if he is a man of God, then God is dealing with him and ALL of his sins. Trust God that He is bringing your pastor to the spiritual place God wants him to be. The way I see it, your pastor belongs to God, and the matter is between him and God.

I would suggest that you sit down with pen and paper and make a list of all the GOOD things about your pastor. Include every good thing you can think of, no matter how minor it seems. Then pray over this list of good things, thanking God for every good thing about your pastor. Do this for a few days(or a few weeks) and see if you still feel the same way.

God bless!

Auntie.

 

[Drotar]

I'm in the process of writing a book, and I'll tell you that more than three words that I got from somebody else has to be placed in a quotation (though I don't have to list the source). I have to give parenthetical citations to illustrations and even theological ideas that are not my own. It is extremely frustrating, but it's part of the honor system.

If it were my situation, I'd politely and anonymously confront him with a letter or email. I'd go to an elder also that you trust and know would not be EXTREMELY close to the pastor, someone that will make something of what you discovered.

Do whatever you have to get it off your conscience. But simply don't sit down to a pastor having to suspisciously double-check what he says out of a lack of trust. To me, that is a big deal. TTYL Jesus loves you!