As a pastor, there are some phone calls that you never want to receive. The worst of all, I believe, are those revealing a significant sin of a church member or a staff member. In these cases, as a leader in the church, I want our members and staff to set a high example with their character, so failure in that area is especially difficult. You can remove a person from a position of leadership, but frankly, when people sin, and this will happen in even the most spiritually mature and positive environment, the damage is done.

So what do you do when you get that call? A member has had an affair? A staff person has behaved unethically? A deacon has lied to his family? The problem is the same. Leadership in the church living in unrepentant, unconfused sin.

In these cases, we must follow scrip…