“I have watched hundreds of leaders fall over my 40 years of ministry,” Chan continued. “Each time, it feels like a kick in the stomach. Years of immorality are uncovered, false prophesies are exposed, or greed is brought to light. It is devastating. It should cause us all to grieve and examine our own lives.”
He added, “It is right and biblical that when a leader falls, their sin is exposed and made public (1 Timothy 5:19-21). I’m grateful for those in the body who lovingly and publicly expose sin so that others aren’t led astray by those people.”
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Chan mentioned that he has been serving in ministry since before the social media age, adding, “When a leader was caught in unrepentant sin, it was assumed that those who previously had endorsed him or her no longer stood by those statements in light of the new information.”
“Only in recent years has it become the expectation that everyone who ever publicly affirmed someone as a brother or sister must publicly denounce them if they fall,” he explained. “For the sake of clarity, please know that of course I do not continue to endorse people like Mike Bickle who have been caught in unrepentant immorality.”
“But if I were to make public statements every time I was wrong about someone I once trusted, sadly, it would be a very, very long list,” he said.
Francis Chan: ‘Hopefully, I Have Become Wiser, but I Will Still Make Mistakes’
Chan said that some leaders, including himself, refrain from commenting on situations involving those who have fallen from grace, not because they don’t “care,” but because “we believe there is already too much focus and discussion about these people…I just don’t see a biblical mandate for everyone to weigh in on them.”
Chan also dispelled rumors that he refrains from addressing these fallen leaders because he is “embarrassed to admit [he] was deceived by them.”
“That’s really not an issue for me,” Chan said. “I publicly admit I have been fooled hundreds of times in my life. I have wrongly trusted many leaders. Hopefully, I have become wiser, but I will still make mistakes.”
“I was formed in a Christian circle that was overly critical of everyone, writing people off for very small issues,” he continued. “I’ve seen how amazing, godly brothers and sisters in the Lord have been torn down. I believe it grieves God’s heart.”
“However,” said Chan, “I also recognize that there are devastating and far-reaching consequences when ungodly leadership goes undetected and unchecked.”
Chan apologized for adding to the hurt caused by endorsing leaders who have “late fallen.”
