5. He can’t say the personal doubts he struggles with concerning the Lord or important doctrines.
Such as salvation, the Incarnation, the Trinity, the Virgin Birth and the Atonement.
If he has such issues, let him read Psalm 73 a dozen times and take its message to heart, then work out his doubts in private.
6. He can’t say he struggles with porn or lust.
Some things are better dealt with privately—or at least between himself, his spouse and a faithful counselor—but never in public.
The pastor who tells his people that he has a lust problem is creating more problems for himself than he can imagine. Every woman in the church will think he’s undressing her when he shakes her hand. When that happens, his ministry has come to an end.
7. A minister cannot rebuke anyone publicly from the pulpit.
He cannot call names and slander someone, no matter how strongly he feels.
Again, he may do it, but not and retain the respect of Christians who know the word and reverence His name. Mean-spirited preachers will always have their defenders, but this does not make it wise or right.
Let the preacher honor His Lord, reverence His calling and bless His people.
Let the preacher never forget he has not been called to “share his heart” with his people but to “preach the Word” (II Timothy 4:2).
Let the preacher not fall prey to the temptation to be transparent to the point that he lays stumblingblocks in the paths of his people.
Let the preacher say to himself a hundred times a day, “This is not about me; this is about Jesus Christ” (see 2 Corinthians 4:5).
Let the preacher with overwhelming doubts have enough integrity to a) get help, b) stay on his knees, c) not preach his doubts, and d) get out of the ministry if the doubts and questions remain unresolved.
We will all stand before the Lord and give account.
Let none of us have to account for having caused God’s people to stumble.
*Post Script: When churchleaders.com first published this article, several readers were quick to take issue with #7, not calling names from the pulpit. They said I am contradicting I Timothy 5:20 which reads “Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all….”
My response:
–a) The previous verse says Paul is referring to elders in the body, not to the world at large, which was what I had in mind (although I wasn’t clear on that).
–b) My concern is irresponsible preachers who attack celebrities, politicians, etc., by name, committing slander (a word I did use). There is no place for that in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are sent as bearers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, not as Old Testament prophets off to Samaria to confront wicked Jezebel and good-for-nothing Ahab.
–c) Might there not be exceptions to #7? Of course. We can probably think of a possible exception to every one of these. As the saying goes, “Every rule has its exceptions, including this one.”
