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How to Affair-Proof Your Pastor

4. Pray for him.

This is #4 in my list but it’s really the first line of defense. Pray for your leaders. They carry weight you can’t see. They face temptations the average layperson does not. They’re not better than you or more special, but they do often bear burdens and needs to please that are fairly unique and often unseen or misunderstood by those not experienced in ministry. Extraordinary duties requires extraordinary power, the kind only the Holy Spirit can provide. Pray for his physical, emotional and spiritual health. Don’t take for granted that he’s spiritual enough to not need as much prayer as others. He likely needs more. Intercede for him, for this is not just the duty of the sheep in caring for the shepherd but also a profound act of love.

5. Remind him of the gospel.

Sexual immorality isn’t usually about sex—at least, not below the surface. Moral failings among pastors are the results of all kinds of idolatrous desires—the need for validation, satisfaction, approval, even control or power apart from Christ. The more satisfied we are in Christ, the less tempted to find our identity, joy or fulfillment in anyone or anything else. You probably hate seeing “gospel” used as a verb, but here we go: gospel your pastor.

There’s surely more we can do to help pastors who commit adultery, but this is a good start. To finish where I started, let me repeat that adulterous pastors are found in both healthy and unhealthy congregations. There’s no way to keep a pastor bent on sin from sinning. Nevertheless, we’re all in this together. One part of the body cannot disregard another. Or, to employ another biblical allusion, we are our brother’s keeper. We may not be able to keep our pastor from falling—only the Lord can do that—but we can invest in his personal, marital and ministerial health in such a way that the temptations are lessened.

This article about pastors who commit adultery originally appeared here.