Why do key Christian leaders fall? Why do people who have been used mightily by the Lord get entangled in the sins of power, sex, or money, or some combination of the deadly three? The question came up when we having dinner with some good friends last night. With great sadness we looked at the lives of some key leaders we knew, who had self-destructed. We knew that we were as vulnerable as the next guy (Galatians 6:1). Why do Christian leaders fall? It’s a critical question for all of us. Let me attempt an answer.
No one sets out to fall. Many of those who have fallen have been those who took their faith seriously. Sin blind sided them. Still, there usually are predisposing factors that open us to moral and personal failure. Let me suggest three.
1. Fatigue
When you have been used mightily by the Lord, your star begins to rise in the wider Christian community. Everyone wants you to minister at their event. And because you start out as someone who genuinely wants to help, and you understand that sacrifice is part of the Christian ethos, you find it hard to say no. After a while however, you begin to believe that you are indispensable.
Soon you are booked back to back. Your calendar is full. You hardly have time to rest. You hardly have time for family. When your family says that they need more of your time, you brush them off, justifying your ministerial workaholism by saying that you doing “God’s work.” Ironically you are now doing God’s work by ignoring God’s prescribed rhythm of work and sabbath (Exodus 20:8-10). You begin to confuse adrenaline rush for the Spirit’s anointing.
You begin to be tired all the time. And continuous fatigue exacts a heavy price. One day it happens. Physical collapse. Emotional collapse. Or you fall into sin. Satan knows you are most vulnerable when you are tired. Your spiritual defences are down. Your discernment is distorted. Temptation blind sides you. And you fall. (1 Kings 19 records a classic example of the result of fatigue on a servant of God and God’s gracious restoration of that person.)
2. Pride
This is the no.1 danger for people in ministry, especially those in high profile ministry who have achieved some measure of success. You have to be there to know the rush of speaking to a large crowd and seeing how your words affect and impact people. And how long can you go on with people seeking your help and opinion on all sorts of matters before you begin to believe that you are more important than your fellows?
Perhaps the most dangerous time is when ministries and organizations you planted begin to bear fruit and by God’s grace, begin to impact many people. The success of the ministry is then attributed to you. By now it is your ministry, not the Lord’s ministry. You subconsciously begin to see yourself in messianic terms. You begin to believe that the usual laws of morality, and emotional and spiritual health, do not apply to you. You are a “special” case. And then you fall.
God knows all about the dangers of pride. Out of His love, He allowed His servant Paul to go through incredible pain (2 Corinthians 12:1-10) but Paul understood why. He says: “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud” (2 Corinthians 12:7b NLT). Pride is so dangerous that God was willing to apply desperate measures. We need to give the danger of pride the same respect.
3. Lack of accountability
Most high profile leaders are lonely people. This is true for a number of reasons. There is a degree of loneliness that is inherent in the leadership role. This is compounded by a high degree of individualism that still exists in much of Christendom. “The truly anointed leader has God. Who else does he or she need?” The Bible insists that we need the nurturing that comes from our relationship with God and with others. Paul tells us to “… encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT).” Of course the successful leader may think that injunctions like the above are just for ordinary folk and not for them.
It is not difficult for high profile leaders to be deprived of relational accountability. After all, if you have been mightily used by God, who is going to look you in the eye and ask “do you spend quality time nurturing your relationship with God? How is your relationship with your spouse? Children?” People will assume that you must be ok. They put you on a pedestal, and often discourage you from stepping off even if you want to. The first time they find out you are hollowed out is when you fall.
We all need safe relationships where we can attempt to show our true selves, relationships where we are known as ordinary folks, human, leaders with clay feet. Yet for one reason or another, many high profile leaders function without such relational safety nets. And it is a long way to the bottom.
[rb_divider] [/rb_divider]So why do high profile leaders fall? Here are three possible reasons — fatigue, pride, and the lack of accountability. I hope we will be gracious when a leader falls. It could be the most teachable moment of his or her life. Handled well it could be a key turning point in the leader’s life and ministry. Still, leaders or not, we all should aim at leading healthy lives that minimise the chances of our falling. And so on a regular basis we ought to be asking ourselves:
Are we living lives that reflect a healthy rhythm of work and sabbath? Do we have a clear picture of who we really are before the Lord, that from beginning to end we are sustained by grace? Are we humble? Are we following Christ in the company of friends who will keep us honest?
Prevention is better than cure.