Recently, Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of “The Sanctuary” church in Jupiter, Florida, made a rather shocking post on his X account. He wrote, “10 years ago, I crashed. I cheated on my first wife and lost everything. Some believe such failures permanently disqualify a person from ministry. However, there isn’t a single passage in Scripture that even suggests a universal, lifelong ban for every minister who has fallen.”[1] Many persons responded to Tchividjian, noting that his past sin of adultery had disqualified him from the pastorate according to 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Their replies referred to a 2015 revelation where he had confessed that he had been involved in an extra-marital affair, which resulted in their divorce.
Furthermore, Tchividjian had been removed from the position of senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church by the Presbyterian Church in America after this admission. He could only be returned to ministry after displaying an “eminently exemplary, humble and edifying life and testimony,” according to the PCA’s Book of Church Order.[2] Tchividjian was never restored to that position by the PCA. However, he later remarried and, in 2019, began the “The Sanctuary” in Jupiter, Florida.[3] In recent history, he has made news using and defending foul language in the pulpit. He used similar language when he responded to some of his detractors on X following the post noted above. It is because of the very public nature of his sin and failure to address the church disciplinary process that many people argue that Tchividjian is permanently disqualified from the role.
This argument has resulted in quite a public discussion in online Christian circles. While many agree that Tchividjian is disqualified from the pulpit due to his notable sins, others have tried to argue in agreement with him that there can be no permanent barring to the office. Pastor Gabe Hughes of Providence Reformed Baptist Church in Casa Grande, Arizona, stood firm on the argument that a pastor who commits adultery is indeed barred permanently because he is no longer above reproach.[4] And this is truly the crux of the argument. The issue of being above reproach is the matter that many, including Tullian Tchividjian, have failed to consider concerning the qualifications of a pastor.
The office of bishop, overseer, elder, and pastor is of utmost importance in the life of the church. So much so that God gave the church stringent qualifications for the role through the Apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Paul wrote:
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. [5]
The purpose behind these qualifications was to ensure those who stand before the people to represent God through the preaching of His word are men of good character. It is no trifling matter to lead the flock of Christ in the worship of our Savior. Such a man must be willing to lay aside all personal ambition and become a humble servant of the Lord. It is not his own word he is to preach but the word of God alone. Any man whose character is lacking will be prone to seek his agenda and promote his own self-glorification. Only by being a man whose heart is captive to Christ, thus meeting the qualifications of Scripture, should such a person be considered for the pulpit.
It is important to understand that not only are these qualifications for entering into but also for remaining in the office of pastor. Every man who enters the pastorate must be willing to have his life examined by his fellow elders and members of the church. He is as much accountable to walk in holiness as any other Christian; he is not exempt from confessing and repenting of sin. While no man is sinless, and there is no expectation in Scripture that a pastor must be so, pastors must be willing to receive correction and counsel, even undergoing church discipline if necessary. And, where a pastor openly sins and not only rebuffs correction but refuses any kind of discipline for his sin, he can and should be removed from the office. This is where the very first qualification in Paul’s list is of utmost importance, for any man taking the role of pastor must be above reproach.
The term “reproach” simply means disgrace or insult.[6] Therefore, to be above reproach is to be above the ability to be disgraced or insulted. Yet, this does not give us a complete understanding of what this qualification calls for. John Chrysostom gives us clarity when he writes:
Every virtue is implied in this word; so that if any one be conscious to himself of any sins, he doth not well to desire an office for which his own actions have disqualified him. For such an one ought to be ruled, and not to rule others. For he who bears rule should be brighter than any luminary; his life should be unspotted, so that all should look up to him, and make his life the model of their own.[7]
One who seeks the office of pastor should be a man that others aspire to emulate. If his life and practice disgrace himself and the name of Christ, how can he then inspire others to pursue Christ in righteousness? Likewise, John Calvin writes,
He wishes a bishop to be blameless, instead of which, in the Epistle to Titus, he has used (Tit. 1:7) the word ἀνέγκλητον, meaning by both words, that he must not be marked by any infamy that would lessen his authority. There will be no one found among men that is free from every vice; but it is one thing to be blemished with ordinary vices, which do not hurt the reputation, because they are found in men of the highest excellence, and another thing to have a disgraceful name, or to be stained with any baseness. In order, therefore, that a bishop may not be without authority, he enjoins that there shall be made a selection of one who has a good and honourable reputation, and not chargeable with any remarkable vice. Besides, he does not merely lay down a rule for Timothy what sort of person he must select, but likewise reminds every one of those who aspire to that rank, to institute a careful examination of himself and of his life.[8]
Some sins so hurt the reputation of the pastor, sins which are so debased that the man’s name cannot be disassociated with his actions that his ability to exert any authority over the church is irreparably damaged. When faced with such sins, the man can never be seen as above reproach because his name and reputation are forever tarnished. When that happens, such a man must either be barred from entering the pastorate or be removed (should he be already serving) with no ability to reclaim the mantle. While it is always the desire of the church to bring about repentance and reconciliation with any member of the church, we must honor God’s protection of this role by permanently barring those who have brought reproach upon themselves and the name of Christ.
Tullian Tchividjian and others like him would have the church utterly disregard this most important biblical qualification. Rather than recognizing the pulpit as a sacred duty of a servant committed to the service of Christ, they see it as a personal platform that they deserve to own simply because it is desirable to them. This places their sense of personal fulfillment over and above God’s plan and purpose for the pastorate. They fail to recognize that God has spoken on the issue and limits that position expressly because He calls humble servants who divest themselves of personal gain so that they may make much of Christ. Christians would do well to reexamine the Scriptures on this matter. If we are unwilling to yield our personal feelings so that we feel good about our favorite personalities can take center stage, then we will by no means surrender ourselves to any other matter of holiness that God requires in our lives. As the pastor goes, so does the congregation. Therefore, the pulpit must be protected so that the sheep may learn to be conformed to Christ.
Footnotes:
[1] https://x.com/TullianT/status/1870496030489510043
[2] https://theaquilareport.com/tullian-tchividjian-files-for-divorce/
[3] https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/state/2019/09/08/after-sex-scandal-billy-grahams-grandson-to-start-church/3465171007/
[4] https://x.com/Pastor_Gabe/status/1870693594082038258
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version(Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Ti 3:1–7.
[6] Chamberlain, G., and G. L. Knapp. “Reproach.” Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised. Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988.
[7]John Chrysostom, “Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to Timothy,” in Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. James Tweed and Philip Schaff, vol. 13, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1889), 438.
[8]John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentaries on the Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 76.
This article was also published on X.com.
On June 14, 2022, during the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California, Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church was given the opportunity to speak at the Messengers’ microphone for approximately five minutes (more than any other Messenger at the time). Pastor Warren gave an impassioned statement about his love for the SBC and how being part of the Convention made his many accomplishments possible (a list he was only too proud to share).
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