Can a Divorced Man be a Pastor/ Preacher?

Two things:

1-Maybe there is not a Scripture verse that comes out and states that a divoriced man can't be a Preacher and/or Pastor, but Scripture also says that if a man can't rule his own house...

2-Divorice is not a sin? Where does it say that. And particularly in todays divorices!

 

Perhaps you believe that God cannot "rule his own house", or that God is a sinner!

KJV Jeremiah 3:6-8
6 The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of Divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

I agree with you that divorce is awful, but in many divorces the innocent party is no more guilty of any sin than God was in Jeremiah 3. I find your comments carelessly presumptuous and mean. I've lived verse 7 brother and I am thankful that God is more sympathetic than many of my Christian brothers.

Lacy Evans

 

I have read some of the posts in this thread but it is a long thread so I haven't read them all. If this question has been answered, I apologize for repeating it.

What if a pastor has committed adultery with a married (but separated from her spouse member) of his congregation? What if he resigned his position and did not pastor a church for 2 years? What if God has forgiven him and another well known pastor asks him to pastor a church again? What if his wife did not leave him?

 

That's apples and oranges. If a woman commits adultery and they remain married, that is less of an ability to rule one's house than if the woman commits adultery and the husband divorces her because of her adultulterous action (which is biblically allowed).

Divorce is biblically allowable in cases of fornication (adultery) and abandonment. This has already been discussed several times in this thread and others. But no, divorce is not allowable in cases of "we weren't in love anymore", or "we weren't attracted to each other anymore". The simple reason is, we don't get married based on our feelings, so we don't get divorced based on them.

 

5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

I would say that after only two years he should be closely evaluated concerning the bold portions above. Additionally, as has been discussed, "husband of one wife" can also mean "one woman man" which he obviously failed at.

If I had a say, I would oppose such a man with only two years having passed.

 

I'm sorry you took it that way, but I make no apologies for God's Principles.

Yes, God forgives the remorseful and repentive sinner, but still holds the consequenses of that sin to the person.

And in this case of divorcement, the consequnses of this is that he cannot be the head of God's Church. He can still participate and help in the local church, he just can't be the leader.

 

It has actually been 20 years. He did not disclose the affair to the deacons of the church where he is now. He has, however, been formally accused of inappropiate behavior towards two women he was counseling in the past four years. As well as two informal accusations. One of these women has taken a polygraph and passed it. The pastor refuses to take a polygraph.

One of the deacons was replaced with his brother. The brother divorced his wife and has remarried. I found the record of his divorce.

 

I'm sorry you took it that way, but I make no apologies for God's Principles.

Yes, God forgives the remorseful and repentive sinner, but still holds the consequenses of that sin to the person.

And in this case of divorcement, the consequnses of this is that he cannot be the head of God's Church. He can still participate and help in the local church, he just can't be the leader.

[/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]Answer the scripture before you start talking about "God's Principals".


KJV Jeremiah 3:6-8
6 The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of Divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.


I have no use for man's opinions and theories. Is God guilty of "not ruling his house?" Is God a sinner for divorcing Israel?

There is not one verse in the Bible that holds that a divorced man is (always)in sin and somehow "disqualified" from the ministry and the office of a bishop/pastor.

No one answers the arguments! Why doesn't "having once been" a striker, "having once been" given to wine, "having once been" a novice, "having once been" greedy of filthy lucre disqualify a man from the pastorate? Why do you change the tense of and ignore the context of the whole portion of scripture (I Tim. 3) when you get to that single qualification? It is a streeeeech (at best) to insist on the interpretation that "Husband of one wife" means never "having once been" divorced.

You're sorry I took it that way? How sweet.


Lacy

 

I'm sorry you took it that way, but I make no apologies for God's Principles.

Yes, God forgives the remorseful and repentive sinner, but still holds the consequenses of that sin to the person.

And in this case of divorcement, the consequnses of this is that he cannot be the head of God's Church. He can still participate and help in the local church, he just can't be the leader.

[/QB]</font>[/QUOTE]We don't know whether Paul was divorced or widowed, only that by the time he wrote his epistles he no longer had a wife. Yet he led.

There is not a single verse of Scripture anywhere that says a divorced man cannot be a church leader. Scripture seems pretty clear a man cannot lead a church if he is living in adultery (remarriage after divorce), but not that he is disqualified simply for being divorced.

 

Paul was there when Stephen was murdered and it created a martyr complexe for him. As a result Paul wanted to die as a martyr to make amends for murdering Stephen and others and would not accept no as a answer?

Acts 21:10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
21:11 When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.' "
21:12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
21:13 Then Paul answered, "What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
21:14 So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done."

And after David sinned he was not longer greatly used of God but had nothing but trouble and sorrow until his death!

Who says there are no real consequencees for disobying God's word when you should have known better?

Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
10:27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
10:28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
10:30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people."
10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

Bravo! I couldn't agree with you more, Lacy! But you will find many hear who will hold firm to what they want to believe in spite of what the scriptures say!

While there are those here who insist that a pastor's sins (or a particular one) be remembered forever, God says:

For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more." - Heb 8:12 NASB

Thank you God for being more forgiving than some of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!

 

This is true as long as he isn't remarried (and thus living in continuous and unrepentant adultery).

 

A person who has divorced for biblical reasons, and is remarried, is not living in continuous adultery.

 

My church does allow a divorced man or a man married to a divorced woman to be a pastor or a deacon. We feel scripture that says husband of one wife covers this qualification quite well. Because they do only have one wife.

Many believe all sins are forgiven except divorce. Well, we will see in Heaven!!!

I am divorced but woman I was married to ran off with a Deacon and she divorced me.

 

Pastor Sam, do you or do you not now have a wife?

Answer: you do not, because your wife divorced you.

If you marry now, will you or will you have two wives? you will not, you will have one.

You will HAVE HAD two in your life, but you will only HAVE one.

Why is this so hard for some people to understand?

Consider the words of Jesus to the Samaritan Woman, when she said, "I have no husband." He never said "you have five husbands". He said "You answered rightly."

 

Yes I am married. I have one wife and so I am the husband of one wife. The woman I was married to years ago is not my wife.

 

Then she has died.

 

Amen Brother Paul of eugene If all else fails read the Bible!

Lacy

 

Yup, and it's irrefutably clear: whoever is divorced from his wife and marries another is continually committing adultery.

 

Get a life...you guys can even read the English version of the Bible. Maybe you need to find a new profession.