IFB evangelist dies after cocaine binge

[Jerome]

Mark Forester, a graduate of Tom Malone's 'Midwestern Baptist College', died at age 49 last November.
His widow Andrea tells their story to Pastor Tyler Gaulden of Hillcrest Baptist Church, Lebanon, Tennessee (SBC):

 

[Jerome]

 

[Marooncat79]

Horrible

 

[Armchair Apologist]

Where does an IFB evangelist go in order to find the help he needs? I have seen in this world where one feels pressured to continue to "Play the Game" and to keep the appearances that everything is OK. Many times someone feels "trapped" that this is all he knows and what is going to happen if they were to lose all of this?

Why do so many in the ministry fall into sin? What about the above?

 

[360watt]

Where does an IFB evangelist go in order to find the help he needs? I have seen in this world where one feels pressured to continue to "Play the Game" and to keep the appearances that everything is OK. Many times someone feels "trapped" that this is all he knows and what is going to happen if they were to lose all of this?

Why do so many in the ministry fall into sin? What about the above?

A pastor preaches a sermon, what he preaches is more intensly applied to himself and the congregation. So there can be an issue of cognitive dissonance if they have issues with particular sins.

From experience giving a message, I found the message I gave, I would be thinking on intensly through the week/weeks. Then I would know im more accountable to God with that. Satan will also try to target that area I would be preaching on.

So if it was an area of weakness, and Satan targets it, then you gotta be more armored with the Word and prayer. If you have very little support and am going it alone..that protection mat not last as long.

Thats my opinion

 

[Armchair Apologist]

A pastor preaches a sermon, what he preaches is more intensly applied to himself and the congregation. So there can be an issue of cognitive dissonance if they have issues with particular sins.

From experience giving a message, I found the message I gave, I would be thinking on intensly through the week/weeks. Then I would know im more accountable to God with that. Satan will also try to target that area I would be preaching on.

So if it was an area of weakness, and Satan targets it, then you gotta be more armored with the Word and prayer. If you have very little support and am going it alone..that protection mat not last as long.

Thats my opinion

If you were a Pastor and it was brought to your attention that a member of your congregation was secretly struggling with addiction, would you not want him to come to you for help? Would you not consider such to be towards the top of the list in your "job description?"

This should be a given for anyone who is a member of a healthy, biblical church congregation and I do beleive that most here would agree with this.

But where does (or can) the Pastor go?

This is my point here. I see it as being a major weakness among many "Independent" Baptist Churches where the Senior Pastor is the "Man of God," has little to no accountability to anyone, and is effectively isolated from a Church that ought to be there to lend assistance as needed!

 

[360watt]

If you were a Pastor and it was brought to your attention that a member of your congregation was secretly struggling with addiction, would you not want him to come to you for help? Would you not consider such to be towards the top of the list in your "job description?"

This should be a given for anyone who is a member of a healthy, biblical church congregation and I do beleive that most here would agree with this.

But where does (or can) the Pastor go?

This is my point here. I see it as being a major weakness among many "Independent" Baptist Churches where the Senior Pastor is the "Man of God," has little to no accountability to anyone, and is . isolated from a Church that ought to be there to lend assistance as needed!

Yeah good point..the pastor can be aloof and put on a pedastool by some in the congregation and there is very little help for congregation members who have issues like you say.

Guess there is a place, if you have the capability, to have another pastor or deacon who can take that kind of issues on. Then the main pastor can devote time in the Word. Still be approachable and still willing to assist others..but their plate in not so full.

 

[Armchair Apologist]

Yeah good point..the pastor can be aloof and put on a pedastool by some in the congregation and there is very little help for congregation members who have issues like you say.

Guess there is a place, if you have the capability, to have another pastor or deacon who can take that kind of issues on. Then the main pastor can devote time in the Word. Still be approachable and still willing to assist others..but their plate in not so full.

This is where I admit to having somewhat of an agenda here. I have about 20 years experience among IFB congregations and have seen numerous instances where a pastor or other sort of leader falls into immorality and it seems as if their is no safety net nor is there a means for any real accountability. A pastor (evangelist, missionary, or whatever) is supposed to be perfect and is under pressure to maintain an image of "Having it all together" and may God help him if any "cracks" start to appear!

In most IFB type churches, you have a board of deacons and possibly a board of trustees if the deacons are not filling this role as well. Each of these groups report to a "Senior Pastor" who is regarded as being the "Man of God," the man whom "God speaks to" and to whom God gives the "Vision," and so forth. In larger congregations, there is typically a "Pastoral Staff" who operate in a support role reporting to this Senior Pastor.

Being that it is an "INDEPENDANT" Baptist Church, there is no position above the Pastor. He reports to no one and herein is the weakness of the IFB model.

What I like to see in a church is a "Plurality of Elders" meaning that you have a group of men who meet the qualifications of 1 Tim 3 and lead the church in a collective matter and preferably through unanimous consent. In an eldership model, there the "Elders who Rule" as well as the "Elders who Teach." One of these may serve as the primary "Teaching Elder" or "Senior Pastor" and as far as everyone is concerned, he is the pastor and leader of the church but he is one of the elders, is equal with the elders and with the elders, there is mutual accountability! Among the elders, there are no secrects kept and it is in an environment such as this where one who has some sort of a moral crisis may find help and support! The senior pastor shares his load with his fellow elders and the elders have his back! When a pastor is faced with a hard decision, he does not have to go to the congregation saying "This is what I have decided" and have all the heat come down on him. He can say "This is what the elders have decided" and being an elder, he takes ownership of whatever decision has been made but the rest of the elders are standing right along with him. All in all, I believe this gives a congregation a great deal of stability and keeps a congregation from being so "Personality" driven or whatever.

 

[360watt]

This is where I admit to having somewhat of an agenda here. I have about 20 years experience among IFB congregations and have seen numerous instances where a pastor or other sort of leader falls into immorality and it seems as if their is no safety net nor is there a means for any real accountability. A pastor (evangelist, missionary, or whatever) is supposed to be perfect and is under pressure to maintain an image of "Having it all together" and may God help him if any "cracks" start to appear!

In most IFB type churches, you have a board of deacons and possibly a board of trustees if the deacons are not filling this role as well. Each of these groups report to a "Senior Pastor" who is regarded as being the "Man of God," the man whom "God speaks to" and to whom God gives the "Vision," and so forth. In larger congregations, there is typically a "Pastoral Staff" who operate in a support role reporting to this Senior Pastor.

Being that it is an "INDEPENDANT" Baptist Church, there is no position above the Pastor. He reports to no one and herein is the weakness of the IFB model.

What I like to see in a church is a "Plurality of Elders" meaning that you have a group of men who meet the qualifications of 1 Tim 3 and lead the church in a collective matter and preferably through unanimous consent. In an eldership model, there the "Elders who Rule" as well as the "Elders who Teach." One of these may serve as the primary "Teaching Elder" or "Senior Pastor" and as far as everyone is concerned, he is the pastor and leader of the church but he is one of the elders, is equal with the elders and with the elders, there is mutual accountability! Among the elders, there are no secrects kept and it is in an environment such as this where one who has some sort of a moral crisis may find help and support! The senior pastor shares his load with his fellow elders and the elders have his back! When a pastor is faced with a hard decision, he does not have to go to the congregation saying "This is what I have decided" and have all the heat come down on him. He can say "This is what the elders have decided" and being an elder, he takes ownership of whatever decision has been made but the rest of the elders are standing right along with him. All in all, I believe this gives a congregation a great deal of stability and keeps a congregation from being so "Personality" driven or whatever.

Yeah..the ideal would be a core group with the pastor to meet and plan, hold each other accountable etc.. with the elders there. Some ifb churches have that. Still one local church..but with that core leadership group