Would your church accept a divorced pastor

[Salty]

What is the belief of your church

 

[Marcia]

I am not positive about my church, but I would think "not under any circumstances" is probably their view. I agree with that because a pastor has to be exceptional since he is the pastor and a role model.

 

[mcdirector]

I can't answer either, but like Marcia, I'm thinking it would be along the lines of "Not at all under any circumstances."

HOWEVER, we do have a divorced person on staff and in that case, the person was on staff when his wife left him. I don't know the exact reasons.

 

[thegospelgeek]

Not that I agree with the stance, but the answer would be "Not in ANY circumstance"

 

[annsni]

Since we have a pastor on staff who was ordained in our church - and was formerly divorced, I'd say "Yes, in some circumstances."

This man was divorced many years ago before he was saved. He remarried and has been with his wife for something like 25 years and they have 2 sons. He was saved after he was remarried and has been leading the recovery ministries at our church for many years. He's a different man than he was when he divorced - and he's a new creation.

 

[thegospelgeek]

Since we have a pastor on staff who was ordained in our church - and was formerly divorced, I'd say "Yes, in some circumstances."

This man was divorced many years ago before he was saved. He remarried and has been with his wife for something like 25 years and they have 2 sons. He was saved after he was remarried and has been leading the recovery ministries at our church for many years. He's a different man than he was when he divorced - and he's a new creation.

This is what I meant when I said I do not agree with our church stance. I could have been a drunken, drug adict, whoemonger, who shacked up with 20 women and I could be ordained as long as I was converted. But if I was a clean cut, moral man, beyond question in character and my wife abandoned me for no reason and I converted, I could not

 

[Marcia]

Since we have a pastor on staff who was ordained in our church - and was formerly divorced, I'd say "Yes, in some circumstances."

This man was divorced many years ago before he was saved. He remarried and has been with his wife for something like 25 years and they have 2 sons. He was saved after he was remarried and has been leading the recovery ministries at our church for many years. He's a different man than he was when he divorced - and he's a new creation.

Some churches and Christians do not believe it is biblical to get remarried after a divorce if the ex-spouse is still living, even if the person was divorced before being saved.

I'm wondering, Ann, do you think it's okay for this pastor to be a pastor because he was divorced before he was saved? How would you feel if he had been divorced from his first wife after being saved? Not trying to debate since this is a fellowship forum, just wondering about your views.

I may start a poll on this in another forum.

 

[Salty]

I may start a poll on this in another forum.

Please do, I did this one on the spur of the moment, beacuse Matt Black tried to put a poll started on another thread, but encounted a problem.

After I posted this poll, I thought of a couple more answers to put, but...

So Marcia, give us a real good poll:thumbsup:

 

[annsni]

Some churches and Christians do not believe it is biblical to get remarried after a divorce if the ex-spouse is still living, even if the person was divorced before being saved.

Right - but what if that person was remarried before being saved too?

I'm wondering, Ann, do you think it's okay for this pastor to be a pastor because he was divorced before he was saved?

I don't think it's OK that he's a pastor because he was divorced before he was saved - I believe it's OK for this pastor to be a pastor DESPITE him being divorced before he was saved. What happened in his former life means nothing now which we see in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Hey - Paul was a murder of Christians, yet he had quite the ministry after he was saved.

How would you feel if he had been divorced from his first wife after being saved?

Honestly, it would totally depend on circumstances and what the ministry leaders decide. There are a lot of factors that would make it OK in my mind (such as a wife who was unfaithful and left him - a wife who was not saved who left him, etc. - but it would not be recent because there would be spiritual issues that he would have to work through before he could properly lead others) and there are a lot of factors that would make it not OK to me (HE was unfaithful, he was abusive, it was recent, etc.). It would have to be taken on a case by case basis.

Not trying to debate since this is a fellowship forum, just wondering about your views.

I may start a poll on this in another forum.

Yep - no problem. I know this pastor pretty well. He was not only divorced but a drug addict and alcoholic. He had a lot of strikes against him but what a ministry he has now from having lived through is past. He's been faithful to his wife for over 25 years, he's been saved for over 20 and he's faithfully served the Lord as a layperson for many, many years. So I think he qualifies as a pastor.

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

Our church stance is that, according to the Bible, divorce disqualifies a man from the pastorate. That does not mean, however, that he cannot be a preacher, or do any number of other things in the church to serve.

 

[Matt Black]

Even if his wife left him for another man?

 

[Baptist Believer]

I am not positive about my church, but I would think "not under any circumstances" is probably their view. I agree with that because a pastor has to be exceptional since he is the pastor and a role model.

So, do we think God is not "exceptional" when people reject Him?

God divorced the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 3:8), so does that mean God is not "exceptional"?

Obviously not. The reality is that people end up divorced for many reasons. It is certainly possible (and not really that uncommon) that a man might end up divorced from his wife because of her infidelity, her unwillingness to reconcile, her physical abandonment of the marriage (as in leaving her husband and breaking off communication), and her marrying another.

And for those who claim that God thinks the innocent man is still married to the woman who has left him and married someone else, I believe God has a more coherent understanding than that. Otherwise the teaching "What God has joined together let no man to tear asunder" is ridiculous if it was not possible to end a marriage.

 

[rbell]

"case by case" here.

There are several scenarios that are quite different from one another:

• husband & wife have "irreconcilable differences" and split up;
• wife leaves husband several years ago--and it's obvious that he was a victim;
• there's a divorce in the past, pre-salvation...and now pastor (husband) is happily married.

Those are all quite different scenarios from one another. Divorce isn't the unpardonable sin...and there are some scenarios that would concern us much less than others.

 

[I Am Blessed 24]

You are correct. Divorce is NOT the unpardonable sin, however, the divorced man is prohibited from being a Pastor.

You'll have to argue with God on that one. He wrote the Book.

What did Hosea do when his wife left him for another man? Hmmmm. He just might be in the Bible for us to use as an example. Ya think?

 

[Baptist Believer]

You are correct. Divorce is NOT the unpardonable sin, however, the divorced man is prohibited from being a Pastor.

The Bible actually says, "husband of one wife." Nothing about divorce. Many people believe it is a prohibition against polygamy.

You'll have to argue with God on that one. He wrote the Book.

God certainly inspired the scripture, but human beings are trying to interpret it. I don't argue with the God or the scripture, I'm arguing with what I believe to be a faulty interpretation of the scripture.

What did Hosea do when his wife left him for another man?

He extended grace to her... but he had a very unhappy, chaotic marriage.

Hmmmm. He just might be in the Bible for us to use as an example. Ya think?

Not necessarily, unless you think that God wants every Christian man to seek out a prostitute to marry (Hosea 1:2). Hosea was called by God to make his marriage a demonstration of her unholiness and his grace. Certainly by the standards of "ruling his home well", Hosea could not be a pastor.

 

[Marcia]

So, do we think God is not "exceptional" when people reject Him?

God divorced the nation of Israel (Jeremiah 3:8), so does that mean God is not "exceptional"?

Obviously not. The reality is that people end up divorced for many reasons. It is certainly possible (and not really that uncommon) that a man might end up divorced from his wife because of her infidelity, her unwillingness to reconcile, her physical abandonment of the marriage (as in leaving her husband and breaking off communication), and her marrying another.

And for those who claim that God thinks the innocent man is still married to the woman who has left him and married someone else, I believe God has a more coherent understanding than that. Otherwise the teaching "What God has joined together let no man to tear asunder" is ridiculous if it was not possible to end a marriage.

All I'm saying is that I think the standards for a pastor and elders should be higher. The bible itself sets out requirements for these offices and it is clear they have more stringent requirements. Of course, all believers should aspire to a godly life, but I think leaders in the church are held to a higher standard by God since they are leaders.

Also, the passage in James about teachers warns teachers that they are being held to a higher standard.

I am not talking about the average Christian. I realize divorce happens but I do not think a pastor should be divorced, no matter whose "fault" it is.

 

[StefanM]

You are correct. Divorce is NOT the unpardonable sin, however, the divorced man is prohibited from being a Pastor.

This is what troubles me about the whole matter. If, according to the Bible, our sin is removed "as far as the east is from the west," why does this issue still linger forever?

 

[Matt Black]

Because it is in part at least about sexual purity. If one has a man who is divorced and subsequently remarried - other than for adultery by his first wife - then according to Jesus, he is committing adultery (Matt 19:3-9). Now, if you're going to have an adulterer in the pulpit, then why not an openly gay pastor? Same difference...