I have had the privilege of serving on three church staffs, one of which was with Pastor Dr. Charles Stanley. He was among the most humble and Godly men I have ever met. I felt that, through the Holy Spirit in my life, I could find another church just as filled with the Holy Spirit as that one when we moved.

About ten years ago, we were drawn to the leadership, teaching, and community of one of Dallas-based Gateway Church’s campus churches. Each visit was a spiritual experience, a testament to the presence of the Holy Spirit in that place. We didn’t just volunteer; we became part of a family and met some of our dearest friends there.

This month, it was discovered that our Senior Pastor had a moral failure that had been handled inappropriately thirty years ago. In other words, he should have been made to step away from preaching. His sin had been covered up rather than exposed, and though we are called to forgive, to date we have not seen any true repentance.

Now, this church is in a state of determining what to do next: the pastor has resigned and the reputation of this church, as well as every Christian church, is now under scrutiny. We are in a fog of confusion and despair.

What do we do now? We focus on Jesus. The church is the body of Christ, not one man or one preacher.

When the Philistines killed King Saul and his three sons, Israel was in a horrible place. Their king was dead, his family was decimated, Israel’s army was shattered, and the nation had lost part of its territory. Worst of all, the name of the Lord had been dishonored (I Samuel 31:8-13).

The grief the people expressed in the subsequent fast was genuine. All of Israel could rightly share in it. King Saul’s sin and rejection of the Lord’s will brought destruction and shame to the whole kingdom. The nation had reached a low point that only God could lift it out of. As it turned out, He was prepared to do just that through another king, one who was a ‘man after his own heart’ (I Samuel 13:1), King David, and later his own son, Jesus.

God is never surprised by men’s ways. God is on His throne and always in control. We may never know why things occur, but we must never forget that all we need to do is lean on God and trust Him.

Action Plan

We are now asking ourselves, “How do we move forward?”

First, we follow our God, the Shephard, who cares for His bride, the church.

We focus on the path God has laid down for us, not a particular person. We must spend time confessing any known sin and asking God for forgiveness. We must stay in community with other believers, helping and building each other up.

We need to remember what God promised us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God will stand with us as we navigate this season of great sadness.

God also knows we are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. We have been following our pastor’s teaching for years and have been ministered to. So, I claim this verse: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

We must never forget that God is the light in any darkness we may find ourselves in. Stay in God’s light, and you won’t see the darkness! Stay in His light, and we will focus on Him, not the evil in our midst daily.

I pray that whatever darkness you may be in today, you lift your head toward your Father in heaven and dwell in His light.

Manna from Heaven

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. I John 1:5