I don't think the day will come when churches will never have a pastor, spiritual leader, preacher or minister that will not fail or make mistakes. I'm not being a pessimistic doomsayer and I do hope and pray for the best for all pastors worldwide, but even pastors are people after all. There are just too many human pastors and human pastors can be unreliable. I say that because I work in ministry and I am a human being (no I'm not a robot).
But the fact remains that the failure of pastors and spiritual leaders will affect not just them, but also the people around them. I'm not just talking about moral failure that leads to a removal of ministry, but even day-to-day operational mistakes that are just clumsy moves. I have made a lot of mistakes that have hurt the feelings, ministry and relationships of other people and I have repented humbly in front of countless people and in front of God countless times.
But how many of you know that even when we forgive our leaders, the hurt can still remain? Like the old saying goes, you can rectify the mistake but you cannot undo the damage already done. How can we be restored from the brokenness that leaders who fail may often bring?
Know their limitations. As wonderful as your pastor, preacher, or small group leader can be reality is that they are still sinners in deep need of a Savior. Romans 3:23 reminds us that all have fallen short of the glory of God, even your pastors. When we think that they are perfect people ho will always set perfect examples and say the perfect things, we set ourselves up for terrible disappointment.
When we understand their limitations and see them as sinners, we can also easily accept them as people who will also readily need not just your trust, but forgiveness as well. We leaders are terrible wretches just like anyone that need the saving grace of God and forgiveness of people. When Paul instructed in Colossians 3:13 saying, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have with one another," I'm very sure he was speaking to the leaders as well.
Know God's limitations. Apart from knowing the limitations of your pastor, we must also look to the limitations of God. What are His limitations? We all know He has none! Which means that God can do anything our pastors cannot do. When our pastors fail to give you counsel, the Holy Spirit can be your counsellor. When your pastor cannot provide a benevolence fund for you, God can and will provide for you.
So many people feel trapped because they look to leaders to solve their problems. But leaders are many times incapable of solving problems. God however never runs out of solutions and will always help us in every situation and even help us to forgive the limitations of our leaders. When we grow more into our undeniable need for Christ, we will be less affected by grievances caused by leadership.
