The lead pastor of a distinguished evangelical church in Texas introduced an indefinite depart of absence Sunday as he made a tearful confession to his congregation about a web based relationship with a girl who was not his spouse.
The announcement from Matt Chandler, the lead pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, northwest of Dallas, comes amid ongoing controversy inside his church’s bigger denomination, the Southern Baptist Conference. Earlier this month, leaders of the denomination revealed that a number of of its main entities are under investigation by the Justice Department within the wake of multiple problems related to clergy sex abuse.
Chandler stated the connection with the lady was not “romantic or sexual,” however “unguarded and unwise” and he “fell quick” of his function as a church elder.
He stated an investigation began earlier this 12 months, however didn’t present many particulars.
“A number of months in the past a girl approached me right here within the lobby. She had some considerations for the way I used to be DMing on Instagram with a pal of hers. I didn’t suppose I had executed something fallacious in that,” he stated. He famous his spouse, and the husband of the lady he was messaging, knew about their correspondence.
Chandler stated he instantly flagged the lady’s considerations to the church elders and his spouse. The elders of the church commissioned an unbiased regulation agency to conduct a assessment of his messaging historical past on social media, his cellphone and electronic mail.
He instructed his congregation that the considerations concerning the relationship “had been actually about frequency and familiarity,” which performed out within the type of “coarse and silly joking, some unbefitting of my function right here as a lead pastor.”
The assessment discovered Chandler’s language wasn’t “applicable” for a pastor. The elders discovered that he violated inner social media use insurance policies and failed to fulfill the church’s commonplace for elders to be “above reproach.”
The assessment additionally discovered that the interplay with the lady was a singular case and never half of a bigger sample, Josh Patterson, the opposite lead pastor of The Village Church, stated after Chandler spoke.
The elders decided that his habits was not “disqualifying of an elder” and “didn’t rise to a stage that may warrant extra extreme self-discipline,” Patterson stated.
Thus it was concluded Chandler would take a “disciplinary” and “developmental” break from the pulpit, “which permits him time to give attention to rising higher consciousness on this space,” Patterson stated.
“If I am trustworthy, I am actually embarrassed. I really feel silly. Really feel dumb. Really feel like I am embarrassing my spouse and youngsters, placing a ton of stress on our workers, really feel like I am falling quick for you,” Chandler stated.
“However the Phrase of God holds me to a sure commonplace and I have to reside into that and I really feel quick. I’m apologizing to my household, to you, to all these concerned on this scenario,” he continued.
In a press release, the church stated the timeline for Chandler’s return “can be dictated by the expectations the elders have laid out for his improvement.”
Chandler grew to become pastor of First Baptist Church of Highland Village in Texas in 2002, which later grew to become often called The Village Church.
The Village Church’s Flower Mound web site attracts a crowd of about 4,500 attendees, in line with The New York Times, and has planted a number of church buildings in state.
Chandler married his spouse, Lauren, in 1999 and so they share three youngsters, in line with the church’s bio.
He stated he plans on remaining related with the church, saying on the prime of his announcement he plans on being the pastor there for the following 20 years.
