It begins with a catastrophic event or immoral behavior by a senior leader in a church where the lives of members are forever altered and affected.
Usually, such an event carries with it a sense of betrayal and the violation of the trust of church members and is compounded by false beliefs that encourage people to “forgive and forget”.
“It” is the unexplained and confusing behavior by leadership and congregational members were false rumors, gossip, anger creates a domino effect of additional negative behavior by leaders and members.
Left with conflicting emotions that tap into issues that the individual will have from their own past, emotions ride a wild roller-coaster of disbelief, anger, distrust and confusion. Each individual has a different reaction and experience to the catalyst event and following events as a result of inexperienced leaders who do not know how to resume “activities as normal” after a crisis has occurred.
Do bizarre behaviors really begin with the moral failure? Or was something in motion long before the pastor crumbled in moral failure? What led to his demise? How could it have been prevented? Why do some people react in extreme ways while others brush off the events as though they never happened and happily go on, completely oblivious to the chaos and pain around them?
We’ll be exploring these issues and more through this blog. Drawing from my own personal experiences and those of others that I’ve interviewed or who have volunteered their stories, I invite you to share your own stories and experiences – from whichever perspective you wish to share from.
All comments will be held for moderation to ensure that privacy is maintained for all involved. I look forward to hearing your story …
