It is unfortunate that in this day of suspicion you just cannot take a person at his word without wondering if there is not more to the story. Okay, if he is too busy then he has made the right decision.

Busy, certainly, too busy, perhaps?  Could it also have something to do with the fact that he’s very close to the situation?  I understand he’s close friends with Haggard, and he did come out in defense of him when he first denied everything. 

I don’t think there’s any doubt that James Dobson has a full schedule but now that Ted Haggard has confessed to “sexual immorality” and appears to have been having a homosexual affair he’s too busy to help him?  OK.

I actually think that the process should have been handled by his own church, not high profile leaders.  Ted’s sin was against God, his family and his church, Mike Jones and then everyone else who wants to get in line after that.  When a persons church fails to be a part of the restoration process in a persons life both the person and the church lose. 

The Church loses in that they miss the full experience of restoration and forgiveness.  Sin actually does destroy relationships and now instead of being led through a process of humility, biblical forgiveness and restoration.  The church gets an announcement, he’s done, accept him.  But many of those deeply wounded by the sin are not allowed to be a part of the process and this causes mistrust, gossip and people to carry wounds to the next pastor or leader. 

The person loses.  Ted will never fully know the freedom that forgiveness brings to he and his family because he cannot experience it from those he wronged.  Gayle and the kids will not experience the strength and depth of grace and healing within the body of Christ because they did not experience it in their own church family.  The church is amazing when it is led well, there are people in it who say and do stupid things, but when led well I believe Ted’s best hope for full restoration. (not to ministry) is in his church.  It is also the most painful and dangerous place to be restored because the lights are always on. 

Shame makes us hide, it makes us run and sew fig leaves for clothes.  1 John 1 says walk in the light and our fellowship increases.  We say If I walk in the light and you won’t like me.  So when the light comes on I will go away. 

One final though on this.  Many leaders, not just pastors, only believe in the body when it comes to serving.  We do not like to need the body.  I have some friends who lead in a church.  They had a tragedy and went away.  These are people who would have run to support someone in their shoes.  I asked them why they went away and their response was it was too hard to be there.  I asked if this was a double standard.  You want to give to the body and to people in need but you place yourself above the body when it comes to receiving care because of pride and shame.  (not always the reason but it was this time) Just my odd thinking

May I ask, beside a restoration in his relationship with Christ his family and friends, who else is Ted going to be “restored” with?  Do you see him back in a pulpit after this and should he be?

Leonard,

You have a point here.  Restoration really does involve seeking the forgiveness of those we have hurt, and having another pastor read the letter you should have read doesn’t cut it in my book.

Pastor Al

I really disagree Leonard, that forgiveness and restoration needs to include Haggard staying in the church, even as a member.  He was the “larger-than-life” founding pastor.  His shoes will be very difficult to fill.  Having him around would be terribly unfair to the new guy.  I’ve only known it work on rare occasions and that when the departure of the previous pastor was a celebration (like a retirement).  Even then there are plenty of stories of when it didn’t work.  The new guy will have to live with and lead a congregation that, although not maliciously, will be constantly comparing him to Haggard.  This extremely difficult situation would be nearly impossible if Ted and Gayle are always in the shadows. 

Restoration and forgiveness is important, but so are all the future kingdom assignments the Lord has for New Life.  I’ve learned from experience that one of the best ways to get past a particularly painful season is to immerse myself in something that is completely NOT about me (I think that’s bad grammar).  Same is true of a church.  A good part of the healing will be engaging in ministry that is tremendously outward focused, watching and celebrating new birth and transformation in a renewed way, reveling in way the Lord uses their church powerfully to draw people to the cross.

This IS NOT to even slightly suggest that New Life has been inward focused up to now.  It’s just to say that now is a time to be intentionally and especially outward focused.  That will be very difficult to do with the Haggards in their midst, reminding them of their loss and the pain that went along with it. 

I’m sure that there are some people reading who consult with churches that face pastoral transitions.  I’d be curious to hear from them.

BTW – there is a great article by Gordon MacDonald about the issue of restoration in this weeks “Leadership Weekly” (Leadership Journal) http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2006/cln61106.html

MacDonald knows about falling from leadership because of personal sin and about restoration.

Wendi

I don’t get it.  What is this restoration process?

Haggard is a practicing liar and deceiver by his own words.  He’s been embroiled for years in an abominable lifestyle.  He was caught at it.  The author of the book of Hebrew’s would probably say he has “trampled underfoot the Son of God”, and “insulted the Holy Spirit”, just like we all have at times.  Do you restore the man somehow and if so to what?  The man is what he is.  Forgiving a penetant Ted Haggard should not be difficult for most of us fellow sinners but he is who he is and it’s most likely he will remain who and what he is for a long time, and as such, I would respect him the most as a brother if he would somehow keep a low profile and simply teach the bible somewhere to the glory of God, out of sight, and try and attempt to continue to grow up into Christ.  Ted Haggard’s role now is inescapably to be who he is.  Or who he’s chosen to be.  If he understands his service to Christ, in my opinion, he will attempt to find a job to support his family, possibly eventually even in an assistant pastorship of some kind, and be available to all who would like to study the bible with him, if there are any.  Sure, maybe he can show Christ’s restorative powers at work during the years to come, in his heart, but he presently is who he is and has huge work to do to if he hopes to grow up in Christ to the point where he can give others any more than superficial or artificial guidance in the power and application of God’s word to their life.  Is this restoration process to restore him to church membership?  It seems to me it’s likely to be simply to restore his own pride and that of those associated with him.  I think to trample on the Son of God, so to speak, as publically and flamboyantly as he shows he is able to should indicate to him that his is not a public calling.

But let the restoration commitee and the public relations circus begin.

...or maybe this time.  Slow learning curve here.

Todd said:

“Haggard is a practicing liar and deceiver by his own words.”

True, Todd, but have you considered the possibility that those whom you hold so dear in ministry my be as well?

Ted effectively kept this under wraps for YEARS before the truth came out.  I’m convinced that there are many more Ted Haggards in pulpits today...and some may be yours and my ministry friends.

Peter said:

“I don’t think it’s wise, loving, or scriptural to assume the worst about people, do you?”

Thank you Peter for your response.

My point in my post concerning Todd’s statement is that I felt he was being very judgmental without acknowledging at least the possibility that some of his buddies in the circle in which he runs may be guilty of what Ted is.

I would guess that a larger than thought percentage of “leaders” are probably just like Ted except they haven’t put it in their “own words.”

Leonard,

To add my previous statement I just read another article which talked about Overseer Board member Larry Stockstill’s comments when he read Haggard’s letter.  He said, “the board decided that they would help the church to recover, but that they would not be involved in Haggard’s counseling.  ‘ We have decided that we cannot possibly help you and help Pastor Ted like we should at the same time,’ Stockstill told the congregation. “ Maybe once they get leadership issues squared away and some counseling takes place, they may be able to help Haggard.  Also in his letter, Haggard stated that they would never return to leadership there and that he and Gayle would be gone for a while.  I guess that could be imply that while he may not return to leadership, that his return to the church family will happen at some point in the future.

I am amazed as I read your posts about forgiveness and restoration.  Most of you have apparently never been a part of such a Biblical process.  Any who have should have responded to these posts.  I have and am now responding.
First, Galatians 6 should remind us all that we need to watch out for ourselves “considering the ever present possiblity of our own temptation” so that this does not happen to us too. 
Second, the goal of discipline is restoration.  Restoration for a minister involves restoration to ministry.  In my experience, it did not mean restoration to the position previously held in a church.  But it did mean restoration to the same position after the process had been gone through that was required by those doing the counseling and guidance.
Third, the local church should be the ones to celebrate Pastor Ted’s restoration.  I believe the most moving moment in my ministry of over 40 years was when a brother in Christ was brought before his peers and prayerfully and with great rejoicing given his credentials back after submitting to the process required of him.  So while Pastor Ted’s church is not involved in the initial process, I pray that they will have the joy of being a part of the final outcome.
Fourth, all of us need to exhibit God’s grace toward him, toward one another, and fulfill God’s admonition of Ephesians 4 - to forgive as God in Christ has forgiven us.
The best thing we can all do is pray for everyone affected that they will all be healed of the hurt this sin has caused.

Any mention of restoration in the bible refers solely to restoration of fellowship with the rest of believers.  All believers would gladly restore him to fellowship given his desire to continue to grow as a Christian with them in the body of Christ.  But as someone practicing things for years and then professing something else he cannot be allowed back into a position of leadership.  He’s more than shown he does not have any regard for the standards spoken of in the bible.  What do we tell others the ext time Ted is caught in glaring hypocrisy?  We would have to tell them we have no regard for the biblical requirements of a leader.  We would have to tell them that our leaders don’t really have to believe and pursue what they say Christ can do inside of a person, but rather as long as that person looks and sounds good he can be a leader in spite of Christ’s powerlessness over his own heart.  Such a person would not only be useless to show Christ to others in himself anymore, after demonstrating the powerlessness of Jesus in a professing Christian leader, but instead provide others a so-called leader to pattern themselves after in order to excuse their own behavior.  That’s steering people away from the strength Christ’s knowledge and wisdom, and what He has told us His Spirit in us has to offer.  That is were Haggard’s self control is readily avalable from and instead he’s made a mockery of it.

Get past the forgiveness generalities.  He has that from hopefully all Christians.  Get some biblical support for all of your restoration theories though.  If he desires to be restored to the Christian body of fellowship then who is going to turn him over to satan?  Not many I would guess.  But there are many who would like to be protected from and protect others from this brother posing as a leader in Christ and causing many to stumble.  Many to give up on and never find the power of Christ’s gift in themselves, nor the gift’s and fruit of His Spirit, therby possibly causing many of them never to come to know it.  Read in Timothy why these traits in our leaders are so important as well.  And then let’s follow them, without adding any of our own.  Or manufacturing any restoration theories of our own to suit our own ideas of sympathy.

I wouldn’t even blame his own church for asking him not to come back into fellowshp with them for a good while until they can get some better counsel and begin to understand why they feel so devastated and betrayed.