Develop to Deploy

I rarely find myself surprised anymore. 15 years in pastoral ministry has largely robbed me of the last vestiges of “shock” I should probably experience when a well-known pastor falls morally. But as the text messages from friends all over the country started rolling in about Steve Lawson’s very public fall and subsequent disqualification last week I found myself genuinely stunned. This time it was an “inappropriate” relationship with a woman in her 20’s. Unlike many of the other, far more famous pastor’s who have fallen over the last couple of years, I had met Steve on several occasions. I first became aware of Lawson sometime around 2011 when a friend had shared a link to a sermon he had preached on Ephesians 2. It was clear and powerful exposition. It was deep without being “heady”. It had moments of passionate, pastoral conviction that moved the heart without ever being disconnected from the text itself. Later that year I drove by myself to Mobile Alabama to attend “The Expositors Conference” hosted by Lawson at his church. Al Mohler was the other speaker. I left refreshed and thoroughly convinced that I wanted to give the rest of my life to this kind of preaching. I wanted to be an expositor of God’s Word. After one of the sessions I ran into Lawson in the lobby and enjoyed an unhurried conversation on preaching for 10-15 minutes with him and few other men. I found him warm and approachable. Those two days in Mobile were trajectory setting for me. 

Over the years, like many others, I have benefited from Lawson’s ministry which makes his fall all the more distressing. Make no mistake: Steve Lawson is no victim. He alone is responsible for his sin. This doesn’t mean however, that there are not other factors exposed in this situation that the church at large can learn from. 

A few takeaways:

1. We can criticize the celebrity pastor platform and culture that enables sin like this.The year round travel schedules. The general disconnect from healthy relationships in local churches. And on and on. 5 years of deception and sin did not happen in a vacuum. It was enabled by the lack of accountability that many like Lawson enjoy. 
2. Platform Building Emphasis The truth is we should beware of any pastor who is more preoccupied with expanding a platform than shepherding his local flock. 
3. Refusing to Name Names: We also see the subtle “covering” of Lawson from many who knew him personally. The lack of willingness to even mention his name in the wake of this by some prominent pastors and leaders who were in his orbit, has been disappointing. Being consistent, regardless of who committed the offense matters. 
4. Be slow to criticize his Elder’s: The criticism of Lawson’s Elder Council at Trinity Bible Church has been a bit out of place. As an Elder, I know full well just difficult it is to discern what must be disclosed vs what should not be. Protecting the confidentiality of the young girl who does not have the public platform of a Steve Lawson and anyone else who may have been involved in sharing information with the Elder’s matters too. Time will tell how well those men did in their handling of this. 
5. Not every Pastor falls like this: For every 1 Steve Lawson, whose ministries are lived in the public eye, there are 10,000 faithful men who, while not perfect and often remain unknown, finish the race well. Stop idolizing celebrity pastors and learn to appreciate the pastor’s in your own local church and then pray for them daily.

A year or so ago, a well-known pastor was asked about yet another pastor who had recently fallen. He responded. “Some fall. Most will not”. May the ones who fall always be the exception and never the rule. May every leader in Christ’ church maintain a spirit of humility and self-awareness that says: But by the grace of God go it.