When Pastors and Elders Sin

Last week, Jonathan C. Roberts, the former pastor of St. Stephen AME Church on Main Street in Hardeville, SC. and the secretary were arrested and charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the church over a two year span. The Hardeeville Police said, "$56,000 was in the church account and after two and a half years, just two thousand was left." This information became available when the church's new pastor and a committee reviewed the finances in February.

Even though, Roberts has stepped down as pastor, he is still a presiding elder for Beaufort County in the 7th District AME Church of South Carolina. Being an elder allows Roberts to continue to oversee the activities of the church he stole from. Roberts should not be allowed to hold any office in the church. To allow this man that has shown no remorse sets a bad precedent (which is reflected in his mug shot above). Members should revisit the instructions laid out for the requirements for an elder/bishop and other scriptures on discipline:

1 Timothy 3:2-3

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  ³Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

  Church discipline (Matthew 18:17). When a believer refuses to turn from sin, we are not told to overlook it or to forgive them but to bring them before the church. If they will not listen to the church, then the church must remove them from the fellowship.

Even though, at this point his repentance has not materialized. Still we treat him with a Christ-like attitude. Using love and good deeds, we are always attempting to draw back to a biblical lifestyle those who have strayed.

At the same time, we are not to socialize or fellowship with professed believers living in open, unconfessed sin I Corinthians 5:9-13 . We are not to associate with Roberts.  Our refusal to fellowship with Roberts should not be an act of hatefulness, we are exhibiting an unloving attitude and denying the principles found in Romans 12. But, if in obedience to I Corinthians 5 we separate from him, the very act of refusing fellowship is an effort to bring him to reconciliation with God and the members. While these efforts to win back our brother may very well be misinterpreted as unloving, nevertheless, they are in accordance with Scriptures and may prove to be a powerful method of drawing him to repentance.

If, by God’s grace, Roberts comes to repentance, we are commanded to forgive. We are not to hold him at arm's length, avoid him. We are to forgive and restore fellowship (but not as an elder).

But what if reconciliation does not happen? What if no rebuke takes place and church discipline is not administered? What if Roberts refuses to admit that he sinned? Has he gotten away with stealing from God? No! A much worse thing happens if he refuses do what is right, God Himself gets involved (1 Corinthians 11:30, 31; Romans 12:19). It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God; May we be diligent to help one another walk in holiness before our Lord.