Leadership

I lost count of how many times I've seen it happen.  Eventually someone in church leadership somewhere is going to fall from grace.  Should we be surprised when this happens?  I would say no, as we are all born into sin and everyone eventually fallls short, even pastors and church leaders.  Still, we remain shocked when a church leader does fall short.  Of course, it's been my assumption for some time that our modern day society rather enjoys seeing celebrities and people in leadeship positions fall into scandals.  That's just the state of the world around us as we know it.  So, knowing this, why would someone even aspire to leadership in the church?  If it's understood that many of the decisions you make will be under a microscope of scrutiny, then one may be better prepared I'm thinking.
People, be it in church or not, look to those in leadership for guidance and a sense of stability.  A few of the catch phrases from the 1960's protest movement were "Don't trust anyone over 30,' and "question authority!"  Whatever side of the political aisle you're on, we all have pretty strong feelings of what was the turmoil of the 60's.  However, something interesting happened coming out of the 1960's.  The 1970's saw a huge wave of people returning to the church in large numbers.  It's my belief that people were tired of the chaos of the 1960's and were looking for answers.  Think about it, our nation had been exposed to a deadly war in Vietnam, racial tension, political assasinations and a rise in violent crime, something had to give.  Perhaps it was God who nudged his children back in the right direction?  Whatever it was, it worked, for a time.
Scripture gives us pretty good guidelines for those seeking leadership in the church.

This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.  A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence  (For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)
1 Timothy 3: 1-5 NKJV

Sound like a high standard?  It is, but considering the responsibilies of the job, it's warranted.  Those who shepherd Gods flock must be "above reproach."  Their duty is to teach and guide the people.  Now, knowing this, remember that we are ALL sinners and fall short of God's grace.  The list of requirements given to us in first Timothy may seem to some to be unatainable.  There is a saying I've heard somewhere that holds true in this situation, "Heavy weighs the head that wears the crown."  Along with the behavior and moral standards of a church leader comes the responsibility of shepherding Gods people.  THAT is a huge undertaking for anyone.

~Scott~