A Pastor's Failings, Pt. 2

Last week I began a recurring feature here on the Desperate Pastor blog, confessing some of my failings as a pastor and leader in the church and (I hope) by doing so, encourage other pastors not to feel alone and not to make the same mistakes. Or not to make them again. Or not to make them as BIG as I did.

So here's number two. Titus 3:10-11 (NIV) says,

Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

Ouch, right? Who does that? Sometimes it seems that the only pastors who do that are on a power trip, or equate disagreement with them personally with divisiveness in the church.

Still, one of my great failings as a pastor over the years has been failing to lovingly but firmly correct and warn divisive people in the church. I have repeatedly avoided conflict and let contentious people continue their divisive activities. And I have paid for it. So have the churches I have pastored. Lord, have mercy.

(photo illustration by Metassus)