Betrayed by a leader –now what?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
 
A church battles feelings of betrayal, while their former leader battles dark demons. Following allegations and acknowledgement of sexual immorality, New Life <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado made the necessary decision to dismiss Ted Haggard from his position as their Senior Pastor. Haggard also resigned his post as president of the National Association of Evangelicals. The Church and the Haggard family need our prayers.
For the Church, trust has been profoundly violated. The people are confused and reeling. How could their pastor lead them to believe in him only to betray them? Evidently truth wasn't important to him. Instead of telling the truth, he twisted it to serve his own reality. Worse yet, he did this at the expense of those who trusted him. Trusting future leadership will be difficult.
It's never easy being betrayed by those you respect. It's even more difficult to be betrayed by a friend. Jesus experienced this in the deceitful kiss of Judas. Sooner or later, most people experience such disloyalty. Although it hurts deeply to be the victim of lies and duplicity, we must not allow ourselves to become hardened cynics. We should be smarter-but not bitter.
When betrayed, it is wise to reflect on the level of trust we place in human beings. God said, "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength…But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him" (Jeremiah 17:5,7). Human leadership is endlessly vulnerable to failure and only God deserves total confidence. No one should blame the people of New Life if they refused to place themselves under Haggard's leadership again. This is the price of such betrayal. Yet this does not mean they should distrust all leaders. Those who lead this Church in the future will need to offer extra amounts of honesty and transparency because (understandably) trust won't come easily.
To his Church, Haggard acknowledged, "I am a deceiver and a liar. There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life." This man clearly needs our prayers. His wife and children especially need our prayers. Scripture reminds us that, "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him" (Daniel 9:9). We all need forgiveness. And, even though Haggard should not be restored to his position, if he genuinely acknowledges his wrongdoing, he should be forgiven.
 
 
Steven W. Cornell
Senior pastor
Millersville Bible Church
58 West Frederick Street
Millersville, PA 17551
717-872-4260