For those who have been trying to keep up, the most recent details about the Ted Haggard scandal can be found at the following websites.

The press release from the leaders of New Life Church where Haggard was pastor is at: http://www.coloradoconfidential.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=945

The statement from Ted Haggard's wife on the entire matter can be found here.

The statement of repentance from Ted Haggard is here.

The Christianity Today article is at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/novemberweb-only/144-58.0.html

There is much to be learned in all of this.

1. Like 1 Timothy 5:24 says, some men's sins are out ahead of them in plain sight while others trail behind them. In this instance, Haggard's sin finally caught up with him after his admittedly many years of battling in shame and secrecy. This is a wake-up call for all Christian leaders to be open and honest about sin and temptation before it ends up in a similar scandalous scenario.
2. The leaders of his church are to be commended. They acted swiftly but not hastily. They wisely brought in outside counsel, obeyed the Scripture's command to do nothing out of 'partiality or favoritism' and by all accounts are to be commended for doing a good job in a difficult situation.
3. Gayle (Haggard's wife) and their five children need all of our prayers as they are undoubtedly suffering greatly. In this we see that, as the head of their homes, men are either a blessing or a curse to their families; the question is not if we will implicate them in our life, but only whether it will be for their joy or sorrow. Contrary to some who misrepresented my prior blog, Gayle is in no way responsible for the sin of her husband and by all accounts seems to have been a lovely and devoted wife.
4. This is a good opportunity for every Christian leader to revisit the biblical qualifications of our office. There are two primary places where the Bible defines the qualifications of an elder (1 Timothy 2:11-3:7; Titus 1:5-9), and the lists are virtually identical. Therefore, to help you understand these qualifications, I will briefly list and explain them from their appearance in Timothy.
   

   1 Timothy 3:1-7 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

17 Qualifications of an Elder-Pastor from 1 Timothy 3:1-7
Relation to God

• A man - masculine leader
• Above reproach - without any character defect
• Able to teach - effective Bible communicator
• Not a new convert - mature Christian

Relation to Family

• Husband of one wife - one-woman man, sexually pure (this does not require a man to be married, as Paul, Timothy, Jesus, and widowed men could qualify)
• Has obedient children - successful father
• Manages family well - provides for, leads, organizes, loves

Relation to Self

• Temperate - mentally and emotionally stable
• Self-controlled - disciplined life of sound decision-making
• Not given to drunkenness - without addictions
• Not a lover of money - financially content and upright

Relation to Others

• Respectable - worth following and imitating
• Hospitable - welcomes strangers, especially non-Christians for evangelism
• Not violent - even-tempered
• Gentle - kind, gracious, loving
• Not contentious - peaceable, not quarrelsome or divisive
• Good reputation with outsiders - respected by non-Christians
5. This is a good time for every church board to evaluate their bylaws and make sure that they have provisions for how to proceed if/when questions or accusations arise against senior leaders. If there is not clarity on how to handle these kinds of situations, precious time is wasted because the church is scrambling to decide how it should act rather than simple acting. The bylaws must also include what Scripture says on the matter, such as:
   • James 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
   • 1 Timothy 5:19-21 ¹⁹ Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. ²⁰ Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. ²¹ I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. (see also Deuteronomy 19:15-19)
6. The entire church gets a black eye from situations like this. The late-night comedians will likely be making jokes for some time. Those who like to point out Christian hypocrisy now have a mountain of rocks to throw. Stepping in to replace Haggard as the leader of the National Association of Evangelicals is Leith Anderson, who pastors a church in Minnesota. Let-s all be in prayer for him. I have had the pleasure of meeting him a few times and found him to be a good man who is now in a very tough situation.