Below is one of the best articles I've seen written about the painful implications regarding the pain of divorce among pastor.---Sister Content Woman
This summer, two prominent preaching duos filed for divorce, stunning the evangelic community. Nationally acclaimed TV evangelist Paula White and her husband, Randy White, announced to their congregation last month their plans to split after nearly 18 years of marriage. The Whites are the founders of Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Fla., one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing churches. Paula White is also an author and appears regularly on "The Tyra Banks Show" as a life coach. The Whites' news came on the heels of famed African-American TV evangelist Juanita Bynum Weeks' own decision to file for divorce from her husband, Pentecostal preacher Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, after he allegedly attacked her in an Atlanta hotel parking lot.
Paula White said she knows her followers are disappointed given that evangelical Christians hold marriage as a sacred institution and a cornerstone of a godly life. Randy White acknowledged the couple's announcement would let a lot of people down and predicted that the attendance of the 23,000-member church where the two served as co-pastors "will take a hit."Divorce can also jeopardize a pastor's job. Some denominations, such as the Assemblies of God Pentecostal Church, require that the minister provide just cause for the divorce "before ministerial credentials can continue."
Keith Madsen, in his book Fallen Images: Experiencing Divorce in the Ministry, gives his opinion for such widespread condemnation: "One view is that a minister cannot show any major flaw or failure. The minister has to project the image of a person who has been strong enough to resist the evil with which others struggle."This expectation of perfection is unrealistic and pastors who attempt to portray such an image cause serious damage to the church congregation and the community of faith in their times of personal crisis. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 3:10, "There is no one righteous, not even one."As the White and Weeks families each go through divorce, it is important to remember that their crisis, whether justifiable or not, is no less painful.*
This summer, two prominent preaching duos filed for divorce, stunning the evangelic community. Nationally acclaimed TV evangelist Paula White and her husband, Randy White, announced to their congregation last month their plans to split after nearly 18 years of marriage. The Whites are the founders of Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Fla., one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing churches. Paula White is also an author and appears regularly on "The Tyra Banks Show" as a life coach. The Whites' news came on the heels of famed African-American TV evangelist Juanita Bynum Weeks' own decision to file for divorce from her husband, Pentecostal preacher Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III, after he allegedly attacked her in an Atlanta hotel parking lot.
Weeks is the pastor of Global Destiny Ministries in Duluth, Ga. The couple married in 2002 and co-founded the church in 2006, where Bynum was the "first lady." She is a gospel singer and author. Together the couple wrote the marriage guide Teach Me How to Love You: The Beginnings.No one is immune to divorce, not even pastors, who devote their lives to God and are often the source of wisdom and comfort for couples going through marital strife. Newsweek reports that the divorce rate among pastors is about 50 percent, no better than the national average. The reason most cited for pulpit breakups is the demands of ministry.
For both the Whites and the Weeks, their ministries involved consistent travel and constant commitment to the congregation, which tends to leave little room to build personal relationships. Another reason is evangelic congregations seeking a pastor often prefer married to single candidates, which results in some ministers entering into the marriage commitment prematurely. For clergy, divorce is a dual tragedy affecting both their personal and professional lives. A minister undergoing divorce must contend with divided and disillusioned children, church members, communities and, for prominent pastors, the general public.
For both the Whites and the Weeks, their ministries involved consistent travel and constant commitment to the congregation, which tends to leave little room to build personal relationships. Another reason is evangelic congregations seeking a pastor often prefer married to single candidates, which results in some ministers entering into the marriage commitment prematurely. For clergy, divorce is a dual tragedy affecting both their personal and professional lives. A minister undergoing divorce must contend with divided and disillusioned children, church members, communities and, for prominent pastors, the general public.
Paula White said she knows her followers are disappointed given that evangelical Christians hold marriage as a sacred institution and a cornerstone of a godly life. Randy White acknowledged the couple's announcement would let a lot of people down and predicted that the attendance of the 23,000-member church where the two served as co-pastors "will take a hit."Divorce can also jeopardize a pastor's job. Some denominations, such as the Assemblies of God Pentecostal Church, require that the minister provide just cause for the divorce "before ministerial credentials can continue."Keith Madsen, in his book Fallen Images: Experiencing Divorce in the Ministry, gives his opinion for such widespread condemnation: "One view is that a minister cannot show any major flaw or failure. The minister has to project the image of a person who has been strong enough to resist the evil with which others struggle."This expectation of perfection is unrealistic and pastors who attempt to portray such an image cause serious damage to the church congregation and the community of faith in their times of personal crisis. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 3:10, "There is no one righteous, not even one."As the White and Weeks families each go through divorce, it is important to remember that their crisis, whether justifiable or not, is no less painful.*
Courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune By Corey J. Hodges
