With all the headlines lately about leaders falling to temptation (and paying the consequences), I’ve been really burdened to encourage fellow pastors and church leaders to build safeguards.

The devil’s “top three” temptations are money, sex, and power, and to survive in ministry for the long haul and finish well, you need to build in appropriate protection against each.

I recently led a conference call on “Building Safeguards in Ministry” and over 400 other Senior Pastors joined me.

After that call, I got an email from one pastor in the Church Leader Insights family, explaining his current situation:

Nelson,

I’ve always kept the “rules” of never being alone with a woman who is not my spouse, etc.

Just recently, some of the other businesses that meet in the building where we rent office space, moved out.

This has left only a handful of other tenants, and they are in and out throughout the day.

Because of that, there have been several times where it’s just me and my administrative assistant alone in the building.

All the doors are open, there are lots of windows and someone from the other companies could walk in the building and their office down the hall at any moment, etc.

But again, sometimes it’s just her and I in the same office.

I’m in a quandary as to what to do.

1. I’m not attracted to her in any way, but also don’t trust myself.
2. I need her help – that’s why I hired her.
3. But sometimes it’s just her and I, which I don’t want.

Most of the time, she has other volunteers that come in and help her. Every now and then though, it’s just me and her.

In those instances, would you recommend just telling her not to come in?

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation in smaller churches and/or church plants, but it’s also a dangerous one.

Here’s what I wrote back:

RUN RUN RUN – NEVER BE ALONE WITH HER. Make sure someone is always scheduled to be there.

If the last person is about to leave and she’s the only one there – she leaves with her!!

FIGURE THIS OUT ASAP – YOU ARE LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN FOR MAJOR ISSUES – EVEN IF NOT SIN ISSUES, IT COULD BE QUESTIONABLE ISSUES.

Let me know when this is handled. You are too valuable to have this unsettled.

Nelson

Thankfully, I received a prompt response later that same day confirming that he had made other arrangements.

I have every reason to believe that this pastor has a strong desire to remain pure and finish well in ministry.

BUT I don’t ever want to underestimate the potential of the enemy to use any open door he can to sabotage what God is doing in our churches.

How about you?  Are there ANY issues/potential issues in your ministry that are leaving the door open for temptation?

RUN, don’t walk, to build the safeguards to insure your ministry lasts for the long haul!

P.S. If you missed the “Building Safeguards in Ministry” Conference Call (or want to listen again), you can check out the Limited Time FREE Replay here:

http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/safeguard

And be sure to check out the recommended resources that I shared on the call too!

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.