Matt Chandler is back in the pulpit after taking a break due to offensive statements.
Texas pastor Matt Chandler entered the stage again on Sunday after finishing a restoration plan that had been approved by elders and that had been in place since August, when he had taken a leave of absence due to “inappropriate” social media messages with another woman.
According to a Dec. 1 statement from Village Church elders that was published online by the Roys Report, “We demanded a lot of Matt, including time spent in study and prayer, personal reflection, and numerous intensives with trustworthy outside experts.” “Matt has complied with all requests in a meek, unwavering, and humble manner, and we have gotten praise from all parties.” His position has always given us hope, and it still does.
Chandler, the lead pastor at the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, had exchanged messages that “were not romantic or sexual in nature” but that “crossed a line” due to their “frequency and familiarity,” the elders said in August. The elders did not believe the behavior rose “to the level of disqualification,” they said in August. Still, the elders added, “we do hold elders to a higher standard of behavior.”
Chandler preached on Sunday.
“To humble ourselves before a living God gives us a shot at peace,” he said, according to Christianity Today. “I’ve got a part of this I’ve got to own. It might just be 1 percent, but that’s my 1 percent. Forgive me. Now we’ve got a shot at reconciliation.”
The restoration plan was developed, according to the church elders’ statement dated December 1, “based on thorough reading of the Scriptures, much time spent in prayer seeking the Lord’s guidance, and with the input of other leaders in the church.”
December 2 marked Chandler’s 20th anniversary at the church.
The elders stated, “Even though we didn’t set this as a target date for Matt’s return, we didn’t think it was proper to postpone Matt’s homecoming so that it wouldn’t coincide with the anniversary.” When the objectives were achieved, we chose to stick to our original plan for Matt to return, and we celebrated the timing’s lovely serendipity.
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