Are divorced pastors disqualified?

There is an interesting story about a famous senior Baptist pastor. The senior pastor fired an assistant pastor because he was getting divorced. The son of the senior pastor explained to his father that was not the pastor's fault. His wife was leaving him for another man and there was nothing he could do. The senior pastor didn't want to listen and fired the pastor anyway. A few years later the wife of the senior pastor left him and they got divorced. The son of the senior pastor went to his father and said " now you should resign, following your own standard". The senior pastor could care less, he kept his position and authority. It is just a bunch of hypocrisy out there. Sin is just what the other do. We pick the sins we want to accuse other people but we don't look at our own sins.

When the spouse dies, so does the marriage covenant.

I left the Catholic church because i got divorce, my ex wife mistreated and abused me , in the end she asked for divorce and its was a very draining and contentious process. I reach the church for orientation and support , i was a leader in my church, Boys Scout troop , assistant in the sunday bible school, even went to a special seminary for parishioners one day , they remove me from all the leadership positions , they did not gave me a chance to explain , so i left the church and went to a Christian protestant church, i attended for 5 years , one day the pastor of that church asked to read the lectures of that sunday, i remember crying as i was reading the word of God that day , the parishioners thought it was the word of God that moved me to tears, maybe it was, but it was the memory of what I was doing in the Catholic Church I attended since childhood. I was offered the post of assistant pastor, and many people objected because I was not married, I explained, (at least they gave me that opportunity to defend myself), that I had already closed that chapter of my life because I married and divorced, Now they don't want me because I'm not married? I left that meeting very disturbed, very sad. I wondered if I really wanted to keep going to church. 2 weeks passed and then I received the news that they gave me the position. Bottom line, you will never be holy enough before humans.

I think this requirement speaks to the prohibition against polygamy. It's perhaps too far of a reach to introduce divorce into the discussion.

Dr. Schreiner, I watch these helpful videos almost everyday. These wise teachings help me to examine scriptures more thoroughly than I would have without watching them. There are many times I tend to make hasty conclusions without seeing the overall scriptural teaching on the marriage. Thank you!

I’m a man who was in the same situation as the circumstances cited in this video. I was married at 18 as soon as I graduated boot camp in a civil ceremony by the local justice of the peace. It was before I was a believer. A few years and repeated significant adultery by my ex-wife later, we divorced. I later re-married and became a Christian. I’ve been in the faith for almost a decade now, I’ve been married for more than ten years to a wonderful Christian woman and we have a healthy and God centered marriage with three beautiful God fearing children. I was recently asked to take a minor leadership role in the church and I had serious trepidation about it. Ultimately, after prayer and contemplation, I concluded essentially what this man in the video argues. I welcome any criticism or disagreement though, and I understand that it comes from a place of genuine care for the well being of the church and society.

Just learning the Bible with You Brother. Well done. God bless You so much.

It's terrible to see a man that I know being denied even the option of ever being a Deacon because of what his ex wife did to him. He is a remarkable respectable faithful man and she cheated on him and left him for another woman's husband. So now the good guy is being, not just victim shamed, but victim punished.

You hit a most vital & viable word: “standard”...What is the character, the standard of living, the integrity of the individual in leadership or who desires to become a leader, and the likes there of 🤔!!!

Very helpful. As always.

Thank you for your circumspection 👌

Finally, someone who has a fair grasp of what Paul actually taught.

It is simy amazing that as a church our view towards marriage and divorce is such that we keep trying to find loopholes to say things are ok. Pretty soon we will be able to divorce for any and every reason. Oh wait.. we are there!!!

I was in divorce court some time back and was observing the hostilities. The petitioner hated the respondent, and the feeling was mutual. They both hated the judge. The judge hated them. The opposing attorneys hated each other and their clients. The conflicts revolved around sharing the children, school permissions for custody/time sharing, interim support, lack of employment and finally hiring experts ordered by the judge! At that time the Spirit of God spoke into my spirit and said now do you see why I hate divorce. I was deeply moved by that word to me. Pastors are not immune from that ongoing ungodliness. I will not ever sit under the teaching of a divorced pastor or teacher.

Divorce is still the unforgivable sin in some churches. What is a man to do with his gift of teaching/leadership/pastoring if his wife wants to leave him? Is he "done" as my brother told me I was, when I was divorced by my wife of 16 years who "had plans that did not include you "? The Gospel is all about reconciliation - which she rejected - and renewal, otherwise why do we teach it? She did not want me so I needed to find how I could use my gifts in serving the Lord. I was asked to serve as an elder for 10 years before I relented - I now serve and also am now also teaching adult Sunday school. I have been remarried for 17 years to a fine Christian woman and we work and serve the Lord - as a new family. One wife at a time. The other thought I have is some of those who have never been divorced seem to feel they have a superior standing with God - while their home life may be hell on earth, they still remain married. I think divorce might be better in some cases - even for Christians and have a n honest life instead of thinking they are fooling God and everyone else.

Thank you for your insight. That the divorce rates in the church today equal that of the world is very troubling. Sadly, I know believers who are on their 3rd and 4th marriages!! Realizing this, the question that I struggle with in opening these crucial leadership positions to divorced men is how would a pastor/elder with a divorce in their past be able to credibly counsel believers Biblically to hang in and work through marital difficulties when they themselves, for whatever reason, were not been able to? It seems to me that there are many areas of service in the church where this qualification does not apply. A man can certainly teach, preach and evangelize without a pulpit.

When you start making these exceptions then you're getting in dangerous territories.

Is it what people say or what the Bible says?? Let's not be looking for people's suggestions when it comes to marriage. It's what God says in the Word of God,the Bible,that stands, period!!

I'm a recovering alcoholic with 3 years of sobriety and now I'm considered one of the leaders of my church

Where can you find in the scripture that you can remarry after being divorce