Ministers do not serve their people well when they equivocate. Few things discourage trust and are more unattractive than pastors who are inconsistent and ambiguous.

When my daughter was a toddler, she expressed interest in becoming a pastor.

She wanted to be like me and that warmed my heart. When my family came to visit during the week, she would climb into the pulpit and pretend to preach. It was cute. I neither encouraged nor discouraged this behavior- I knew her interests were pure and her love for the Lord was sure.

But then she began telling people that she wanted to be a preacher when she was “all grown up”. I began to worry. What will my daughter think when I tell her God’s word prohibits this desire? Will she walk away from Christ? Is there a way for her to preach?

After much vexation and eventually prayer, I sat her on my lap and shared God’s word regarding the pastorate being reserved for men (1 Tim 2:12).

She didn’t bat an eye. She understood immediately. I instructed her that this was all according to God’s design, and that there were many other ways she could serve Christ’s church.

“Ok, daddy” was her response. She smiled, hopped off my lap and went to her room to play. I did not have to defend God’s word or offer any apologetic. I simply told her what God’s word said and encouraged her to think of other ways she could serve.

I tell this story not to beat my own chest but to share a realization I had in that moment: plain speaking is a virtue. That moment taught me that truth spoken plainly is usually less destructive than adults fear—and that pastors often create more confusion by evasiveness than by honesty.

God is a God of truth, and He requires His ministers to speak plainly, forthrightly, in a straightforward and honest manner. Ministers have not been called to beat around the bush, skirt the truth, or dance around the issue.

Ministers must not equivocate. Equivocation is the deliberate use of vague, ambiguous language or shifting definitions to mislead, deceive, or avoid commitment.

For example, instead of telling my daughter the truth, I could have said, “Well honey, some churches allow for women ministers” or “you can teach a Bible study from the pulpit to a mixed audience” or “women can serve in all kinds of ministry positions” (without addressing the issue at all). Those responses would have made the problem worse and my daughter more confused.

Few things diminish a pastor’s credibility more than equivocation. Regardless of where a pastor stands on a particular issue, he must be consistent. Unfortunately, equivocation is something I continue to witness in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

Unseemly Behavior

When I was ordained, our denomination was embroiled in controversy. Everyone was arguing over the moniker “gay Christian”. Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Louis hosted the Revoice conference which had the stated aim of “supporting, encouraging, and empowering gay, lesbian, same-sex attracted, and other gender and sexual minority Christians…”^[1]

The conference was promoted by many PCA elders, including Memorial’s pastor who came out as “gay” the following year.^[2] After considerable backlash, Revoice changed their mission statement to “supporting sexual minorities who uphold the historic sexual ethic”, and began hosting their conference elsewhere. The denomination was told that Memorial’s pastor did not refer to himself as “gay”, while at the same time being published as “gay” by several media outlets.^[3] Whatever explanations were offered, the practical effect was confusion.

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