Would I do this again, the same way? No. I’ve learned a lot and I’m learning still. Would I love to see our churches work out a better way of doing this moving forward, for the glory of God and the good of ministers and their families? Good grief, yes. It’s time to run to our wounded, not away from them.

Should we have hired Tullian in the first place? In my opinion, yes and no.

I’ve long thought that American evangelical churches do a generally abysmal job caring for their “fallen” pastors. We drum them out of service; clear the books; and move on. Don’t tell me that it doesn’t happen. I’ve seen it. Heck, I’ve participated in it.

Jesus didn’t do that. After Peter’s three-fold denial, he sought after him and worked to restore him. He went after Doubting Thomas, and reassured him back into service. He went after the deserting disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Now, I know that a trait of our often hyper-cerebral clergy can be a contrarian spirit. Sure, some will scour their commentaries, torture the nuances of Greek words, and survey church history all in an attempt to shield us from the inconvenient truth: Jesus was scandalously generous toward his ministers who, after falling, confessed and repented of their sins. These attempts fall short. Jesus is a relentless and at times even seemingly reckless shepherd.

So, in one sense, yes. I think it was good and right to risk rescue and give Tullian a seat at the table. His position was all behind the scenes. He didn’t function in any way, shape, or form in the function of a pastor. He had no oversight of members. His position functioned as a sort of sabbatical, a way in which he could provide for himself, his now ex-wife, and his children. We wanted to free him to pursue repentance through counseling, reflection, and rest. We wanted to help him provide for his family.

However, and with all of that in mind, I freely confess that I’m still far from the expert on how to pursue and accomplish rescues of this sort. In the rush, I made a colossal error in giving him a title when he came to Willow Creek. I screwed up. I owned it then. I own it now. I remain regretful of that. It created the unfortunate and distracting impression that he was functioning in some kind of ministerial capacity at Willow Creek. He wasn’t.

Now, I’ve been around long enough to know that this won’t satisfy those who pride themselves in a clean uniform more than a grass-stained victory. I don’t care. I’d much rather risk the rescue of a drowning man than sit safely on the beach commenting on all the ways the guy could have and should have avoided drowning in the first place.

So, in the last analysis, would I do it again? Yes. A thousand times yes. I love Tullian. A lot. Sure, I kind of want to punch him right now, but only like two brothers duking it out in the backyard and then coming in for supper. Would I do this again, the same way? No. I’ve learned a lot and I’m learning still. Would I love to see our churches work out a better way of doing this moving forward, for the glory of God and the good of ministers and their families? Good grief, yes. It’s time to run to our wounded, not away from them.

Source. Kevin Labby is the pastor of Willow Creek Presbyterian Church in Winter Springs, FL.