In my upcoming book, “Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration in a Broken World,” I answer a lot of questions about ministry failure. But there’s one question I stayed away from: “Should a fallen pastor be put back into the pulpit and be allowed to preach again?”

In the book, I interview eleven ministers who fell from the ministry due to moral failure. Several of them are pastoring again. The fact that they are can be attributed to several things. First, they went through an intense restoration process. Secondly, the church or denomination they serve decided they were at peace with having them pastor again. Third, these men were able to see the call of God in their life as a thing that did not go away once they fell.

This is a huge issue within the church. Those of a more conservative stripe say a minister who commits adultery should never be restored to the pastorate. The argument typically falls along biblical lines. The guidelines for an overseer in 1 Timothy 3 are that an overseer in the church should be “above reproach.” Once a minister has committed adultery, he has violated the trust of the church and is no longer deemed worthy of the office.

This passage also says the overseer must be able to manage his household well, not quarrelsome, well thought of by outsiders, respectable, the husband of one wife, hospitable and self-controlled. It is a serious thing to desire to be an overseer. It is not to be taken lightly and those who desire and are called should understand the weight of it.

Then, there are those who believe that a fallen pastor can enter back into the ministry. Of course, they understand that those who desire to do so must be repentant and restored to Christ. The main argument is also a biblical one. It comes from Romans 11:29:  For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. The argument is that God has granted gifts to people and even if they sin, they still have gifts.

Honestly, I still don’t know where I stand, but I’d like to look at some objections, then tell you how things work out in life.

The first argument is that those who serve are held to a high standard. Those who argue that even after a fall a man is worthy of serving argue against it like this: “The qualifications for overseer are listed as patterns for life. Overseers should have those things be true about them as a rule of life. If those were a hard and fast rule, without grace, then Peter never should have been given the chance to be a leader in the early church because he committed the sin of denying Christ. All sin is worthy of separation. Yes, the bible holds leaders at a high standard, but it is to be measured against grace.”

Then there’s the argument against the second position. “Yes, the gift is still there, but that doesn’t mean someone is still worthy of serving in certain capacity. God does forgive fallen leaders, but He has high standards of leadership. Moses is an example of that. After striking the rock, he wasn’t allowed to enter the promised land. Fallen leaders are still precious to God and can still find other ways to minister other than leadership positions.”

It’s tough, isn’t it? I am resolved in this. God’s grace is much more abounding than many are willing to grant. I’ve had pastors look me in the eye and basically tell me that I shouldn’t even pray in public ever again. I know people who believe that fallen pastors should sit in the back pew for the rest of their lives and never make eye contact with God-fearing people ever again. These people are far and few between, but they can feel like the majority.

Christ’s voice is clear in the Gospels. He restores sinners. In the face of the religious majority, he picks people up and stands them on their feet. Does this mean we should put fallen pastors back in the pulpit? No, but it does mean that as Christians, we should be the first to seek them out and love them, seeking to show them love.

Now, for my pragmatic argument. I hate the word “pragmatism” because it has a stigmatism. The churches I have seen that have placed repentant, restored fallen pastors back into the pulpit have been blessed. They took a chance. It was up to each congregation to make a decision based on their own personal convictions, but they were blessed.

I can tell you this as well. When I’ve been able to preach at churches about my fall, my adultery, my sin, I’ve been able to reach and minister to people like I never could before. My preaching was overcome with a new level of understanding about grace, empathy, compassion and forgiveness. When I preach now, I can almost guarantee that after I’m done, I’ll be approached by someone who wants to confess their own sin of adultery or moral failure.

The people who talk to me tell me, “I could never have told my pastor. He wouldn’t understand. I feel like you have a different kind of heart.” Yes, I do. Not because of anything I’ve done, but because Christ took my mess and made a message out of it. He took my crooked little heart and made it into a tool for him.

Where does the fallen pastor belong? That’s a decision for each church to make after he goes through a restoration process. I do know this – he does not belong on the trash heap of society. He belongs among the rest of God’s people, receiving compassion, participating in worship, and sharing in His grace.