Serving in ministry, whether at a vocational or volunteer basis, is both a joy and privilege to all. But in the same breath, it is also a responsibility where qualifications have to be met and standards upheld.
Sometimes those standards are not met, and people are removed from ministry. Some of these people are then left wondering whether they “deserved” to be removed from church service.
I admit that I was once removed from volunteer ministry. I also had the same question in mind at the beginning, but today I have come to appreciate and be grateful for the decision rendered on me. Stepping down from ministry was not just an opportunity for me to repent and turn away from sin but also to focus on my relationship with God without having to be weighed down by the burden of helping others in their walk with God.
There’s No Such Thing as Major and Minor Sin
Not all sins have to become a disqualification for ministry because then no one would be able to serve. Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But that doesn’t mean as well that some sins are heavier spiritually than others. All sins are sin in the eyes of God.
But there can be some sins that may have bigger and more dangerous repercussions than others. The danger of sexual immorality and premarital sex, for instance, has more weight because it grieves you, God and another person in a way that can be harder to mend.
Disqualification as Well as Protection
Often people might view disqualification as a means of “taking out the spiritual trash” and a means of excommunicating members, but that’s just not the case. Disqualification is in fact done for the sake of the offender as well. Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness…”
To step down from ministry is to protect someone from the unnecessary spreading of stories, from further hurting the self by spiritually depriving one’s own spiritual needs and from the treacherous deceit of sin. Disqualification is just as much a sign of love because it’s discipline done to make those who fall better and to help them grow more spiritually.
Rejection in Ministry Is Not Rejection of the Person
People removed from ministry might feel rejected as person, but that’s not necessarily the case. Rejection from ministry, for one, never means rejection from God’s kingdom. We are all accepted by God through faith in Christ and not good works or perfection. Ministry, however, does bear weight because it involves leadership and sacrifice.
When we are caught in painful sin with much weight, it’s often more beneficial for everyone involved to be removed from ministry, but that never means that we are lesser of a believer than anyone who remains in ministry. Our greatest common denominator is Christ, and that makes us all equally accepted in the eyes of God even when we cannot be accepted in ministry.
