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The Anatomy of a Christian Leader’s Downfall

The Anatomy of a Christian Leader’s Downfall

Last updated on: December 30, 2023 at 11:04 am by Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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The Anatomy of a Christian Leader’s Downfall 2023-12-30T11:04:21+01:00 Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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The fall of a Christian church leader is coming face to face with a huge waterfall. (image courtesy of Canva)

The public downfall of a Christian leader always comes unexpectedly. It’s like walking in nature and suddenly coming face to face with a huge waterfall. You didn’t know this waterfall was there, but now that you see it, you can’t ignore it. How could you have not heard this waterfall from hundreds of meters away?

‘Christians from all around come to watch. They point. They are surprised. They disapprove. They are so disappointed.’

The downfall of Christian leaders is not a dazzling spectacle. It’s a brown river full of muddy water. Christians from all around come to watch. They point. They are surprised. They disapprove. They are so disappointed. Once the biggest spectacle is over, they return home to their safe, comfortable lives, leaving the leader in his own filth and brokenness.

‘An apparent big fall of a Christian leader is always made up out of many small steps.’

If you know anything about waterfalls and gravity, you realize that a waterfall doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. There is a whole process that precedes it; from snow high in the mountains melting, small streams merging due to the pull of gravity to eventually make a free fall of tens of meters in a large river.

In the same way, I believe the public downfall of a leader occurs. For many Christians, this is the end, while the water naturally continues to flow, less spectacularly. A wise mentor once told me that when you have to take a big step of faith, it turns out to be many small steps afterward. The same is true for an apparent big fall. If you look closely, it also turns out to be many small steps.

‘The downfall of a Christian leader is not a dazzling spectacle. It’s a brown river full of muddy water.’

According to me, there are several phases leading up to a public fall:

Phase 1: Unseen Pitfall Creation – Often, the groundwork for a downfall is laid by circumstances or actions of others, unnoticed at the time.

Phase 2: Naivety or Innocence – The leader remains oblivious to the impending danger.

Phase 3: Awareness – Recognition of the looming pitfall.

Phase 4: Maneuvering – Attempts to navigate around the danger.

Phase 5: The Slide Construction – Unwittingly building a path towards the fall.

Phase 6: The Slippery Slope – Actions that further decrease stability.

Phase 7: The Silent Slip – The first unnoticed misstep.

Phase 8: Secret Struggles – Repeated, private failures.

Phase 9: The Public Fall – The eventual, visible collapse.

Phase 10: The End or New Beginnings – A crossroads of finality or redemption.

‘No Christian leader starts their ministry with the desire to end up as a big brown mudfall.’

As the public, we only see the show of phase 9 without being aware of the struggle, the wrestling, and all the phases that precede it. No Christian leader starts their ministry with the desire to end up as a big brown mudfall. However, over the years, an invisible deformation occurs, increasing the chance of a fall. But how does that process go exactly?

A silhouette of a man lifting his hands in worship against a backdrop of an evening sky. Next to this man are the words: "The Anointed - a faith-based serial."

Follow along with this thrilling serial about the highs and lows of Pastor John. (image courtesy of Canva)

One of my reasons for writing the serial ‘The Anointed’ was to explore how these phases unfold for myself. Without trying it out in my own life, this meant that a character had to be developed where I could let all this happen. This brings us to our friend John, who volunteered. This means, of course, that somewhere in John’s story, over a few weeks, there will be a big public fall. However, my story is not about the fall, although as Christians we can sometimes fixate on it. The big question is: how do you deal with a pitfall in your life that was dug by someone else?

START OF THE SERIAL I NEXT EPISODE OF ‘THE ANOINTED’

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About Matt Vlaardingerbroek

At 52, I’ve worn many hats. For 14 years, I have been a church planter in one of Holland’s tough inner-city estates and served as a pastor, deeply immersing myself in community life. I have authored three Christian books and am a regular columnist for the Netherlands’ premier Christian website. A role close to my heart is that of a Christian children’s artist. Using ventriloquism and magic, I breathe life into Bible stories, sharing God’s tales in schools and churches. My creative streak also led to www.creativekidswork.com, a rich resource offering over 1,500 Sunday school activities. This platform aids children’s workers, teachers, and parents globally in imparting Biblical lessons to youngsters You can read more about the author here.

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