Who can become a pastor

Message / Question

Isn't it a bit inconsistent to say that a murderer and prostitute can become a pastor then turn around and say that a paedophile can't???

Response

One of the great realities of the Christian faith, is grace. God is full of grace and offers forgiveness for any and every sin that can be named. But God’s grace extended to the sinner doesn’t release the individual from the consequence of their sin here on earth. A murderer who comes to Christ and receive the free gift of salvation, stands as righteous before God, but that doesn’t mean that this person should now be freed from prosecution and prison for their crime. There are consequences that follow our actions. I think that it would be unusual if a murderer or prostitute became a pastor, but I guess that it would be possible – they would certainly have to convince people that they deserved to be given such a role of trust.

So what about the paedophile? One of the consequences of being a paedophile, is that most people who find it difficult to extend trust to that person, and that lack of trust would make it unlikely that they could ever become a pastor. There are in Australia (and in many other nations), laws that prevent a convicted paedophile from ever holding a position of trust involving children. Such laws would make it almost impossible for such a person to become a pastor, as the normal function of a pastor would probably require them to work with children.