22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. 1 Timothy 5:22

In regards to the previous verses about selecting an elder, Paul warned the decision makers to be careful who you select because it affects the entire congregation.

A number of years ago I heard about a pastor who was sleeping with his secretary, his son was sleeping with his girlfriend, and his wife had her own dalliances on the side. The elders in the church knew about some of it and did nothing. An entire generation was affected by those sins, particularly those of the pastor and the elders. People saw the hypocrisy and didn’t want any part of it. I know of two who no longer go to church as a direct result of that highly dysfunctional church leadership. I’m almost positive there are many other congregation members who were affected. Of course, those two made a choice not to return to church, but they were heavily influenced by unresponsive leadership.

Perhaps the example is extreme; maybe not. The point is the elders were very hasty in selecting this pastor, mainly because he was the son of the previous pastor. They didn’t do their due diligence, nor did they root out sin when they found it. I think it’s a dangerous place for church leadership to be in.

Again, pray for your church leadership. They need discernment and good judgment when they make decisions.