Pastor Matt Chandler, leader of The Village Church, announced on Sunday that he is stepping down from his leadership position at the church after admitting he had an inappropriate relationship with a woman. Chandler, who is married with three children, told his congregation, “I fell short.”
The embattled pastor told the flock that “the relationship was not sexual or romantic,” but the elders believed the frequent and familiar direct messages exchanged over Instagram were “unguarded and unwise” and “revealed something unhealthy in me.” Chandler said he agreed with their assessment and was grateful for the spiritual oversight.
“We cannot be a church where anyone is above the Scriptures and above the high heavenly call into Christ Jesus,” Chandler said. “The Word of God holds me to a certain standard. And I fell short.”
As reported by Christianity Today, “the Village Church is a large and influential Southern Baptist congregation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Chandler, 48, has been pastor since 2002 and president of the church-planting network Acts 29 since 2012, when he replaced Mark Driscoll, who was later deemed to be disqualified from leadership because of his personal character.”
