How to Predict if a Christian Leader will Fall

Is anyone else tired of this story yet? 

A trusted Christian leader makes a difference in the lives of thousands or millions, and then the hidden double life they’ve lived for years or even decades is exposed, we’re all shocked.

This pattern repeats with such predictable frequency that I once had a Bible College professor vow to begin every class with the name of a new celebrity Christian who fell that week at every class for the entire semester.

Would it surprise you to find out he made good on this promise?

Probably not. But why?

Every person reading this must have a hypothesis for why this happens. If not you’re just going to run across the street or click over to the next leader and restart the timer on the bomb all over again.

I’d like to submit a hypothesis for your consideration.

I call this the celebrity vs disciple-making lifestyle test.

If the system the leader is a part of will make them a celebrity if they succeed then there is a greater than 50% chance they will fall.

Why, because this system is designed to exalt a person and Jesus had something to say about such a system, 

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:!2)

According to Jesus every system designed to exalt a person is doomed by design.

This doesn’t mean that zero Christians will become well-known. It means it can’t be a basic design of the system.

Why?

Let me ask you, who takes a job knowing that the resources of the organization will be leveraged to make them a celebrity? 

In a word, narcissists.

Those who crave status.

Systems of this kind begin by attracting the wrong kind of person and then encourage in that person the wrong kind of character.

The system Jesus invested in was opposed to celebrity culture.

Jesus picked a handful of guys and poured into them.

Crowds would grow and the bigger the crowd the less sensitive Jesus’ teaching became.

One time Jesus did a Q and A that whittled the crowd from 20,000 to 12. (John 6)

He wasn’t worried the 12 were always his primary target.

You might become well known but many of the greatest disciple-makers in history will never be known.

We leave the celebrity creation in the hands of God.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:6)

So what system can reach the world without creating celebrities?

A disciple-making culture.

When we work in small, slow ways in secret to take what God has imparted into our lives and give that away to a few others we will likely live, work, and die in obscurity.

No other ministry strategy has the potential to make a greater impact.

It has one “downside”, it doesn’t need anyone to become a celebrity.

Celebrity and disciple-making culture are incompatible.

If your system would benefit and scale with a person’s celebrity you won’t create a disciple-making culture.

But if your system relies on the process of disciple-making you’ll repel anyone driven to become a celebrity.

How many more of these stories do we need to hear before we learn?

Jesus figured out the root of this problem and how to solve it 2000 years ago.

We just need to follow him.

PS - If you want to launch a disciple-making movement but don’t have an effective blueprint for how to make \ disciples please jump into our coaching intensive Life on Life Discipleship.