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"They might pick somebody who is just as vulnerable to a similar problem," Laaser says. That can be a dangerous proposition. Often, if the pastor held control of the church's guiding board, that group cannot navigate his fall or can allow him or someone like him back into the pastorate.

Big churches often seek another charismatic leader, compounding their problem. Such leaders, says Laaser, can be "loners" who "pick out people for their elder [or accountability] boards who are themselves codependent." This tendency may have been part of the problem in the first place.

Calling an interim pastor is a good option, says Laaser. "This gives the congregation enough time to grieve and deal with their emotions."

However, history shows that whoever follows a fallen pastor usually is attacked, Friberg notes. He cites one church that was still lashing out at new pastors 25 years after a pastor's fall. "There is stuff coming out from the woodwork at me and my family!" the new pastor lamented to Friberg.

Meanwhile, church staff and lay leaders must keep church programs going amid the unraveling crisis. Membership usually declines, so church revenues drop. Exciting building plans and mission programs cave in, since their main promoter is now absent. Another layer of depression can result. Formerly timid opposition to novel programs suddenly grows louder, without a point man to quell it.

"If some other issue was already causing upset feelings in the congregation at the time of the revelation, the simultaneous resolution of two streams of conflict will probably be very difficult," Friberg writes in "Secondary Victims," a chapter in Restoring the Soul of a Church.

The best path to restoration is long-term, full disclosure.

Do not sweep the event under the rug, says Hopkins. Deal openly and thoroughly with arising issues. Let everyone speak in some way. Different people react and process differently, so don't put a two-month or one-year time limit on the healing phase. "You've got one group of people who are not all feeling the same thing at the same time," he says, "or responding the same way at the same time."

Hopkins suggests holding congregational meetings—probably many hours at a time—where members can safely talk. Small groups with fixed rules also draw out toxic feelings. Follow-up education on grief and emotions should be set in place.

Try to get members to "broaden or to some extent 'complexify' the issue and not have it so focused on the sexual sin," Hopkins says. Usually other factors are involved. Says Hopkins: It is a wonderful opportunity to deepen and enrich their spiritual life by using the event to talk about "the challenges that they are facing in their lives, the ethical and moral challenges. How does their faith impact the way they live their life and how does their faith impact the way they are going to recover from this devastating event?"

Do not proclaim forgiveness too quickly, experts caution. Often, evangelicals know to forgive but have not processed all there is to forgive. An inner frustration builds up as a result. People want "to put it all behind them," says Hopkins, but "sometimes people will say too quickly, 'I forgive this person.' It is a way of staying in denial."

Jim Brown's Mississippi church recently called a new young pastor who was fully apprised of the challenge ahead. Months have been devoted to processing the event. Church members met recently with the pastor and a church counselor.

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January 2007, Vol. 51, No. 1