Comment Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, appeared to fight back tears as he told his congregation Sunday that he was taking a leave of absence — a move prompted by what church leaders deemed inappropriate messages between of him and of a woman who is not his wife. Leaders determined the messages were not “romantic or sexual,” Chandler explained. “Our conversations were unguarded and reckless.” Chandler and church officials have been tight-lipped about the nature of the messages. He said both his wife and the husband of the woman he was texting knew about their communications. But church leaders felt the messages were too frequent, intimate and led to “crude and silly banter,” Chandler said. The pastor said the messages were disputed “several months ago” when a friend of the woman approached him and expressed her concerns. Chandler, 48, said he brought the concerns to other church leaders, who reviewed the messages and recommended he step aside. Chandler’s abrupt departure is the latest setback for the Village Church, about 30 minutes northwest of Dallas, and the denomination of the Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s second-largest religious group, of which the Village Church is a member. Earlier this month, the SBC revealed that the Department of Justice was investigating several branches of its organization. The investigation followed the release of an internal report that found SBC leaders had mishandled sexual abuse cases for two decades. Also this month, the Village Church announced it had settled a lawsuit alleging one of its ministers molested an 11-year-old and the church was negligent in its handling of the situation. The criminal case against the minister was dismissed. The church maintained that it “did nothing wrong.” While the church has been tight-lipped about the details of Chandler’s misconduct, officials have made it clear that its lead pastor has not been accused of sexual abuse. His departure, however, is a blow to the church where he preached for two decades and became a central, admired figure. The church’s attendance is about 4,500 people, the New York Times reported. Chandler will also stop speaking on behalf of Acts 29, an organization dedicated to planting new churches. Chandler serves as president and chairman of the board of Acts 29. In a statement, the church said Chandler’s “leave of absence is both disciplinary and developmental” and his return will be determined by the “expectations expressed by the elders for his development.” In front of the congregation on Sunday, Chandler explained that several months ago, a woman approached him in the church foyer with concerns about “how I was [direct messaging] on Instagram with a friend of hers.” He did not believe he had done anything wrong, as his wife and the woman’s wife were aware of their conversations, he said. “However, there were a few things that [the woman’s friend] he said they were distracting me,” Chandler said without elaborating on the friend’s comments. So Chandler brought the matter to a pair of church leaders, who, after looking into the Instagram conversations, found the communications to be very frequent and intimate, Chandler said. In a statement, the church said it has hired a law firm to review the instant messages, along with Chandler’s entire social media history, including text messages and emails. Lawyers concluded that the pastor had violated the church’s social media policy. They also ruled that he failed to meet the church-pastor standard of being “above reproach.” The leaders found that Chandler’s behavior was “a sign of unhealthiness in his life.” “In this case, while the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and intimacy of the messages crossed the line,” the church’s statement said. “They found that Matt did not use language appropriate for a pastor and did not create a behavior that we expect from him.” Even as Chandler announced his leave, people in the crowd were shouting their praises for him. Chandler expressed regret, however. “I’m very embarrassed, I feel stupid … I feel stupid,” Chandler told the church Sunday, adding, “I’m at a higher level and I’ve fallen below that higher level.”
title: “Texas Pastor Steps Aside For Texting Woman Who Crossed The Line Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-11” author: “Carmen Lowe”
Comment Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, appeared to fight back tears as he told his congregation Sunday that he was taking a leave of absence — a move prompted by what church leaders deemed inappropriate messages between of him and of a woman who is not his wife. Leaders determined the messages were not “romantic or sexual,” Chandler explained. “Our conversations were unguarded and reckless.” Chandler and church officials have been tight-lipped about the nature of the messages. He said both his wife and the husband of the woman he was texting knew about their communications. But church leaders felt the messages were too frequent, intimate and led to “crude and silly banter,” Chandler said. The pastor said the messages were disputed “several months ago” when a friend of the woman approached him and expressed her concerns. Chandler, 48, said he brought the concerns to other church leaders, who reviewed the messages and recommended he step aside. Chandler’s abrupt departure is the latest setback for the Village Church, about 30 minutes northwest of Dallas, and the denomination of the Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s second-largest religious group, of which the Village Church is a member. Earlier this month, the SBC revealed that the Department of Justice was investigating several branches of its organization. The investigation followed the release of an internal report that found SBC leaders had mishandled sexual abuse cases for two decades. Also this month, the Village Church announced it had settled a lawsuit alleging one of its ministers molested an 11-year-old and the church was negligent in its handling of the situation. The criminal case against the minister was dismissed. The church maintained that it “did nothing wrong.” While the church has been tight-lipped about the details of Chandler’s misconduct, officials have made it clear that its lead pastor has not been accused of sexual abuse. His departure, however, is a blow to the church where he preached for two decades and became a central, admired figure. The church’s attendance is about 4,500 people, the New York Times reported. Chandler will also stop speaking on behalf of Acts 29, an organization dedicated to planting new churches. Chandler serves as president and chairman of the board of Acts 29. In a statement, the church said Chandler’s “leave of absence is both disciplinary and developmental” and his return will be determined by the “expectations expressed by the elders for his development.” In front of the congregation on Sunday, Chandler explained that several months ago, a woman approached him in the church foyer with concerns about “how I was [direct messaging] on Instagram with a friend of hers.” He did not believe he had done anything wrong, as his wife and the woman’s wife were aware of their conversations, he said. “However, there were a few things that [the woman’s friend] he said they were distracting me,” Chandler said without elaborating on the friend’s comments. So Chandler brought the matter to a pair of church leaders, who, after looking into the Instagram conversations, found the communications to be very frequent and intimate, Chandler said. In a statement, the church said it has hired a law firm to review the instant messages, along with Chandler’s entire social media history, including text messages and emails. Lawyers concluded that the pastor had violated the church’s social media policy. They also ruled that he failed to meet the church-pastor standard of being “above reproach.” The leaders found that Chandler’s behavior was “a sign of unhealthiness in his life.” “In this case, while the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and intimacy of the messages crossed the line,” the church’s statement said. “They found that Matt did not use language appropriate for a pastor and did not create a behavior that we expect from him.” Even as Chandler announced his leave, people in the crowd were shouting their praises for him. Chandler expressed regret, however. “I’m very embarrassed, I feel stupid … I feel stupid,” Chandler told the church Sunday, adding, “I’m at a higher level and I’ve fallen below that higher level.”
title: “Texas Pastor Steps Aside For Texting Woman Who Crossed The Line Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-19” author: “Sonia Swanson”
Comment Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, appeared to fight back tears as he told his congregation Sunday that he was taking a leave of absence — a move prompted by what church leaders deemed inappropriate messages between of him and of a woman who is not his wife. Leaders determined the messages were not “romantic or sexual,” Chandler explained. “Our conversations were unguarded and reckless.” Chandler and church officials have been tight-lipped about the nature of the messages. He said both his wife and the husband of the woman he was texting knew about their communications. But church leaders felt the messages were too frequent, intimate and led to “crude and silly banter,” Chandler said. The pastor said the messages were disputed “several months ago” when a friend of the woman approached him and expressed her concerns. Chandler, 48, said he brought the concerns to other church leaders, who reviewed the messages and recommended he step aside. Chandler’s abrupt departure is the latest setback for the Village Church, about 30 minutes northwest of Dallas, and the denomination of the Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s second-largest religious group, of which the Village Church is a member. Earlier this month, the SBC revealed that the Department of Justice was investigating several branches of its organization. The investigation followed the release of an internal report that found SBC leaders had mishandled sexual abuse cases for two decades. Also this month, the Village Church announced it had settled a lawsuit alleging one of its ministers molested an 11-year-old and the church was negligent in its handling of the situation. The criminal case against the minister was dismissed. The church maintained that it “did nothing wrong.” While the church has been tight-lipped about the details of Chandler’s misconduct, officials have made it clear that its lead pastor has not been accused of sexual abuse. His departure, however, is a blow to the church where he preached for two decades and became a central, admired figure. The church’s attendance is about 4,500 people, the New York Times reported. Chandler will also stop speaking on behalf of Acts 29, an organization dedicated to planting new churches. Chandler serves as president and chairman of the board of Acts 29. In a statement, the church said Chandler’s “leave of absence is both disciplinary and developmental” and his return will be determined by the “expectations expressed by the elders for his development.” In front of the congregation on Sunday, Chandler explained that several months ago, a woman approached him in the church foyer with concerns about “how I was [direct messaging] on Instagram with a friend of hers.” He did not believe he had done anything wrong, as his wife and the woman’s wife were aware of their conversations, he said. “However, there were a few things that [the woman’s friend] he said they were distracting me,” Chandler said without elaborating on the friend’s comments. So Chandler brought the matter to a pair of church leaders, who, after looking into the Instagram conversations, found the communications to be very frequent and intimate, Chandler said. In a statement, the church said it has hired a law firm to review the instant messages, along with Chandler’s entire social media history, including text messages and emails. Lawyers concluded that the pastor had violated the church’s social media policy. They also ruled that he failed to meet the church-pastor standard of being “above reproach.” The leaders found that Chandler’s behavior was “a sign of unhealthiness in his life.” “In this case, while the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and intimacy of the messages crossed the line,” the church’s statement said. “They found that Matt did not use language appropriate for a pastor and did not create a behavior that we expect from him.” Even as Chandler announced his leave, people in the crowd were shouting their praises for him. Chandler expressed regret, however. “I’m very embarrassed, I feel stupid … I feel stupid,” Chandler told the church Sunday, adding, “I’m at a higher level and I’ve fallen below that higher level.”
title: “Texas Pastor Steps Aside For Texting Woman Who Crossed The Line Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-03” author: “Eleanor Garcia”
Comment Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, appeared to fight back tears as he told his congregation Sunday that he was taking a leave of absence — a move prompted by what church leaders deemed inappropriate messages between of him and of a woman who is not his wife. Leaders determined the messages were not “romantic or sexual,” Chandler explained. “Our conversations were unguarded and reckless.” Chandler and church officials have been tight-lipped about the nature of the messages. He said both his wife and the husband of the woman he was texting knew about their communications. But church leaders felt the messages were too frequent, intimate and led to “crude and silly banter,” Chandler said. The pastor said the messages were disputed “several months ago” when a friend of the woman approached him and expressed her concerns. Chandler, 48, said he brought the concerns to other church leaders, who reviewed the messages and recommended he step aside. Chandler’s abrupt departure is the latest setback for the Village Church, about 30 minutes northwest of Dallas, and the denomination of the Southern Baptist Convention — the nation’s second-largest religious group, of which the Village Church is a member. Earlier this month, the SBC revealed that the Department of Justice was investigating several branches of its organization. The investigation followed the release of an internal report that found SBC leaders had mishandled sexual abuse cases for two decades. Also this month, the Village Church announced it had settled a lawsuit alleging one of its ministers molested an 11-year-old and the church was negligent in its handling of the situation. The criminal case against the minister was dismissed. The church maintained that it “did nothing wrong.” While the church has been tight-lipped about the details of Chandler’s misconduct, officials have made it clear that its lead pastor has not been accused of sexual abuse. His departure, however, is a blow to the church where he preached for two decades and became a central, admired figure. The church’s attendance is about 4,500 people, the New York Times reported. Chandler will also stop speaking on behalf of Acts 29, an organization dedicated to planting new churches. Chandler serves as president and chairman of the board of Acts 29. In a statement, the church said Chandler’s “leave of absence is both disciplinary and developmental” and his return will be determined by the “expectations expressed by the elders for his development.” In front of the congregation on Sunday, Chandler explained that several months ago, a woman approached him in the church foyer with concerns about “how I was [direct messaging] on Instagram with a friend of hers.” He did not believe he had done anything wrong, as his wife and the woman’s wife were aware of their conversations, he said. “However, there were a few things that [the woman’s friend] he said they were distracting me,” Chandler said without elaborating on the friend’s comments. So Chandler brought the matter to a pair of church leaders, who, after looking into the Instagram conversations, found the communications to be very frequent and intimate, Chandler said. In a statement, the church said it has hired a law firm to review the instant messages, along with Chandler’s entire social media history, including text messages and emails. Lawyers concluded that the pastor had violated the church’s social media policy. They also ruled that he failed to meet the church-pastor standard of being “above reproach.” The leaders found that Chandler’s behavior was “a sign of unhealthiness in his life.” “In this case, while the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and intimacy of the messages crossed the line,” the church’s statement said. “They found that Matt did not use language appropriate for a pastor and did not create a behavior that we expect from him.” Even as Chandler announced his leave, people in the crowd were shouting their praises for him. Chandler expressed regret, however. “I’m very embarrassed, I feel stupid … I feel stupid,” Chandler told the church Sunday, adding, “I’m at a higher level and I’ve fallen below that higher level.”
