Leadership Summit 2010: Adam Hamilton

Adam Hamilton's talk was titled "When Leaders Fall."  It was definitely not the feel good session of the conference, but it was well delivered and certainly valuable information for any organization.

Hamilton opened with a sad statistic.  I almost wrote "startling" statistic, but I'm afraid I wasn't all that surprised.  In 2006, 30% of 1,050 pastoral leaders surveyed admitted to sexual impropriety.

Hamilton says the church has four options when it comes to addressing fallen leaders:

1. Say Nothing -- let the rumor mill run its course
2. Be Evasive -- let the rumor mill run its course
3. Denounce sin and Distance Yourself -- the "scarlet letter" approach
4. Transparency, Honesty, Compassion, and Grace

He went on to share five strategies for resisting temptation.

1. Remember who you are.
2. Recognize the consequences of your actions:  Will I feel better or worse?  Will I want others to know?  Who will this hurt?
3. Rededicate your life to God.  When you recognize temptation, Stop. Drop. Pray.
4. Reveal your struggle to a trusted friend.  The power of temptation is in secrecy.
5. Remove yourself from the situation.  Sometimes avoiding sin requires radical action.

The best line of Hamilton's talk came toward the end as he discussed the church's responsibilty to respond to a broken or hurting or fallen family member.  The final word of the church must always be grace.