Letter of Accusation Against a False Teacher 1

Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene was a flagship church in the denomination for a century. But the last few years under the "leadership" of Jon Middendorf have been not only tumultuous but marked by a rejection of historic and biblical Christianity.

In 2025, the people still attending voted to leave the denomination or what they called: "spiritually disaffiliate." One member of OKC1 shares in this article why he voted to disaffiliate from the Church of the Nazarene. You can read the article in the link above, but I'll save you the read by summarizing: He voted to disaffiliate primarily because the Church of the Nazarene was no longer willing to tolerate the local church’s acceptance of homosexual practices (although he spins it as being "unwilling to welcome" people). Here is the news article about Oklahoma City First Church (OKC1) attempting to leave the denomination and take the property with them.

The Oklahoma District Church of the Nazarene immediately responded by taking the new OKC1 to court over the property, buildings, and trust funds they held. OKC1's defense in court was simply that they never were actually a part of the denomination. This ridiculous claim would come as a significant surprise to Uncle Bud Robinson who was the evangelist that preached under a tent to a group of people who would organize themselves into Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene (it was not the first church in Oklahoma City, but it was the first Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma City). Even the name of the church betrays their legal false witness. Dr Stan Toler served as Senior Pastor of OKC1 and later became a General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene. I doubt he realized that the church was not a Church of the Nazarene (pardon my verbal irony). 

All ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene that were part of OKC1 surrendered or had their credentials taken (with one exception) before the church voted to leave the denomination.

June 18, 2026 the judge rendered a verdict which basically granted OKC1 rights to all the properties and funds. 

If you'd like to review the legal proceedings and read the official legal statements of both the district and the local church, you can do so at this link.

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Here was the official statement on 06-19-26 from OKC1 after the court verdict was given:
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We prayed the Lord’s Prayer in preparation for our day in court. Slowly, deliberately- we prayed and allowed each line to prompt more specific prayers about our church, our future, the neighborhood around our church. We also prayed about the case brought against us, their attorneys, our attorneys, about an uncertain future.

Facing an uncertain outcome, we asked, “can we trust God if we lose?” and “can God trust us if we win?”

Speaking only for myself, I was growing more comfortable with the “worst-case scenario”- believing as I do 1) that we’d made these difficult decisions following the lead of the God of Grace, and 2) that God was not yet finished with OKC First.

But on Thursday, the judge ruled in our favor. We are so grateful!

We are so grateful for skilled, hard-working attorneys who were good and faithful representatives of the people and the message of OKC First.

I am grateful for our ministry team; they never wavered. Each pastor trusted, worked, and served with an inspiring, abiding trust. I regularly looked to them for confidence and energy, and they delivered every time.

I am grateful for our church board(s), people who bathed every decision in prayer and soaked a few in tears. These men and women were (and are) steadfast visionaries who know and rely on the steadfast love and mercy of God. They have led, organized, and served, and we are where we are because of them.

And we are grateful for you OKC First. So many of you joined us for prayer and praise on Wednesday evening; so many packed the courtroom on Thursday morning, and so many more sent messages of love and support, pledging to pray for God’s will to be done.

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We believe God’s will was done. We believe we caught a glimpse of the Kingdom coming (again) to OKC.

Our focus is now on God’s future- for our church, our community, and our city. With malice toward none and with deep wells of gratitude for all God continues to do in and through us, we are ready to get back to our best preoccupation and highest calling- to be the Church God calls us to be.

We’ve got work to do and stories to tell. And, as usual, all the work and every story begins like this, “God’s mind about you is made up, and the news is good.”

Jon Middendorf, pastor

Please send all questions and requests for information to info@okcfirst.com. We are happy to continue the conversation.

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Obviously I cannot change the legal verdict or adequately gauge the validity of the verdict given. I just have to wonder whether this could have been prevented. It is division of the highest order. I have come to the conclusion that there were really only two inevitable outcomes to the situation barring no repentance from Jon Middendorf.

1. The Church of the Nazarene completely capitulate the issue of homosexual practice to the will of Jon Middendorf. Had the denomination bowed to his demands OKC1 could have remained part of the Church of the Nazarene and we could have continued to insist that we are a big tent. The problem is that we would cease to be the body of Christ in the world if we believed that we could contradict God's word on this issue and continue to maintain fellowship with a holy God. 

2. What if Church discipline had been administered when Jon Middendorf initially started espousing and promoting his false teaching? What if someone had followed Manual protocol and dealt with a pastor who was not only violating the Church of the Nazarene's stated beliefs about homosexual practice, but the Bible's clear teachings on the subject as well? The sad news is that this could have been the case almost a decade ago.

On September 15, 2018, twenty-four elders in the Church of the Nazarene signed a letter of accusation against Jon Middendorf. I was one of them. I called Jon Middendorf and spoke with him over the phone before signing any letter. He insisted that a man who had left his wife for another man and was presently living in a homosexual relationship with him was absolutely a Christian. His [Middendorf] conviction was that a faithful, monogamous, homosexual relationship was fully compatible with holy living. We did not agree. I could not believe that an ordained elder pastoring a flagship church like Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene could have a mind so twisted that he would choose cultural accommodation over Biblical truth. The conversation demanded that I signed the letter. 

Here is the letter:

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RE: Formal Accusation

September 15, 2018

Dr. Terry Rowland,

This letter is to adhere to the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene (606-606.12) in bringing a formal accusation against an Elder on the Oklahoma District: Rev Jon Middendorf.

Jon Middendorf is the pastor of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene and has created a pattern through his actions of rejecting the Church’s stance on Human Sexuality (Manual 31) as well as providing oversight of events that endorse monogamous homosexual relationships.

There are two specific events to be referenced:

1.) On March 03, 2018 Justin Lee, the founder of the Gay Christian Network, who believes that someone can live in a monogamous homosexual relationship and still be Christian, was invited to speak at the Young Clergy Network Conference held at OKC First. Brit Bolerjack, who is on staff at OKC First and under direct supervision of Jon Middendorf, oversees the Young Clergy Network.

The network is supposed to be representative of the younger generation of Nazarene clergy in the USA/Canada. Not only is this a promotion of a speaker who fundamentally disagrees about the act of homosexual sex being a sin (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10), but also a rejection of our Articles of Faith in terms of Articles VIII (repentance) & IX (justification, regeneration, & adoption).

Jon Middendorf violates the doctrine of the Church of the Nazarene as it pertains to human sexuality by allowing such events and speakers to influence the church by giving them a platform at OKC First.

2.) On July 15, 2018 Brian Nollenberger, previously an ordained elder from the North Arkansas District who now is legally married

to another man and thus an openly practicing homosexual, shared in song on the platform as part of the worship service. This is a violation of previous church discipline of Brian Nollenberger as well as another example of normalizing the ongoing, intentional, and conscious decision of Brian to live in a way that contradicts the Word of God.

Jon Middendorf has indicated that he doesn’t believe Brian Nollenberger is living in sin because he is dedicated to a monogamous relationship with his same-sex partner. He also views their relationship as covenantal and Christian. These views directly oppose the church’s stance on human sexuality.

These events, along with past events (where Jon Middendorf has baptized the child of a lesbian couple) are grounds for this formal accusation and a serious offense to the doctrine and polity of the Church of the Nazarene. These are not innocent mistakes, but calculated, intentional, recurring, and divisive actions taking place within the Church of the Nazarene.

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A few months later on November each of the twenty four elders who signed the letter of accusation received a certified letter in the mail. Here is what it said:

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Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ!

Your letter of September 15, 2018, to Dr. Terry Rowland concerning Rev. Jon Middendorf was referred by Dr. Rowland to this board.

The letter alleges two specific incidents that, if substantiated, would place Rev. Middendorf out of harmony with, at minimum, Manual paragraphs 31, 515.9, 540.4, and 702.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Manual, these matters have all been appropriately investigated, and the district has properly addressed the findings of the investigation.

We wish to convey to everyone who has been involved in bringing these accusations to our attention that we view this as a very grave matter. Accusations against an elder must always be treated seriously, and that is exactly how we have dealt with this matter. We do wish to express some concern, however, about the manner in which this was brought to the district’s attention. When the letter arrived, it was signed, not by two members in good standing as is required by the Manual, but by twenty-four individuals. Once two people working in agreement that accusations should be brought, the letter should have been immediately sent to our district superintendent so as to trigger an investigation and allow for immediate action, if necessary, by the district advisory board.

Rev. Middendorf has not seen the names on the letter by his choosing. He shared his desire to speak personally with any of you who would like to call. I trust we can show grace in the midst of some differing ideas and thoughts.

Again, please be assured that your concerns have been received and addressed by the Oklahoma District.

Sincerely, 
[Signature]
Secretary, District Advisory Board
Oklahoma District  

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What happened to Jon Middendorf at that time? Nothing. He was not removed. He did not lose his credentials. He continued to teach and lead his church away from faithfulness to God's design for sexuality and their covenant participation in the Church of the Nazarene. 

Ultimately a false teacher led a whole church away, not only from the Church of the Nazarene, but gospel truth that promises transformation not accommodation. Be happy about church discipline.



See these other articles:

Letter of Accusation Against a False Teacher 2

A Way Forward for the Church of the Nazarene (Part 1)

A Way Forward for the Church of the Nazarene (Part 2)

Resolution to Support Denominational Leadership

I Am Against the Horseless Carriage

I may be a bit behind on this declaration, but I want everyone to know where I stand. I am against the horseless carriage. Please do not dismiss my concerns before you hear me out. While this opinion may seem a bit isolated, it is not without its merits 125 years ago.

Alexander Winton, who sold one of the first gas powered cars in 1898 was told by his banker that he was crazy for thinking automobiles would displace horses. He did not reconsider his choice, but embraced the disruptive technology. There was widespread pushback to the automobile industry from lots of different places.

Let me give you a few reasons for my own opposition to the horseless carriage.

1. The "new" automobiles are loud, disruptive, and give off a foul odor. Living in a small community helps one appreciate the quiet and natural sounds around you. Invariably someone on a motorcycle or a vehicle with a bad muffler will disrupt the serene peacefulness of the community. It is noise pollution. This problem is magnified in urban areas where automobiles are even more plentiful. If I was alive at the time, I would have joined the Farmers’ Anti-Automobile Society of Pennsylvania (pre-1910).

2. They are a danger to the economy and jobs. Think of all those who will lose their job and means of supporting their families if the automobile industry takes off! Farriers (blacksmiths who specialize in horseshoes), horse breeders, feed suppliers, and carriage makers. This does not even address the danger to the horse population which will be neglected due the shift to horseless carriages.

3. These new horseless carriages are dangerous. They are faster than a horse carriage and heavier. People can be run over by someone speeding through the streets. If our streets are flooded with them, they will begin running into each other and causing more problems and dangers. Pedestrians beware!

I could go on, but it is a venture into the ridiculous unless I plan on joining the Amish. 

There have been mixed responses by Christians to technology throughout history. Some have rightly been wary of the newest fad, but rejected the danger outright rather than explore a sanctified use for it. Others have embraced every new technological advancement, but have not embraced the discernment they need to navigate "newness" in holiness. 

Let me give you three principles for navigating technology and change:

1. Remember we live in a fallen and spiritually broken world, but that we are called to steward it well. That means that every new technology can be used as an agent of brokenness or it can be sanctified to glorify God. We must learn how to use discernment to figure this out. 

2. Pursue ethical and morally acceptable ways to utilize new technology and advancements. Ward off idolatry and reject technological application that harms individuals or takes advantage of them. Instead, allow the Spirit to guide you into proper usage that glorifies God and uses technology to better society. 

3. Be cautious in embracing advancements while you determine the dangers, but be bold in applying these advancements to advancing the work of the church of Jesus Christ. Too cautious and you miss opportunity thus compromising the mission. Too adopting, and you walk in error thus compromising your integrity. '

What about you? Are you against the horseless carriage?



Check out these other articles:

A Note to Pastors on Friday

A Note to Pastors on Monday

I Do Not Like Change

I am a Counting Pastor

How do you measure the spiritual health of a local church? If we could answer that question with an error proof litmus test it would be great! But that is likely not going to be the case.

It is not a bad thing to want to measure progress. Humanity has developed measurements for time, weights, distances, and even sports abilities. Measurements are helpful when they are used appropriately.

So helpful are they in some areas that we begin to apply them to measure the effectiveness of employees by their employers. Doctors implement certain measurements to assess health. Factories measure how many products are coming off of the assembly line. Your college professor gives you a test to measure what you have learned in class.

Without a way to measure our effectiveness in what we are doing, it becomes difficult to improve or even know if we are accomplishing what we have set out to do. What are the benchmarks of progress? What are the mile markers of the journey? 

There is also the issue that the metrics, when focused upon to the neglect of the "big picture", become unhelpful roadblocks or inaccurate mile markers. It can be much like educators who say that standardized testing is not a fair measurement or at least can skew an effective education for children because teachers will begin to "teach for the test" instead of investing in the students' intellectual development. The reality is that standardized testing cannot measure a person's worth or fully assess their intellectual giftedness. But testing is necessary to give some level of assessment of the general effectiveness of an educational institution. Every area of life uses metrics as tools to gauge success, measure progress, and introspectively contribute to the mission.  

While there are pitfalls with measurements and metrics, it does not negate the need and benefit for a measurement of progress. Too many churches have rejected all metrics and sailed away into fruitlessness because they had no way or no desire to assess effectiveness of the Great Commission. Some churches have used metrics that did not align with the mission or simply metrics of their choosing that were irrelevant to the mission. Such metrics are celebratory events with little lasting fruit or meaningful progress toward the end goal. 

In the Church of the Nazarene we measure a number of things: worship attendance, discipleship attendance, financial income of a local church, how many are born again, how many are entirely sanctified, how often the message of entire sanctification was preached, and more. 

Let me take a moment to highlight the benefit of measuring such (in nor particular order).

People born again and baptized. The most basic beginning point for fulfilment of the Great Commission is individuals making a decision to follow Jesus and being baptized. After Pentecost someone must have counted the three thousand people who were born again. It was an important and celebratory metric for the early church. The number is more than a statistic, it is souls of real people saved from bondage and sin! 

Worship Attendance. Obviously a local church is headed toward crisis and ultimately closure if the average worship attendance is on a steady decline year after year. Measuring the attendance of worship services can be helpful in potentially diagnosing a problem of spiritual health in the church if it continues over several years. Are new people not coming to Christ? While most pastors have experienced periods of decline in attendance, it is important to note that there are many factors that can impact a local church's growth. Is the community itself in decline? Is industry leaving the area? Have natural disaster or economic upheaval adversely impacted the community? Sometimes for the sake of the Great Commission, leadership must make difficult decisions that will impact attendance negatively short term. Like a nurse taking your temperature at the doctor's office, it does not tell everything, but it can tell us something.

Discipleship Attendance. Making disciples certainly involves making converts, but includes much more than that. Attempting to measure the amount of people who are taking advantage of opportunities provided by a local church for them to learn, grow, and work out their salvation is a helpful metric to understand the depth of a congregation. What percentage of attenders are engaged in discipleship opportunities to be formed into the image of Christ and learn how to be workers in the harvest. If the church is called to do more than fill a building, a metric of those believers who are investing in discipleship is important to track. 

Those who have been entirely sanctified. Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They counted 120 people who gathered in an upper room to pray and seek God for this promise. It was something asked about often in the early church and Paul writes about in his letters to early churches. This was God's will for believers so it seems like something that would be helpful to know is actually being done among us.

Finances. If there are people who are committing their lives to Christ and spiritual growth is taking place in the church, then there is likely going to be financial growth. Finances can be impacted by a factory closing in the community, a decline in tourism in the community, a poor harvest for farmers, or an overall economic downturn, but healthy churches will generally have financial growth each year. While some may ridicule counting of "nickels and noses" we need to start looking at these numbers as souls & salvation since they represent real people.

Other ministries. Do you have a children's outreach? Do you have a teen group? Do you have vans that go out and pick people up? Do you give food to those in need? Do you operate a clothing bank? Do you provide counseling services? Do you run a Christian school? While we might be tempted to count things that are beneficial, but secondary to the Great Commission, they can be a helpful metric if not used as a decoy for fruitlessness in other areas. In other words, if we change the goal line by measuring something different, we can convince ourselves everything is fine when we are really failing. Metrics are only as good as long as they help us remain faithful and fruitful to the call of God. 

No metric can perfectly measure the spiritual vitality of a church. But having no metric will lead to death.

My doctor always takes my temperature and makes me stand on the scales. Why? Because those numbers can tell something. They may not guarantee my health, but they can help identify illness. 

Too many leaders want to stop counting or change the goal line because of decline and failure. This defeats the very purpose for which we need those metrics. If we identify failure or fruitlessness, it is discouraging, but it may very well help us face the realities that we desperately need the Holy Spirit to refresh and empower us for kingdom work. 

I am convinced that the problems we might face are not a result of a faulty Gospel, but my own failure to be led by the Spirit and live surrendered completely to Christ! I am going to count, because there are times when I may subtly be losing spiritual altitude and need to be reminded what fulfillment of the Great Commission looks like. 

Start counting. But be reminded that numbers are more than just numbers... they are souls that will spend eternity somewhere.

So what are some metrics you think the church should use to help gauge effectiveness in the Great Commission?

Check out these other articles:

Pastors, Scandals, and Faithfulness

A Note to Pastors on Monday

Cursing, Profanity, and the Tongue

How to Backslide

Ten Things to Say to Your Teenage Daughter/Niece/Girl

This is not my own, it comes from the Internet and I was unable to locate an actual author. I did make a couple of edits. If you know who the actual author is, please let me know.

Ten Things to Say to Your Teenage Daughter/Niece/Girl...

1. If you choose to wear shirts that show off your breasts, you will attract boys. To be more specific, you will attract the kind of boys that like to look down girls’ shirts. If you want to date a guy who likes to look at other girls’ breasts and chase skirts, then great job; keep it up. If you don’t want to date a guy who ogles at the breasts of other women, then maybe you should stop offering your own breasts up for the ogling. All attention is not equal. You think you want attention, but you don’t. You want respect. All attention is not equal.

2. Don’t go to the tanning bed. You’ll thank me when you go to your high school reunion and you look like you’ve been airbrushed and then photoshopped compared to the tanning bed train wrecks formerly known as classmates – well, at least next to the ones that haven’t died from skin cancer.

3. When you talk about your friends “anonymously” on social media, we know exactly who you’re talking about. People are smarter than you think they are. Stop posting passive-aggressive statuses about the myriad of ways your friends disappoint you. Social media is not a place to air your dirty laundry.

4. Newsflash: the number of times you say “I hate drama” is a pretty good indicator of how much you love drama. Non-dramatic people don’t feel the need to discuss all the drama they didn’t start and aren’t involved in. Life should not be an ongoing soap opera. Learn to let things go and move on without reprise.

5. “Follow your heart” is probably the worst advice ever.

6. Never let a man make you feel weak or inferior because you are an emotional being. Emotion is good; it is nothing to be ashamed of. Emotion makes us better – so long as it remains in it’s proper place: subject to truth and reason.

7. Smoking/vaping/weed is not cool. 

8. Stop saying things like, “I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.” First of all, that’s not true. And second of all, if it is true, you need a perspective shift. Your reputation matters – greatly. You should care what people think of you just not be in bondage to everyone's opinion. 

9. Don’t play coy or stupid or helpless to get attention. Don’t pretend something is too heavy so that a boy will carry it for you. Don’t play dumb to stroke someone’s ego. Don’t bat your eyelashes in exchange for attention and expect to be taken seriously, ever. You can’t have it both ways. Either you show the world that you have a brain and passions and skills, or you don’t. There are no damsels in distress managing corporations, running countries, or managing households. The minute you start batting eyelashes, eyelashes is all you’ve got. 

10. You are beautiful. You are enough. The world we live in is twisted and broken and for your entire life you will be subjected to all kinds of lies that tell you that you are not enough. You are not thin enough. You are not tan enough. You are not smooth, soft, shiny, firm, tight, fit, silky, blonde, hairless enough. Your teeth are not white enough. Your legs are not long enough. Your clothes are not stylish enough. You are not educated enough. You don’t have enough experience. You are not creative enough.

There is a beauty industry, a fashion industry, a television industry, (and most unfortunately) a pornography industry: and all of these have unique ways of communicating to bright young women: you are not beautiful, sexy, smart or valuable enough. You must have the clarity and common sense to know that none of that is true. None of it. 

You were created for a purpose, exactly so. You have innate value. You are loved more than you could ever comprehend; it is mind-boggling how much you are adored. There has never been, and there will never be another you. Therefore, you have unique thoughts to offer the world. They are only yours, and we all lose out if you are too fearful to share them. 

You are beautiful. You are valuable.

What might you add that every young lady needs to know?

Check out these other articles:

Stop Saying This at Funerals

Why I Still Have Revivals in the Church I Pastor

Get a Back Bone

Why I Love the Church of the Nazarene

To Know, To Experience, To Live Out

This blessed and challenged me. In a postmodern, relativisitic religious universal mentality the Truth is powerful and real.

Excerpt from the sermon: "Secondhand Religion" by  C. William Fisher...

[start quote]

In a day of competing faiths, however, it is not enough to know that we are right; we must know why we're right. It is not enought to give lip service to an important idea; we must know why the idea is important. It is not enough to believe that a theory is valid; we must know why that theory is valid. Iti s not enought ot know the mechanics of getting the experience; we must 'experience' the experience. It is not enough to know the techniques of holiness; we must be holy.

We must know that conversion brings pardon and peace, but that entire sanctification brings purity and power- and we must experience it. We must know that in conversion God forgives our sins, but that in entire sanctification God cleanses and fills our hearts with perfect love- and we must experience it. We must know that in conversion God lifts the load of our own guilt, thus releasing the power of our own personality, but that in entire sanctification God endues us with power from on high- and we must experience it. We must know that in conversion God makes us a new creature, but that in entire sanctification God fills the creature with His own presence and power- and we must experience it!

We must believe either that God can and will remove all sin from the human heart or that He cannot. And if we believe that He cannot then we have no business saying that we believe in holiness. For, as Dr. R. T. Williams said, 'It is either holiness and eradication, or holiness not at all.'

We must believe either that God can and will affect redemptively every area and level of the personality or that He cannot. And if He cannot, then redemption in Christ is not big enough for humanity's needs.

We must believe that God is big enough and good enough and faithful enough actually to cleanse the human heart of all defilement and to fill that heart with the power and peace of His redeeming love- and we must experience it!

[end quote]

Check out these other articles:

This is Holiness

Ten Pitfalls for Local Churches

Priorities in My Pastoral Ministry

So You Want to Make A Difference

"We Are All Winners"

I've participated in or at least been a spectator in enough sports leagues to get a sickening feeling from the phrase: "We are all winners." I'm sure the idea in promoting the "no one loses" mentality is full of good intentions, but what is it that they say about good intentions? ("Good intentions pave the way to [the bad place].")

What if the mentality of "no one losing" that we introduce to our children is actually crippling to them. What if we are actually harming our children by trying to prevent them from ever "losing." Failure is a normal part of life. Some of the things you attempt in life will end in failure. This is inevitable. Therefore, the sooner someone learns to deal with failure the sooner they will be able to use failure to improve or better their life. That's right, I think that an appropriate response to failure can actually better your life. You can learn and grow from losing!

Don't we want kids to be able to cope with failure in life? Or do we want them to face the surprise of failure for the first time as an adult? We have all met our fair share of people who are sore losers. They whine and complain constantly when things do not happen the way they think they should.

Everyone will fail at things in life. You will compete for things and lose. You will work toward a goal and fall short. You will attempt to accomplish a task and come up short. You will sometimes be at the bottom 3 percentile of the activity you are participating in. What are you going to do then? Have a breakdown because in the T-Ball league you were a winner even though you never made it to first base? Are you going to fly into a rage because in the basketball league you were an "all-star" even though you never learned how to dribble? When you do not get the bonus at work because you did not meet the goals are you going to throw a temper tantrum because you were accustomed to getting a participation trophy?

Failure may not be the most enjoyable thing in the world, but I think it does a few positive things in life that we all need! Failure...

1. It keeps you humble. Nothing helps you to get a big juicy bite of 'humble pie' like failure. The bigger the crowd watching your failure, the bigger the piece of pie! Ever met someone so high on themselves that you wished they would fail? (That's not a Christian feeling.) Failure has the uncanny ability to bring you down to earth. A little losing goes a long way to help us stay humble.

2. It reminds you of your shortcomings. Failure is a sober reminder of your inadequacies. Failure reverbs with the truth that you have weaknesses. It can bring to the forefront some of the places in your life you for your observation (as well as the observation of others) where you need to improve. Failure can also help you to realize that you are not cut out for every task and mission. Some people just cannot  sing a song on the praise team at church because they do not have that talent. It will be hard to be a star football player in High School when you are a runt! Identifying your weaknesses is the starting place of personal growth.

3. It helps you better understand yourself. Generally speaking, we tend to be blind to our weaknesses. Sometimes we are blind to our greatest weaknesses. Failure brings those to the surface not only so that you can see them, but so that you can assimilate that information into a better understanding of who you are. In order to understand who I am, who God has called me to be, and what His call on my life will mean in the ministry; I must have an understanding of my strengths and my weaknesses. How you deal with failure is a good test of your character.

4. It serves as a learning experience. Not only do I learn about myself, but I will also learn about others. Sometimes you will learn who your real friends are. Failure tends to drive away the fickle. People want to be around successful individuals, not individuals that fail. People want to be around individuals that can help them, not individuals that they will have to help. You learn the nature of those close to you when you fail. How will they respond? How will they react? How will people treat you differently if you do not get the promotion? You can also learn a great deal about your own character. Are you a sore loser? Are you arrogant? 

5. It makes you appreciate others. Failure may just be the greatest tool in helping us to realize we need others. (Remember I am speaking from a Christian perspective so the 'others' I am referring to are the church.) There are no Lone Rangers in the kingdom of Heaven! There are not really any rogue Christians that masquerade outside the body of Christ. When I fail and my brothers and sisters are used by God to catch me, I realize how much I need them and I appreciate them more.

6. It gives you direction in life. Failure is like a "Dead End" road sign. It lets you know you're heading in the wrong direction or going in the right direction but by the wrong means. For example, if people 'boo' you at church when you sing the special you should take that in one of two ways... either I am not gifted with the ability to sing or I have not practiced this song nearly enough. (I would lean toward the 'not gifted to sing' just to be on the safe side for the rest of us.) Failure can be like that roadblock that is saying "cliff ahead, turn back, this is not the direction your life needs to be going!" Hey, do us all a favor and listen to failure! (Note: Not all failure means "give up.")

So, let's be honest with our children. Let' stop telling our kids: "Everyone is a winner." Instead, let's start helping them learn what it means to get back up when they fall. Let's teach them what it means to practice, learn, and improve in the face of failure. Let's teach them to cope with mistakes and improve. 

Everyone is not a winner. That simply is not true. Frankly, some of us are just "out and out losers" when it comes to some things. Let's use failure as a learning tool and not something to try and hide from everyone!

What things have you learned from losing?

Check out these other articles:

A Perspective Changer

Ten Reasons I Became A Feminist

When Did Holiness Theology Shift to Calvinism?

Signs of Maturity

Pastors, Scandals, and Faithfulness

The longer I serve as a pastor, the more I appreciate consistent faithfulness to God over a long period of time in ministry. My heart is saddened by those church leaders who have moral failings and bring shame to the name of Jesus. 

Too many are plagued with scandals after years of ministry only to end poorly because of sin. Often over a moment of indiscretion or succumbing to a temptation when it was least expected they fall into that which has significant implications on the broader church. They betray the trust given to them by congregants, the church, and Christ. 

The enemy of our souls likes to use our greatest gifts against us.

The charismatic leader used their charm to pursue someone who was not their spouse. 

The fruitful pastor slipped into a subtle pride that eventually enveloped their whole being.

A sacrificial pastor was overwhelmed with financial concerns and embezzled funds.

A thoughtful and intelligent leader was seduced by worldly philosophy and led astray from the truth. 

They began with such promise. They started with people speaking hopefully of the potential. People spoke of and recognized the possibilities inherent in this young person who, along with their talents, had a zeal for the work of the Kingdom.

But scandal and moral failure and disappointment now haunts their memory. The powerful sermons they preached or ministries they led are forgotten among the damaging realities of their indiscretions. The great truths they espoused have been clouded by their actions and behaviors that were inconsistent with those same powerful truths.

What can be done to prevent this reality from encroaching upon so many?

1. Emphasize personal holiness again. Character & integrity is more important than competency or ability. Daily faithful obedience is greater than eloquence or knowledge (not that they are necessarily exclusionary).

2. Emphasize personal experience with God again. May our pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders be people who have been with God and had a divine encounter with Him! Not just people who like church functions, but those who recognize the need to regularly spend time in God's presence.

3. Emphasize personal accountability again. Rather than wielding "freedom in Christ" as a resistance to accountability we need leaders who intentionally and regularly surrender to the scrutiny of Spirit filled individuals who will ask hard questions and say difficult things.

4. Emphasize personal conviction again. Ridicule seems to accompany anyone in leadership who does not "tow the line" of the lowest common denominator. We need conscientious individuals who are willing not only to avoid sin, but even the very appearance of evil. May leaders rise up who are willing to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading in their daily life about things that others might commonly practice without regard to its moral health.

I used to be enamored by great leaders who were excellent preachers or visionaries or creative. More and more, I'd rather be around those who are faithful over the long stretches of life and run the race with endurance... all the way to the end.

Romans 3:3-4a "What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? [4] By no means!"

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