The Doorpost: Wrongdoing by church leaders (1 Timothy 5)

Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.
1 Timothy 5:19-21

It is hard to deal with wrongdoing by our leaders. In the first place, any leader who is truly leading will have some people who oppose the direction he is going. If they are unable to top him by opposing his decisions, they may be tempted to try stopping him by falsely accusing him of personal wrongdoing. That is why Paul says, in the passage above, that there must be two or three witnesses.

If the accusations are true, then we have a different temptation. Those who are in favor of the leader’s policies may try to cover up his wrongdoing and not deal with it. Paul makes it clear that wrongdoing by church leaders must be dealt with publicly. Failure to do this could cause it to spread to others.

Anything we do must be done without partiality or favoritism. We must not be overly quick to accuse someone we agree with or for someone who is a friend, relative, or business or community leader. God the Father, Christ Jesus our Lord, and the elect angels are watching. We cannot fool them and we will have to give account.