Matt Chandler

Matt Chandler, lead pastor of The Village Church in Texas, apologized on Sunday in a recorded message to his congregation.

](https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2022/08/12/southern-baptist-convention-2022-sexual-abuse-doj-investigation-report/10311282002/) [The church wrote](https://www.thevillagechurch.net/events/2012-kids-camp-updates) that after a thorough and lengthy legal investigation, we maintain and firmly believe that we committed no wrong." [announced on its website](https://www.thevillagechurch.net/events/2012-kids-camp-updates) it had settled a 2019 lawsuit alleging that one of its former children's ministers molested an 11-year-old girl. "The elders of The Village Church decided that Matt’s leave of absence would be from teaching and preaching. The organization released this statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday: “I’m held to a higher standard and fell short of that higher standard.” “While the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and familiarity of the messages crossed a line,” the statement continues. Executive Director Brian Howard, who has provided day-to-day leadership for Acts 29 since May 2020, will continue to lead Acts 29 in our commitment to plant disciple-making churches worldwide." [ Chandler,](https://www.thevillagechurch.net/page/3412?ContentChannelItemId=7062) [ 48, told the congregation](https://www.thevillagechurch.net/page/3412?ContentChannelItemId=7062). 12 said. [ SBC announced it's under federal investigation related to sexual abuse.](https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2022/08/12/southern-baptist-convention-2022-sexual-abuse-doj-investigation-report/10311282002/) [” Chandler told the congregation](https://www.thevillagechurch.net/page/3412?ContentChannelItemId=7062) Sunday.

Fighting back tears, prominent evangelical pastor Matt Chandler announced he would take a leave of absence because of an online relationship with a woman ...

This week, religious and academic leaders responded to the admission from Chandler, whose reach extends beyond the Flower Mound church. “Men and women are not interchangeable.” Women, for example, are not permitted to serve as elders or lead pastors within the Village Church. The relationship was not “romantic or sexual,” but [wrote](https://baptistnews.com/article/matt-chandler-takes-indefinite-leave-of-absence-after-exchanging-unwise-online-messages-with-a-woman/#.Yw5Woy3Mxo5) that Chandler and the church “stand at the epicenter of a conservative, Calvinistic movement that reaches from Southern Baptists into the larger evangelical and nondenominational world.” [Chandler told the congregation](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/faith/2022/08/29/pastor-of-d-fw-megachurch-steps-aside-citing-inappropriate-online-relationship-with-woman/), it was “unguarded and unwise.”

Matt Chandler, the lead pastor at Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, told the congregation on Sunday, August 28, that the elders of the church have decided ...

And so, in their grace to me and my family, they’ve decided—and again, I think they’re right—to put me on a leave of absence." "And yet there was a frequency that moved past that, and there was a familiarity that played itself out, in coarse and foolish joking — some befitting of someone in my position as a lead pastor. And as an elder, I'm held to a higher standard and fell short of that higher standard." At the heart of the matter was a relationship that Chandler carried out via Instagram direct messages with a woman. He stressed that while the messaging was not romantic or sexual, it crossed a line. Chandler says before choking up and pausing for a brief moment before he continued with the announcement.

Matt Chandler is taking a leave of absence from the Village Church following an investigation into his messages with a woman who is not his wife.

The Village Church recently settled a lawsuit that alleged one of its ministers molested an 11-year-old child, according to WaPo, and was negligent in handling the situation. And as an elder, I'm held to a higher standard and fell short of that higher standard." The church said that Chandler had broken their social media policies and suggested that "while the overarching pattern of his life has been 'above reproach,' he failed to meet the 1 Timothy standard for elders of being 'above reproach' in this instance." "And because I don't ever want there to be secrets between us, the concerns were about frequency and familiarity." Still, Chandler said the concerns brought to him by the woman's friend were "disorienting" for him. An independent law firm was then hired to review Chandler's messaging history "across social media platforms, cell phone, and email."

Church elders said that a Southern Baptist megachurch pastor, who improperly DM'd a lady, will resign. The megachurch pastor will take a leave of absence, ...

[Matt](/topic/matt)Chandler was confronted by an individual a few months ago, who was concerned about how Matt was sending direct messages to women, who were not his wife. [Southern Baptist Village](/topic/southern-baptist-village)'s lead pastor, [Matt Chandler](/topic/matt-chandler), has had a history of sending messages, and someone reported him. The [Dallas Morning News](/topic/dallas-morning-news)reports suggest that the church elders reviewed his messages by hiring a law firm. The Christ Church Cathedral was arguably New Zealand's most iconic building before much of it crumbled in an earthquake 10 years ago. He said he fell short of the standard the gods expected from him. [pastor](/topic/pastor)is stepping down as he sent a woman inappropriate texts on social media.