When Leaders Fall

What if I stumble, what if I fall?

What if I lose my step

And I make fools of us all?

Will the love continue

When my walk becomes a crawl?

What if I stumble

And what if I fall? 

If you’re not familiar, these are lyrics from a song from 90s contemporary Christian music band dc Talk. I loved dc Talk. They had overtly Christian lyrics and they incorporated different genres of music including rock, rap, hip hop, and R&B. The members of the trio were gifted musicians who each brought something unique to the table, resulting in so many amazing songs.

dc Talk members Tobymac, Kevin Smith, and Michael Tait went their separate ways in 2000. So where are they now? Tobymac-you may have heard of him-I think he’s had a decent career as a Christian rap artist. Kevin Smith is in the exvangelical camp-fully deconstructed, self-proclaimed universalist. And then there’s Michael Tait…oh Tait…

Michael Tait became the lead singer of Newsboys in 2009 and continued in that role until January 2025. In June 2025, allegations started coming out that Tait had assaulted at least three young men between 2004 and 2014 and was also abusing drugs and alcohol. On June 10 he released a statement on his Intagram admitting the allegations were “largely true,” and that he had been using cocaine and abusing alcohol for about 20 years. Unfortunately, his actions were not exactly unknown to others in the CCM world. According to The Guardian, Tait’s behavior was an open secret in CCM. His bandmates later admitted to suspicions of his abuse.

Why does this happen? How do we respond?

Tait is not exactly the first leader in the Christian world to fall in a big way. Ravi Zacharias comes to mind here…and I think most of us have stories of local pastors or people in ministry whose egregious sins have been exposed, leaving us angry and confused.

When this happens (note, I say “when,” not “if”), the first question we should ask ourselves is, “Am I capable of this?” The answer is yes. Mattew 26:21-22 says, “And as they were eating, he said, ‘Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, ‘Is it I, Lord?’” There is wisdom in this question. The disciples recognized right away that they were all prone to wander. Rebellion is deeply ingrained in our sinful natures, and not one of us is above it.

According to Romans 3:10-12, “ ‘None is righteous, no not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Also see Psalms 14:1-3 and 53:1-3). Seems pretty bad, right? Yes, it’s bad. I don’t think we can ever understand how bad it is. But there’s good news too! Later in the chapter Paul says, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:21-22a).

The next question we should ask ourselves is, “how do I not do this?” Each day must be a battle against temptation-but God doesn’t leave us to fight this battle on our own. We have to ask who or what the authority is in our lives. Is God our ultimate authority? If He isn’t, something needs to change. If He isn’t, we will not be equipped to fight the battle. Ephesians 6:10-13 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

How do we live this out practically?

First, seek the Lord. Pray for wisdom for yourself and leaders in your church. Listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit; recognize existing sin in your life and repent. Share your sin struggles with a couple close friends or a mentor in the church and ask for accountability (remember, all sin struggles do not need to be public proclamations). Stay in God’s Word. I’ll say it again: stay in God’s Word! And pray. Pray a lot. “Pray without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:17).

And when you see something, say something. Do not enable your brothers and sisters in Christ. Tait spent at least 10 years in a pattern of sexual abuse and 20 years addicted to drugs and alcohol. I don’t know how much others knew or when they knew it, but it is apparent people did know and did little to stop it. Luke 17:1-4 says, “And he said to his disciples, ‘Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.’” Jesus took sin seriously, and so should we. We must not lead others into sin, nor should we sit idly by and let it happen.

We are all sinners by birth, choice, practice, and generational influence. But we all have the opportunity to receive God’s grace through faith and repentance. Stay in the battle and remain firm in the Lord, that you may flee temptation and glorify God.

For more on this, please see Melissa Dougherty’s video, “Moral Failure in the Church: Why Christian Leaders Keep Falling” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7svidaTNr5M

Reference

Guardian News and Media. (2025, June 13). “He stole a piece of our souls”: Christian music star Michael Tait accused of sexual assault by three men. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/13/michael-tait-sexual-assault-allegations