Father May I… 3 (of 3)

Posted by Scott Williams
12 Comments
May 22, 2008
Controversy | Ministry

Should a Pastor travel alone on an overnight trip?

  • http://www.manymeadows.blogspot.com Robin Meadows

    Not very wise. But may often be necessary.

  • http://www.jonathancliff.com Jonathan

    It’s too easy to just bring someone along.

  • Heady

    I wouldn’t make it a habit if I was a pastor. This could lead to trouble. Better safe than sorry (is that how that goes)!

  • http://solshine7.blogspot.com SolShine7

    Is this really an issue?

    I’m answering this from a safety point of view, it’s always better to travel with another person. As the old saying goes, there’s safety in numbers. And it’s fun to have someone to chat with and help keep you awake.

  • http://www.dustytakle.com Dusty

    The ideal answer is “if necessary”. But, is it every REALLY necessary? Accountability is good whether you are a pastor or a blogging stay-at-home mom.

  • http://rollmentalcamera.blogspot.com roger

    The need to travel with someone of the opposite sex that is really really hot. Share a hotel room with one bed and make sure they are seen at every bar in town with them.

    I am kidding of course but if a pastor has to be chaperoned on trips just to make sure he has accountability that is crazy. If we can’t trust our pastor and if he can’t trust himself enough to be accountable while on travel then there is something seriously wrong.

  • http://www.dustytakle.com Dusty

    In response to Roger, I agree. However, there is more to accountability than trust, especially for men who are traveling. It provides protection for the traveler in such an event that he may be falsely accused for sexual harrassment, etc.

  • http://www.michaelandrewjones.com Mike Jones

    I agree with everyone’s sentiment … it’s not terrible if a pastor travels alone but it’s too easy and just a good idea to not.

  • http://ichilly.typepad.com Chilly

    I travel with my wife or an armor-bearer (staff/intern). That’s how I roll…

  • http://rollmentalcamera.blogspot.com roger

    Dusty I get your point but who would he be sexually harrassing if he traveled alone, some desk clerk at the hotel? I think if we added it all up the number of small church pastors would outnumber the big church pastors 100 to 1. So being able to afford to have anyone travel with you would not be an option for many.
    If we need to just get some papparazzi to follow them around, you would be sure to know everything that happened then

  • http://www.dustytakle.com Dusty

    I think I’m not explaining myself well. Here is the best “for example” I have. There was an airline pilot (male) who was wrongly accused of harassing a flight attendant. The airline pilot had no alibi, because he had put himself in a situation where it was just the two of them. Had he avoided the situation (say stuck closely to his Captain), then he would have had such an alibi and the flight attendant would have either 1) never made such bogus claims or 2) never had a case because he would have had an alibi or someone he was accountable to backing him up. Whew.

    I didn’t mean to imply that he would actually BE sexually harassing anyone. You just never know people, and if they will turn situations around on you.

  • http://solshine7.blogspot.com SolShine7

    Roger, LOL on the papparazzi comment.

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