The recorded video, taken by a woman sitting in front of him, shows the unmarried Pastor Zondo talking on his phone, while pacing up and down around the lounge in front of a woman sitting on a couch, the video shows the pastor wearing nothing, using his hand to rub his penis, twice. Divorced Zondo is the founder and senior pastor of Soul Renaissance Ministries Durban, South Africa, established in 2001. He also founded Zero-to-Hero, an NGO whose objective is to preach the gospel of hope.
This is indeed a very sad story seeing that Pastor Zondo influences millions of people and is ranked as one of the most influential pastors in South Africa. The new rockstars in town are definitely pastors, they command respect, attention, drive state-of-the art cars, they are always on TV and radio and wear designer clothes.
One statistic in a book “Fallen Pastor: Finding Restoration In A Broken World” by Ray Carroll shows that 33% of pastors have crossed the line with a woman not their spouse but have not been caught. That is an alarming number. More and more pastors are cheating on God and cheating on their spouses – married and unmarried.
A lot of people commenting on social media about pastor Zondo’s issue didn’t see anything wrong with his action insisting that the notion of thou shall not “judge the man of God”, while some are asking him to step away from being a pastor and speaker because he has broken ranks from his godly office. Taking from the scene and mood of the 37 seconds video it looks like the woman is his sexual partner. Even if she’s not (highly unlikely), the question remains, why was he parading himself naked in front of a woman?
So why do male pastors cheat on their wives or fornicate though unmarried? Some have many girlfriends with no shame. Though a lot is expected of a deacon, elder, or pastor, “it seems that cheating has become the new normal, the new cool perhaps”
The truth is that most pastors are ordinary feeble men and are prone to like every man to be vulnerable to sexual attraction. There is no difference between pastors and other ordinary men. Pastors commit sexual sin for the same reason people who are not pastors do. What is that? Well, it consist of different reasons ranging from the abuse of influence to temptations, vulnerable needs and weaknesses.
Pastors engage in sexual sins because we allow them. We keep quiet when we find out that a pastor is cheating on his wife or in sexual association with another woman though he’s unmarried. We misuse phrases from the bible like “who are you to judge”, “touch not the Lord’s anointed” and “him who is without sin cast the first stone”. What rubbish!
Some women are the reason why pastors cheat and have sexual encounters. They devalue themselves and offer their vagina to these fraudulent men of God, thinking it would increase God’s blessings in their lives and upgrade their social and spiritual status. That’s a lie from hell. Women selling themselves cheap encourage pastors to satisfy their lustful pleasure with whoever, whenever. I know so many single pastors who are dating multiple women, some are aware of it and still hang around them. Run baby!
Also, sometimes married pastors are bored with their wives and vulnerable to “something different.” But some cheaters have great wives and are not bored. So, this is no answer. Some single pastors just don’t want to commit to their girlfriends or one woman. They ride on the attention and influence they have over vulnerable women in the church.
Certain pastors think they are stronger than they are. But they are not – we all are not. Don’t believe your hype, your office as a pastor does not make you immune to temptations and sin. I have heard of a Congolese pastor based in Johannesburg pastoring a mega church in Midrand who uses every opportunity to lure young women into satisfying his sexual passions. He still prides himself as a miracle maker. We all need help. We need a community of faith, mentors, friends, family and a net to fall into.
Furthermore, pastors feel they are in love with the sexual partner and justify it as “what I’ve been searching for all my life.” But they are just as likely to know going in that this is temporary, shallow, one-dimensional, and its trouble, yet they still do it. This is no answer.
Bottom line is pastors cheat and engage in fornication because just like us, we are all sinners in need of grace daily. They allow their relationship with God to get to a broken state. They get weak and don’t reach out for help.
So if you are Pastor Zondo, what would you say to your congregation this Sunday? The devil made me do it?
Pastors are sinners too. Pray for your pastor.
