How long was the Village Church's Matt Chandler on leave? Pastor returns after inappropriate messages scandal

Texas megachurch pastor Matt Chandler returned to the public eye of the church following a brief hiatus after he was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a woman who was not his wife. The pastor, 48 announced his eagerness to return to The Village Church via an Instagram post, quoting a verse from the Bible.

Chandler told his 130k followers that he has been using Psalm 27 verse 4 from the Bible as a "mantra" over the past few months, fueling his grace and strength. His caption thanked the community for showing him and his wife, Lauren Chandler, faith and love.

It read:

"'Jesus I don’t want to do this without you' That sentence has been my mantra these past few months. It has rolled through my mind and heart on repeat. I am eager to return to @tvcfm soon and am grateful for a family of faith that have loved me and @laurenchandler so deeply in this season."

---

Matt Chandler returns to the pulpit after 3 months following scandal

Matt Chandler, a pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, returned to his duties after a little over three months of being on hiatus. He was restored to ministry by church elders after an absence on account of "some challenges."

In August, Chandler confessed to having an inappropriate relationship with a woman online via direct messages on Instagram and claimed that the relationship was neither romantic nor secret.

He claimed that his wife and friends knew about the woman who had approached him in the lobby of the church. He nonetheless consulted the elders of the church who suggested that he step away from the institution due to the "frequency and familiarity" of the conversations.

He said:

"The way that it played itself out was in a kind of frequency and familiarity that is not wise for someone in my position. The conversation took a coarse and foolish tone that wasn't okay for someone who has been put in the position that God placed me in.”

No information is available on who the woman was and according to the elders, though nothing inappropriate occurred, they felt that the relationship had "crossed a line" and that it qualified as Matt Chandler having "unhealth in his life." Lead pastor Josh Patterson told the congregation that Chandler's leave of absence was motivated by the church holding their pastors to a "higher standard."

---

Following his reinstatement on Sunday, December 4, 2022, Matt Chandler's sermon was themed around sin and finding repentance. He acknowledged his "sinfulness" and proclaimed to work on reconciling with God. He did not offer any details on the events that led to his forced hiatus.