Last week, Mandy and I watched the shocking Netflix documentary entitled Death of the Pastor’s Wife, which tells the story of Mica Miller, who took her own life in 2024.

What a sickening account. I was saddened to watch how this young woman’s life was destroyed. I was angered by a man who claims to represent Jesus but used his position as a pastor to prey on his wife and many others.

Sadly, I can see how this happened in an evangelical church. Too often, churches make space for wolves to devour the innocent. I’ve watched it happen.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. The apostles warned us about it and have told us—in the pages of the New Testament—exactly what to do to protect ourselves, our families, and our churches from ravenous wolves.

Paul warned us that this threat would rear its head. He told the Ephesian elders, “wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). These wolves come from the ranks of the church itself: they arise “from among your own selves, speaking twisted things” (v. 30; see also 2 Peter and Jude). Therefore, the church and its leaders must be on guard at all times.

How do we guard against the presence of such predators? I suggest that there are a number of steps you can take. First, insist that your leaders draw their teaching from the Bible. What I mean is that pastors and teachers in the church should consistently go out of their way to show you that what they are teaching comes from specific Bible passages, in context. If they skip over the inconvenient parts in order to tickle your ears, or if they sneak in their opinions under the guise of Bible preaching, stay away.

It's not enough to say true things or even biblical things. Preachers of God’s Word must show that they are getting their teaching explicitly from Scripture.

Second, understand the very clear qualifications of spiritual leadership in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Basically, a pastor must be “above reproach.” JP Miller broke his marriage covenant by committing adultery with a much younger member of his congregation. That is about as reproachful as you can imagine! He should have been immediately removed from leadership and publicly rebuked when this happened (1 Timothy 5:20), years before the more sordid events retold in the documentary. If the elders of the church had had the courage to act biblically, they could have prevented so much evil.

Understand that unrepentant leaders will often use the grace and forgiveness promised in the gospel as a cudgel to beat back any resistance to their tyranny. Those who question them will be labeled as judgmental or legalistic. If that happens, keep your eye on the ball: The qualifications for leadership and the conditions of forgiveness are two different topics. Just because someone’s sin is forgiven does not qualify them to lead.

Third, learn to recognize the fruits of genuine repentance as well as its many counterfeits (see 2 Corinthians 7:10-11). A wolf will try to distract from his own lack of repentance by complaining about how the sin was uncovered or making excuses for his sin (e.g., a man who blames his wife for his choice to commit adultery). He’ll resist accountability and become impatient with the slow process of restoration. If you see that, run!

Fourth, value character more than gifts or abilities. Contrary to what you might think, the most dangerous spiritual predators are often the ones with the most charismatic personalities and impressive ministry gifts. You might be tempted to think that they have some kind of special anointing because they can speak well or make people feel seen and loved. Remember that the Holy Spirit doesn’t need any of us, even if we have special skills. The presence and power of the Spirit is marked by the fruit of the Spirit, not just flashy abilities (Galatians 5:22-23).

Finally, be on guard against unbiblical power structures in the local church. No pastor, staff member, or lay leader should operate outside of a real accountability structure. No “yes-men” either. Every pastor needs qualified, called elders. If they’re his best buddies from high school, I’d be concerned. If they’re all paid staff members of the church and report to him as their supervisor, I’d be concerned. A healthy church needs healthy accountability in leadership.

It’s not that healthy churches with healthy leadership dynamics avoid problems altogether. It’s that they have a biblical mechanism for dealing with these problems in a way that pleases the Lord and protects the flock from the wounds of the Enemy.

So don’t be naïve about these wolves. And let’s do what our Chief Shepherd has told us to do to protect our church.