A married Texas pastor informs his congregation that he is resigning due to a controversy involving another lady.

The Village Church’s main pastor, Matt Chandler, informed his congregation on Sunday that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence after church officials discovered that his talks with another married lady were “unguarded” but not “sexual.”

At the taped service, the pastor disclosed that an investigation had been set off by a lady who had complained to him a few months before about the way he was communicating with a friend of hers “on Instagram.”

“[Investigators] looked into the communications between myself and this other lady and they had some issues, and those worries were that our chats were unprotected and imprudent, not that our texts were amorous or sexual.”

Chandler, 48, said that as soon as he arrived home, he immediately told his wife and another senior pastor about the woman’s worries. At first he didn’t see the reason to be concerned.

Chandler remarked while fighting back tears, “I didn’t believe I had done anything wrong in it.” There were a few things my wife stated that confused me despite the fact that she and her husband both understood it.

The information sparked an inquiry by an outside law firm and other elders of the church. Searches were conducted on Chandler’s texts, emails, and mobile phone in addition to his social media history. The messages’ specifics are not apparent.

Chandler said that the main issues were familiarity and frequency. “We believe in brother [and] sister connections here, but there was a frequency that extended beyond that, and there was a familiarity that played itself out in crude and dumb humor,” the speaker said.

The communications indicated some “unhealth” in Chandler that is connected to the “difficulty” of the previous six or seven years, and Chandler said that he agreed with the choice to stand down.

Chandler replied, “I’m just extremely humiliated,” as he started to sob. “I feel foolish. I feel stupid. My wife and kids must think I’m humiliating them. putting our team under a lot of stress. I feel as if I have failed you.

Chandler said that despite his untimely departure, he intends to serve as the senior pastor for “the next 20 years.”

The New York Times reports that the pastor has been delivering sermons to the 4,500-member The Village church for roughly 20 years.

Chandler shouted his regrets and two distinct voices could be heard cheering him on.

Additionally, Chandler will stop working with a group known as Acts 29 to plant new churches. He presided over the group’s board of directors.

The issue of whether Chandler was right or wrong has generated heated discussion on social media.

One commenter said that “all preachers are wicked.” They should be treated with the same grace as everyone else. Matt Chandler has a soul.

Another person said, “I want to express my support for Matt Chandler at this time. It takes a large guy to own up to mistakes and accept responsibility for them. May the Lord, after a period of discipleship, find fit to restore him.

Others found his actions repugnant.

Claudia Salazar said that Matt Chandler was a predator. Nothing about his actions is random. He should be locked up. He is being defended in a brutal and repulsive manner.

A other person said, “I believe there’s a lot more to the Matt Chandler story than we’re being told, and if I’m correct about what truly occurred, what he did was disgusting – and even more despicable since he’s attempting to throw a lady under the bus to use as cover,”