Detecting a “Wolf in Sheep Clothing” or False Shepherd

Do you know how to detect a “Wolf in Sheep Clothing?”

Are you sure?  Be careful.  Don’t jump to conclusions.  Most Spirit-filled Christians do not understand how to detect a wolf in sheep clothing.  They are confused when the Holy Spirit does not just reveal it to them.

We are so used to the gifts of the Spirit used in ministry.  We assume that the Holy Spirit will reveal everything we need to know.  We stop being careful.  We neglect due diligence.  We become too heavenly minded to think clearly on this important issue.

Decisions are made about who gets in the position of power and privilege of pastor, minister or director of a ministry.  Because these positions are very strategic in terms of allowing or shutting down God’s work, Satan is interested.  His men are interested.  His men with good resumes, good looks and smooth talk are interested in that position of power.  They achieve them undetected with ease.

That is why, Body of Christ, I don’t want you deluded about your choice.  You need to get beyond the education, the position and the appearance and know the heart of the man you are putting in place.  There is no easy way to do this.  Due diligence means work is needed.  Failure to do your homework means that a Wolf in Sheep Clothing can get by you.

But we are lazy.  We want the Holy Spirit to reveal things to us that the dark side wants kept secret.  What if the Holy Spirit is not going to tell secrets and expects you to do the discernment required?  If you do not do your part and you hire an enemy agent, then you will have a battle on your hands!  Undoing your mistake will not be easy.

The final section of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount tells us to beware of false prophets.  Take this to mean false pastors, false directors, false men of God.  They are false because they are up to no good.  They are false because the false shepherd “does not care about the sheep.” John 10:13.

If the Holy Spirit gifts do not help and the surface appearance does not help.  We are used to the Holy Spirit doing the discerning for us.  It does not always work that way.

Surface appearance - education, appearance, resume - does not reveal the Wolf in Sheep Clothing.  How do you get under the surface?

Think about this.  What does it mean “by their fruits you will know them?”

Jesus says that good fruit is born on good trees.  Good fruit is found in the quality of a man’s intimate relationships, in the slip of his tongue, in his sense of humor, in his sense of fair play in sports, in good fruit in his interactions requiring love, wisdom and healing.  One can discern good fruit by marriages staying together, people being healthy and less contention and dissatisfaction in the congregation.

Knowing the fruit takes patience and wisdom.  Judgmental criteria may not work.  What is needed is real knowing of the person’s heart for God and for worship; a real taste of their capacity for loving service, for building up others, for living within healthy boundaries.  Such character is only discerned over time.  It is only discerned by those who are involved in the issues of power, love and money with this person.  In a church this means the person’s board and his staff.  At home it means his family and loved ones.

In Demons in the Sanctuary it is the board who worked with Rutherford (Rutledge) and the staff of the Good Shepherd Church (Good Samaritan Church) that got to know him.  Their eyes opened over a period of months of trying unsuccessfully to deal with boundary issues around finances and other decisions around the church.

Those who only know a pastor in his "public" role do not know what is going on behind the scenes.  Sometimes only a man's wife and children know who the real person is.  Everyone else may see the pastor  as the perfect angel.  In fact, a congregation will have a strong inbuilt tendency to see the best and ignore or discount any problems with their pastor.

One always needs good confirmation when discerning the wolf in sheep's clothing.  When the board of the Good Samaritan Church dealt with Ralph Rutledge, the church archives provided that strong confirmation and introduced new concerns.  Previous boards had issues with Rutledge over financial issues.  Only then did this board discover there were also boundary issues around sexual boundaries and that these were allegations of homosexual encounters.

A male associate pastor was on record in the church archives as requesting better sexual boundaries from Rutledge.  The board interactions around these allegations is documented.

This documentation strengthened the boards resolve to deal with Ralph Rutledge.  Now, they were less likely to bow under his guilt, shame and browbeating tactics.

Jesus told us that "a bad tree that bears bad fruit," (Matthew 7:18).   If other boards found the same issues; if the same  bad fruit appeared throughout Rutledge's history at the Good Samaritan Church, then it was now  clearer that this was an example of a bad tree.  And Jesus said that "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 7:19

The church board is exposed to the dirty laundry. The congregation is spared the stress and disappointment of being on the inside.  Congregation members need to trust their boards because board members have inside information.  They have the inside experience of dealing with the pastor.  They will be the first ones to discern the health of the tree.


In summary remember that detecting a wolf in sheep clothing takes time (maybe years).  Only those close to the man know the real character issues he is dealing with.  Those on the church boards are the one who deal with the church's 'dirty laundry.'  They get a chance to know the man.  (Though often his family knows best.)

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not always helpful.  Jesus wants us to look and see and taste the fruit of ministry.

Do not trust an interview and a resume.  Dig for real first hand data that reveal the character of the man (or woman).   The business term is "due diligence."  Failure to do due diligence has created much distress for Christian organizations and some have been destroyed.

George Hartwell M.Sc. Christian counsellor provides Christian counselling ( counseling / therapy ) through 90 minute in person sessions at his office in Mississauga.  As a professional Christian Marriage counsellor George provides Christian marriage counselling counseling for couples in Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.