Can Sinners Serve in your church?

[corndogggy]

In many of the cases that we've dealt with, no one else even knows of the sin that is going on so it is certainly not about image.

I seriously doubt that the majority of the people who are asked to step down from a leadership or serving position has committed some random run of the mill sin that nobody else knows about and there is no fear of that ever happening.

 

[salzer mtn]

If the OP meant, CAN THE LOST SERVE IN YOUR CHURCH ? the answer is no.

 

[annsni]

I seriously doubt that the majority of the people who are asked to step down from a leadership or serving position has committed some random run of the mill sin that nobody else knows about and there is no fear of that ever happening.

Then you are wrong in your doubt. In the past four years, we've had to ask two people to step down. In both cases, the person asked to step down stepped down willingly and was under the counsel of both my husband and myself (just husband for a man, both of us for a woman). To this day, the congregation has no idea what the sin was for either one - or that there WAS a sin. One has been restored to leadership and the other one is not yet ready but will be restored when we have mutually agreed that it is time.

 

[corndogggy]

or that there WAS a sin.

I've seen these things happen, and I believe it's a lot more obvious to the rest of the congregation than you think it is. Basically it went something like:

1. Someone in a leadership/serving position told a counselor about a sin in private, looking for some help, direction, or advise.

2. Counselor really doesn't do anything helpful at all except maybe abruptly state the obvious, but they do immediately make the person step down.

3. People notice, immediately, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that something bad enough was done that they were asked to step down.

4. The gossip engine kicks in. Sooner or later somebody somewhere will spill something, then it gets around rather quickly.

5. The end result is that the entire church knows "something", who knows exactly how accurate it is, but it's "something". The original something that was shared in private should have been kept completely private and this person should have been helped in a meaningful way. Publicly and immediately making people step down isn't exactly the most effective way to do that. It is however and effective way to start the ball rolling in terms of them leaving the church though.

 

[annsni]

I've seen these things happen, and I believe it's a lot more obvious to the rest of the congregation than you think it is. Basically it went something like:

1. Someone in a leadership/serving position told a counselor about a sin in private, looking for some help, direction, or advise.

2. Counselor really doesn't do anything helpful at all except maybe abruptly state the obvious, but they do immediately make the person step down.

3. People notice, immediately, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that something bad enough was done that they were asked to step down.

4. The gossip engine kicks in. Sooner or later somebody somewhere will spill something, then it gets around rather quickly.

5. The end result is that the entire church knows "something", who knows exactly how accurate it is, but it's "something". The original something that was shared in private should have been kept completely private and this person should have been helped in a meaningful way. Publicly and immediately making people step down isn't exactly the most effective way to do that. It is however and effective way to start the ball rolling in terms of them leaving the church though.

Wow - I'm sorry your church is that way. It hasn't been that way at all in our experience - especially since we've had people step down personally just for personal reasons (needing to get some time for their family, dealing with something with their walk with God - not necessarily a sin but something else that is hindering them from feeling comfortable leading or taking the time away from their family/God). If anyone asks, we just tell people that Joe is taking some time off for a bit and that suffices. I don't hear of ANY gossip (and trust me, I'd hear it) and since hubby and I are the ones who are the "counselor", we don't pass on ANY info. Heck, he won't even tell me what is going on at all if it's something that he's dealt with unless he's gotten direct permission to tell me. I guess we just protect our flock that way and it's paid off in trust, repentance and accountability.

 

[Yeshua1]

How can sinners serve in your church?

Define sinners, as we all are still those who sin after salvation!

Do you mean the unsaved?

saved who are walking around in known unrepentent sinning, or what?