Should our churches fellowship with repentant criminals?

[Yeshua1]

I was involved with a prison ministry some years ago. The team made sure the men on their last six months of their sentences had a church to go to on Sundays. They lived in a half-way house. About 4 -5 of those men came to my church and were in my mixed adult Sunday School class. We also held services at the half-way house.

None of those men were pedophiles. If they had been, they would not have been allowed to sit near children and possibly only allowed to come to Sunday School - depending on the child population.

I'm telling you that God forgives and people should forgive...…..I am also telling you that those desires NEVER change. I've worked with too many sexually abused children and known too many pedophiles.

If a team brought a soon-to-be-released pedophile to my church and he sat close to children, that would be a huge problem for me. If something like that happens, it should be planned ahead of time which adult male or female [depending on whether the pedophile is a man or woman] that he or she would sit by and it would be very far away from children.

This isn't about forgiving someone, it's about taking preventative measures to ensure the CHURCH is not enabling a pedophile.

I agree with you on principle here, but God can and has changed homosexual/lesbian orientations, but He cannot change pedophiles?

 

[Yeshua1]

A previous church I was a member of (since a teenager) had this come up. A person who had been reached by the prison ministry wanted to join the church when he had been released. He had been saved while in prison. The man was upfront with his past and had an outstanding testimony. BUT he was also forbidden to be around children and schools. There was two issues: first was the issue of the law (was he legally able to attend when they held classes for children in the same building). But the more important issue was one, perhaps, of trust and judgment. Do you take the man's profession as is knowing that you may be putting children at risk if you are wrong?

I can't remember how this ended up (I may have left the church prior to this being resolved). But there are issues more than simply accepting that God forgave the man.

Always best to err on the side of caution...

 

[Rockson]

Well churches should make sure the repentive have it set up for them to have fellowship and strengthening. People are only human and maybe right to have concerns. I'm sure when people heard about the conversion of Saul, to Paul it most certainly wasn't overnight that he would have been so quickly received without question. As years passed on however where his testimony all viewed absolutely credible I'm sure they're concerns would have been naturally alleviated. But it's only right that these things take time and much time. Whatever it takes to make each individual saint to feel comfortable.

 

[canadyjd]

I agree with you on principle here, but God can and has changed homosexual/lesbian orientations, but He cannot change pedophiles?

Nothing is impossible with God. But since I can't look into a person and see whether God Holy Spirit indwells, I not going to put children in their presence.

I wouldnt allow someone convicted of embezzling to handle the finances. I wouldnt allow someone with a history of defrauding the elderly to do their taxes.

We can be smart, while giving folks the chance to fellowship.

 

[Yeshua1]

Nothing is impossible with God. But since I can't look into a person and see whether God Holy Spirit indwells, I not going to put children in their presence.

I wouldnt allow someone convicted of embezzling to handle the finances. I wouldnt allow someone with a history of defrauding the elderly to do their taxes.

We can be smart, while giving folks the chance to fellowship.

Yes, would totally agree with you and others that we need to safeguard our children in church, was just addressing if one in that kind of sin can be delivered out of it by God or not...

 

[Scarlett O.]

I agree with you on principle here, but God can and has changed homosexual/lesbian orientations, but He cannot change pedophiles?

God can heal anyone of anything.

But the church should never put anyone who has sinned - to the point of harm to the helpless/themselves and criminalization - in the path of temptation. That's not denying a change. That's protecting the innocent and being a wise church.

I would be unhappy if my church put a person who has spent time in jail for embezzlement on the counting committee [counts money after church], financial secretary, or anyone directly in charge of the accounts of the church or handling the money directly.

If I were at a church that used real wine in their Lord's Supper, I would not want a reformed alcoholic being in charge of filling up the cups. That person in my church [we use grape juice] does that by themselves early before the church service.

It's not about God not healing people. It's about the church not putting a reformed person in a place where he or she could relapse. The church would be legally liable and people would blame the church moreso than the individual who relapsed.

 

[canadyjd]

God can heal anyone of anything.

But the church should never put anyone who has sinned - to the point of harm to the helpless/themselves and criminalization - in the path of temptation. That's not denying a change. That's protecting the innocent and being a wise church.

I would be unhappy if my church put a person who has spent time in jail for embezzlement on the counting committee [counts money after church], financial secretary, or anyone directly in charge of the accounts of the church or handling the money directly.

If I were at a church that used real wine in their Lord's Supper, I would not want a reformed alcoholic being in charge of filling up the cups. That person in my church [we use grape juice] does that by themselves early before the church service.

It's not about God not healing people. It's about the church not putting a reformed person in a place where he or she could relapse. The church would be legally liable and people would blame the church moreso than the individual who relapsed.

The last point you made is insightful. Those outside the church will blame the church even more than the person who commits the crime because they knew about the background and did nothing to avoid the relapse.

 

[Yeshua1]

God can heal anyone of anything.

But the church should never put anyone who has sinned - to the point of harm to the helpless/themselves and criminalization - in the path of temptation. That's not denying a change. That's protecting the innocent and being a wise church.

I would be unhappy if my church put a person who has spent time in jail for embezzlement on the counting committee [counts money after church], financial secretary, or anyone directly in charge of the accounts of the church or handling the money directly.

If I were at a church that used real wine in their Lord's Supper, I would not want a reformed alcoholic being in charge of filling up the cups. That person in my church [we use grape juice] does that by themselves early before the church service.

It's not about God not healing people. It's about the church not putting a reformed person in a place where he or she could relapse. The church would be legally liable and people would blame the church moreso than the individual who relapsed.

I totally agree with you on that, but also just saying that to God, aren't we all in the same boat as any else, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God?

 

[Yeshua1]

The last point you made is insightful. Those outside the church will blame the church even more than the person who commits the crime because they knew about the background and did nothing to avoid the relapse.

I am not disagreeing with anything posted on this issue, but wonder how the person that Paul rebuked for having his fathers wife repented and came back to Christ and the Church?

 

[Scarlett O.]

I totally agree with you on that, but also just saying that to God, aren't we all in the same boat as any else, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God?

Yes, our sins are all a stench to God - all of us.

 

[canadyjd]

I am not disagreeing with anything posted on this issue, but wonder how the person that Paul rebuked for having his fathers wife repented and came back to Christ and the Church?

I'm not sure scripture gives us the details beyond that he was repentant and Paul urged the fellowship to accept him back.

What role he played, if any, in that fellowship remains unknown as far as I know.