Thank you for this. My former church has refused to make bylaws public even after a request through the NC DOJ. Former board members were never given the bylaws to review. The senior pastor has kept them hidden. I can only speculate that he has absolute control and cannot be removed - not even for going to drug rehab twice, for misuse of church funds, for lying and abusive leadership. I've never seen anything like this... I had no idea while on staff the level of deceit and manipulation that was occurring and since leaving, the board and the assistant pastors refuse to even contemplate what accountability should/would look like.
You said, "Sadly, today, that means a lot of people are walking away from the institutional church because they’ve done their part and called a wolf a wolf but their concerns and pain have been dismissed “for the greater good.” This not only explains why many are leaving the institutional church but also offers a description of "deconstruction" which is being portrayed by many on the right as Christians leaving Jesus, or their faith, when most of them are merely leaving the church. Well done brother, well done.
Thanks Brian for this thoughtful, articulate, challenging, and relevant topic that is choking the life out of the body of Christ. You are scratching where there was an irritation, but now it is a life threatening cancer. Very good. Thanks my friend.
Thanks Brian! This section "Sadly, today, that means a lot of people are walking away from the institutional church because they’ve done their part and called a wolf a wolf but their concerns and pain have been dismissed “for the greater good.” We’ve created a dysfunctional culture of silence and our discomfort with confrontation and disagreement has convinced us that saying nothing is more godly than saying something. Or at least safer than saying something." got me going here. This is a problem in the Vineyard. Previously I have voiced issues to V leadership, both to area leaders as well as the 'one-step previous' VUSA leadership about issues and concerns and been dissed. One of them was to an area leader who dissed me, probably because he was having multiple affairs and had his own garbage to hide, but the response was that my 'expressed concern' was bad timing and didn't support "the greater good". BTW, thank God for people like Julie Roys!
Having worked on bylaws at RV, I can see the challenge of being completely free of malpractice. But the one I worked on as an elder, and the spouse of a pastor, at least helped us in our time of challenge to make decisions that were needed by the church. It did not prevent malpractice, but it shortened the time that it would have continued. Having bylaws that strengthen the role of elders, in my mind, helps in constraining malpractice.
Thank you for this. My former church has refused to make bylaws public even after a request through the NC DOJ. Former board members were never given the bylaws to review. The senior pastor has kept them hidden. I can only speculate that he has absolute control and cannot be removed - not even for going to drug rehab twice, for misuse of church funds, for lying and abusive leadership. I've never seen anything like this... I had no idea while on staff the level of deceit and manipulation that was occurring and since leaving, the board and the assistant pastors refuse to even contemplate what accountability should/would look like.
You said, "Sadly, today, that means a lot of people are walking away from the institutional church because they’ve done their part and called a wolf a wolf but their concerns and pain have been dismissed “for the greater good.” This not only explains why many are leaving the institutional church but also offers a description of "deconstruction" which is being portrayed by many on the right as Christians leaving Jesus, or their faith, when most of them are merely leaving the church. Well done brother, well done.
Thanks Brian for this thoughtful, articulate, challenging, and relevant topic that is choking the life out of the body of Christ. You are scratching where there was an irritation, but now it is a life threatening cancer. Very good. Thanks my friend.
Matthew 10:16
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and as innocent as doves."
Thanks Brian! This section "Sadly, today, that means a lot of people are walking away from the institutional church because they’ve done their part and called a wolf a wolf but their concerns and pain have been dismissed “for the greater good.” We’ve created a dysfunctional culture of silence and our discomfort with confrontation and disagreement has convinced us that saying nothing is more godly than saying something. Or at least safer than saying something." got me going here. This is a problem in the Vineyard. Previously I have voiced issues to V leadership, both to area leaders as well as the 'one-step previous' VUSA leadership about issues and concerns and been dissed. One of them was to an area leader who dissed me, probably because he was having multiple affairs and had his own garbage to hide, but the response was that my 'expressed concern' was bad timing and didn't support "the greater good". BTW, thank God for people like Julie Roys!
Having worked on bylaws at RV, I can see the challenge of being completely free of malpractice. But the one I worked on as an elder, and the spouse of a pastor, at least helped us in our time of challenge to make decisions that were needed by the church. It did not prevent malpractice, but it shortened the time that it would have continued. Having bylaws that strengthen the role of elders, in my mind, helps in constraining malpractice.