I've also been granted permission to
repost another vignette of the misuse of Matthew 18 that appeared on
a blog in 2007, a story about Matthew 18 within a messy mega church
bureaucracy.
It is my hope that people will consider
many, many perspectives and implications of the use and abuse of this
special passage of Scripture and will follow wisdom and the Spirit,
thinking for themselves.
~~~
Comments
from Readers
About
Matthew 18:15-17
Prescriptions that Do More Harm than
Good
I have also seen people approach
Matthew 18 as if it was some sort of prescriptive formula for
every offense or error, but I don't see it that way. As others
have pointed out, Paul did not hesitate to address specific
public error with a specific public response, particularly when
dealing with false doctrine.
The overall point is about interpersonal relationships among believers, and we Christians are often good at turning relationship issues into dogmatic rules, and end up missing the point in the process. The situation you mentioned about a mom being "churched" for tardiness is an example. I had a friend who was going through some tough times with her teenaged kids, and over about a 6 month period she chose to get drunk an three occasions to dull the pain. She went to her pastor each time and sought counsel and forgiveness, as she was very convicted over her behavior and was really struggling with gaining victory and making her repentance complete. The church has a membership covenant that forbids any drinking of alcohol. After the third time she fell and talked to her pastor, he brought her before the church and she was thrown out.
The overall point is about interpersonal relationships among believers, and we Christians are often good at turning relationship issues into dogmatic rules, and end up missing the point in the process. The situation you mentioned about a mom being "churched" for tardiness is an example. I had a friend who was going through some tough times with her teenaged kids, and over about a 6 month period she chose to get drunk an three occasions to dull the pain. She went to her pastor each time and sought counsel and forgiveness, as she was very convicted over her behavior and was really struggling with gaining victory and making her repentance complete. The church has a membership covenant that forbids any drinking of alcohol. After the third time she fell and talked to her pastor, he brought her before the church and she was thrown out.
They basically shunned her, and she
spiraled downward afterwards. She went through a couple of marriages
in a couple of years, and it was several years after that before she
regained her footing. She was eventually able to get her life back
on track with God and other believers. In my mind it was an
example of the church doing the exact opposite of what Jesus
intended.
Rules Versus Relationship Principles
In my mind (which I realize may
not be entirely renewed on the subject), when a church's leaders are
behaving in abusive ways, they have already broken covenant with the
members, so they aren't really in a position to claim authority based
simply on their position. Our submission to one another is always
intended to be mutual, and works in the context of redeemed
relationships, so whenever someone tries to make submission a matter
of rules rather than relationships, they have missed the point and
undermined any authority they might have otherwise had.
Another concern I have with how Matt 18 is applied in authoritarian, hierarchical church settings is that, if the offending party does not respond to an individual plea or to a plea with one or two others, they tend to add a step of bringing the concern before the elders to make decisions, rather than taking the matter to the whole church. Some just skip over the initial pleas altogether and bring people in before the elders ("star chamber" meetings) from the start. Then they still want to claim they have handled things "biblically". You can always tell that someone has turned a relationship principle into a rule when they start modifying or adding on to the rule.
Another concern I have with how Matt 18 is applied in authoritarian, hierarchical church settings is that, if the offending party does not respond to an individual plea or to a plea with one or two others, they tend to add a step of bringing the concern before the elders to make decisions, rather than taking the matter to the whole church. Some just skip over the initial pleas altogether and bring people in before the elders ("star chamber" meetings) from the start. Then they still want to claim they have handled things "biblically". You can always tell that someone has turned a relationship principle into a rule when they start modifying or adding on to the rule.
Taking the Passage Out of Context
Talk about one of the most misused
passages out there! One of the problems with it, is that no want
wants to include the context of verse 1 and so on. And Jesus said
this before the church age and Pentecost. Not that means it doesn't
apply but how does it apply? There really is no "letter" of
the law for church governance.
A Fourth Step in the Process
Involving Leadership?
“Is it a mandate for leaders to take
members to task, playing both leader and brother, using authority to
manipulate?" No way. That is why it is so abused.
Imagine that you have two believers,
and one has an offense against the other. That person is to
approach the other person alone. If the one who has done the offense
will not hear or acknowledge, then you go back and get three
witnesses and try again. The witnesses can be anyone and are there
to make sure you not only stay in line but witness the offenders
response and make a determination if there is repentance. If that
does not work then you take it to the church....the WHOLE church.
There is no 4th step like Jay Adams
teaches where you take it to the elders first then the church later.
He lied about that. It says nothing about elders or leaders of any
sort. (Exegesis of the New Testament Greek is very clear about this,
and there is no fourth step of going to leadership for intervention
indicated or remotely implied.)
Abuse Ranging from the Sublime to
the Ridiculous to the Tragic
Can you imagine taking a situation like
being late for volleyball games to the whole church? They would be
laughed out OR every single silly offense would be game for this.
This only works if you are in the same
church. Try and see it from First Century point of view which makes
it harder. Read the context of the whole chapter in the verses
preceding it, then, read the parable after it. It is not as clear
cut as people want to make it. It is more about resolving conflicts.
It is NOT about church discipline.
And it needs to be a serious wrong, and
even then, I've seen the passage horribly abused.
From the Coffee
Trader News and Views
The Adventures of Matthew 18 in a Mega
It's enough to make you
scream.
Cast:
Senior Pastor’s Appointments Secretary (SPAS)
(Reports to his administrative assistant)
Mid Level Church Staffer (MLCS)
Scene Set up:
Cast:
Senior Pastor’s Appointments Secretary (SPAS)
(Reports to his administrative assistant)
Mid Level Church Staffer (MLCS)
Scene Set up:
Mid level staffer
was astonished to hear the Senior Pastor make some inappropriate
remarks at a staff retreat during a small group sharing time. He
knows he should discuss this with the pastor in private. Here is his
attempt to practice Matthew 18 from one Brother in Christ to another
at a 20,000 member mega church. The leadership of the church
constantly tells staffers to use Matthew 18 in dealing with conflict
or offense by a brother. At this point, Mid Level Staffer draws up
his courage to meet with his ‘Brother in Christ’ to implement
Matthew 18.
Scene:
Scene:
(Phone rings in Senior Pastor’s office)
SPAS: Pastor ______ ‘s office, this is Victoria, how may I help you?
MLCS: Uh...Hi Victoria, this Mike Green calling for Pastor ____. Is he in?
SPAS: What was your name again, sir? (Clicking on computerized membership file)
MLCS: Uh…Mike Green, I am downstairs on the 3rd floor in Media Relations.
SPAS: So, you are a STAFFER?
MLCS: Er...yes, ma’m…is..is...the Pastor in?
SPAS: Mike, is your boss Tom Frank, Director of Media Relations?
MLCS: Uh…yes, well...no... ma’m…my direct supervisor is Todd Bellow, he is the Artistic Facilitator.
SPAS: Mike, why are you calling Pastor _____?
MLCS: Er...W..Well ma’m that is kind of per...personal. Is there a better time for me to call him?
SPAS: Mike, have you discussed this situation with Todd Bellow first?
MLCS: Well, ...uh…no ma’m…it does not really concern him.
SPAS: Mike, I really think you should go through the chain. Does Todd know you are calling the Senior Pastor?
MLCS: See, ma’m, this does not concern Todd. It is of a very personal nature.
SPAS: Oh, I see. Let me get you a number to call. Hold on just a minute...
(waiting)
SPAS: Ok, here we are. You need to call extension 332 and ask for Bob Teal. He can help you.
MLCS: Bob Teal? I don’t know a Bob Teal. Wh..who is that?
SPAS: He is one of the best counselors we have here. You know we have counselors who deal only with the church staff and their personal problems. He is a wonderful man and would be more than happy to help you.
MLCS: I…I …uh…really don’t need a counselor. I…I just wanted to talk with the Pastor about something personal…between he and I.
SPAS: Mike, do you have any idea how busy Pastor____ is? What if every single staffer here wanted some of his time? Would he ever be able to get anything done? Mike, really! Call your boss about this and if what you want to discuss with Pastor_____ is of urgency, then I am sure it can be sent up the chain and dealt with. Have a wonderful rest of the day! Bye.
Question: Is the Pastor of this church a Brother in Christ to the staff person? Does Matthew 18 apply?
Matthew 18
15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
~~~
More Posts to come addressing
forgiveness, reconciliation and Peacemaker Ministries
