Creating and enforcing rules is pastoral ministry. Confronting and removing abusive members from a congregation is as much shepherding as nurturing young and needy ones.
This chapter encouraged me. In my first 8 (of 12) years at our current church, we had to do formal discipline on 8 (inactive) elders and 6 (inactive) deacons and the interim choir director—among other cases!
Why? Because in the first 30 years of the church, it had never been done (with 2 cases of domestic abuse as exceptions).
I hated this. Like everyone, I want people to like me. However, given the blatant, sinful behavior of many folks, I couldn’t just overlook it.
One of my profs at RTS used to say, often, “Those who make their living from their faith, always risk losing one or the other.� I think of these words ALL THE TIME.
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A safe place for shepherds to reflect together.