Bible Question:
Greetings Brothers and Sisters, For those of you who are familiar with me, you know I have been having problems with the government of the Church where I fellowship. Herewith is a brief synopsis of what I have already alluded to in this forum. I have been part of this "nondenominational" Church for 13 years. I have no agenda...I have worked in almost every department...had many leadership positions,etc. I do find fault with the elders who cower to the pastor who "lords" over all of us. He is the founder of the Church. He constantly says, "The buck stops with me". He had a "doctorate" conferred on him, and now has become a "bishop". Twelve of the seventeen salaried positions are his relatives (nepotism-partiality, respect of persons...which James 2:9 says is Sin). He tells us to take ownership whenever he refers to cleaning the bathrooms or other laborious task. When I asked to seek the financial records, I was denied. He and his family own a ranch with show horses, cattle, fancy cars, etc. They are in the process of building an estate. The pastor is White...the congregation is predominantly Black. All of the White associate pastors, youth pastors, Children's Director, etc. get paid. There are no Black salaried personnel. Recently, I wrote a letter to the elders informing them of their elderly duties...documented with scriptures. I have not attended a Sunday or Wednesday night service for three months (though prior to that, I never missed a Sunday/Wednesday/Saturday night Prayer Service). I did continue to go to the Saturday night Prayer Service. We only have about 300 people in our congregation , yet no one inquired about my husband and my absence for 6 weeks. My letter to the elders asked them to prayerly investigate the nepotism, their scriptural duties, the fact that a "male" member of the pastor's family had an adulterous relation with a man..his wife divorced him..he left town, but is now back leading praise and worship,and on the payroll! Another young lady who led praise and worship had a baby out-of-wedlock continued this task...then had another baby out-of-wedlock, and was allowed to continue her roll as song leader. The elders did nothing about this. At the last Saturday night Prayer Service I attended, I was pulled out by an associate pastor (one of the pastor's relatives who is salaried) and a Black elder. They told me if I did not like the way things were run, I should leave. I asked if they had studied the scriptures I submitted in my letter...the elder said "No". The associate pastor said, "We are not changing anything". I am now told that the elders have been informed that if they see the letter...and have a question about it...they should call the pastor. My letter let them know that I could be wrong, my views could be slanted, skewed, etc., but tell me scripturally where I am wrong. Using Matt 18:15, Jesus said if you have a fault with your brother, go to him. I did this, via a 9 paged letter since there are 22 elders (counting their wives). This scripture says if your brother hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear you, take two or three witnesses...I did that also. Then the Bible says if he neglects to hear them, tell it to the church. My question to this forum is what would you do in my situation? We do have three pastors from other Churches that act as a covering for us. Should I ask them to intervene? Should I tell the Church? Should I just leave and find another Church? I hate to leave my "family" that I have fellowshipped with for the past 13 years. I feel grieved that I am leaving them without informing them of this wolf in sheep's clothing to be exploited and psychologically enslaved. Thanks for allowing me to bounce this off of you. Proverbs says in the multitude of counsellors purposes are established and there is safety. In Him and He in me, Bereaniam |
Bible Answer: Bereaniam - From your continuing reports, it sounds as though the church where you worship has more problems than a giraffe with strep throat! Don't you find it difficult to function as a Christian should in such an environment where you are in a more or less constant stew about how things are going? Have you considered looking for another church? It can be done. I did it. And found one, too! It was one of the few smart things I ever did. --Hank |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 3 | Author | ||
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NMRH | ||
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MKelly | ||
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NightJay0044 | ||
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SETH | ||
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dodsonv | ||
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pwsleung | ||
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Bereaniam | ||
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Hank | ||
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shakespearnoir | ||
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Mercy2uu2 | ||
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phillips413 |