Has anyone heard of such a thing? A pastor feels so threatened by a blogger that they issue trespass warnings unless and until "said" person meets with the Disciplinary Committee.
Is it even legal?
As to the legality, the deck has been stacked against him, and any other challengers to the power elite with the changes in the Bylaws which incorporated the disciplinary committee. Reportedly the members voted and approved the bylaws, even if they were stupid enough to vote for them site unseen.
Legal? A church can and should be able to run itself how it sees fit, would we want Congress or the Senate making laws about who can or who can not go to a church? Given the separation between church and state, I doubt if a law would even be constitutional.
So, it's probably legal to decide that one of their members is no longer a member, or to ban him and his wife from their property.
I think in Jacksonville Anon and his family should be able to find many other churches that would welcome them.
It sounds like their approach to church discipline is messed up. But please help us if lawyers and courts get in involved.
Can you notify your Baptist list members of this thread?
thanks
Sounds like something out of The Effective Church Splitter's Guide
Okay...
Chuch discipline is supposed to remain in the church. The Bible specifically admonishes believers about taking legal action against one another. You are apparently have taken sides with the person to be disciplined and are stirring the pot by going to secular message boards with it.
As long as their actions are within the canon law of their church or within their congregations own by laws it is legal. And unless it involved some sort of violation of civil law the courts would not hear any pleading about the church’s activities from this man.
***divisive through blogging****
I’m assuming the man was criticizing something/someone related to the church on his blog.
My experience as a pastor says it’s an awful lot easier to criticize than to be a leader, so my initial impulse is to write this down as sour grapes. Anyone who undertakes any project in a church always gets the standard treatment of the spectator-Christian. (He/she could have/should have done XYZ, blah, blah, yada, yada.)
That said, my sense of the biblical discipline process is that it is supposed to be a healing mission and not an antagonistic mission. To hand someone a letter and not say anything, not encourage, not explain, not anything except some severe “serving of papers” is a bit bizarre, and in my reading of the bible, diametrically opposite of the biblical intent.
They all sound like they could use a trip to the pharmacy to get a new bottle of wisdom pills.
Baptist ping
Welcome to FR.
Yes, it is legal. Indeed, if anything, your complaints seem to arise from the fact that they have taken steps that a good lawyer would recommend.
Since it appears that the bloggers have not followed Biblical mandates, church discipline would seem to be not only appropriate, but necessary.
It does sound like the bloggers would be happier in a connectional church rather than one that is congregational in structure.
A little context here: Is this a minister or church I should have heard of? Your church?