When You Should NOT Submit to a Church

9marks.org ^ | 7.18.2014 | Jonathan Leeman

[Gamecock]

All of us will, at times, be called to endure humbly a leader’s mistakes and sins. Nonetheless, should you find yourself in a church where the leadership is characteristically abusive, I would, in most cases, encourage you to flee. Flee to protect your discipleship, to protect your family, to set a good example for the members left behind, to serve non-Christian neighbors by not lending credibility to the church’s ministry.

How do you recognize abusive leadership? Paul requires two witnesses for a charge to be leveled against an elder (1 Tim. 5:19), probably because he knows that leaders will be charged with infelicities more often than others, often unfairly. That said, abusive churches and Christian leaders characteristically

-Make dogmatic prescriptions in places where Scripture is silent.
-Rely on intelligence, humor, charm, guilt, emotions, or threats rather than on God’s Word and prayer (see Acts 6:4).
-Play favorites.
-Punish those who disagree.
-Employ extreme forms of communication (tempers, silent treatment).
-Recommend courses of action which always, somehow, improves the leader’s own situation, even at the expense of others.
-Speak often and quickly.
-Seldom do good deeds in secret.
-Seldom encourage.
-Seldom give the benefit of the doubt.
-Emphasize outward conformity, rather than repentance of heart.
-Preach, counsel, disciple, and oversee the church with lips that fail to ground everything in what Christ has done in the gospel and to give glory to God.

[jsanders2001]

None of that in ours so we’re good.

[chae]

That sums up pastor Sam at my former church. His wife is even worse

[Dilbert San Diego]

Clergy are imperfect, as we all are. But if you have to deal with a bad pastor, the best thing is to find another church.

[sr4402]

Add to the List:

Promoting Homosexuality
Promoting Abortion
Giving of the Tithes for the Above or for Political Agendas
Worship of False Gods

That's why we left one church.

[Tax-chick]

-Seldom do good deeds in secret.

How would one know?

[Catsrus]

Actually, the church is one body made up of many members - and that doesn’t mean a denomination - the church is the body of Christ. We mistakenly say - going to church meaning a place to worship - when in reality we should say - we are going to worship. Yeah, I know - nitpicking, but just trying to be Scripturally correct.

I Corinithians 12:12, 13

[knittnmom]

That one probably should have been worded something like: “always boasting about good deeds done”

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Usually you call a business meeting of the deacons and request the preacher’s resignation, or be fired.

[Tax-chick]

Or it could be “seldom does good deeds.”

[Claud]

Make dogmatic prescriptions in places where Scripture is silent.

So say someone is 100% sure that the Scripture is silent on (or adverse to) the Trinity....good idea to, say, leave OPC for that reason?

Punish those who disagree

I'm not sure why this is in here. What are you supposed to do with heretical teachings? Allow them to flourish?

The question's all mixed up anyway. You don't ever ever ever submit to A church. You submit to THE Church--because there is only one. So if you are in A church and not THE Church, you would do well to leave the former and find the latter without a moment's delay.

[Nervous Tick]

>> How would one know?

lol

But seriously, you often *do* find out about good deeds done in secret.

You just don’t find out from the doer.

[CodeToad]

Submit to a church? Never. It isn’t a church if it requires submittal.

[Tax-chick]

Then they weren't secret enough!

[RitaOK]

Nice. :)

Warts and all in this world, in His Church, HE is there wholly, in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

No leaving Him because of a few temporary warts permitted to roam and prowl around to test us well.

[Gamecock]

1. Not exactly tracking the Trinity part and the OPC tie in. In the OPC, as well as other truly reformed churches, it is held that the Trinity is clearly taught in Scripture. Can someone struggle with the concept as part of Christian growth? Yes. Is is allowed to teach that heresy in Sunday School or as part of some small group or Sunday School? No. That would violate the doctrinal purity of the church. If someone is certain that Scripture is 100% silent, then then perhaps they are a better fit for one of the many cults that circle Christianity.

But this article is referring to the pastors who make proclamations outside of established doctrine of the church. Something like members must give 50% tithes, or only drive battery powered cars.

2. Those who disagree are those who maybe have an issue with an expansion project, or question some program. Not those who are practicing heretical teaching.

[Nervous Tick]

What the recipient may say about the deed is not under the control of the doer. ;-)

But if the doer did the deed to the glory of GOD anticipating no personal thanks or even credit for the deed — that qualifies as a good deed done in secret. IMHO anyway.

[PastorBooks]

“always boasting about good deeds done”

Lots of churches guilty of that.

[VerySadAmerican]

How would he know someone isn’t doing a good deed in secret?

[Tax-chick]

I’m just goofing with you.

I’ve heard some people say that Jesus’s direction to give alms in secret means you can’t write a check to a charity, because then they know who it came from, and it’s not “secret.”