The 17 Year Old Sin of A Staff Member… How Would You React?
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Wed, December 20, 2006
- Viewed 151
- (16) comments so far
That’s the dilemma that Pastor Steve Gaines has faced at the huge and popular Bellevue Baptist Church (yes, the same church that Adrian Rogers pastored for years). For those of you who have followed a couple things we’ve written here at MMI about Bellvue over the past couple months, they are in the midst of a congregational mutiny… with a group in the congregation actually starting a blog called “Saving Bellevue” that seeks to reform the church of it’s new contemporary ways.
Anyway, it looks like this blog helped break this story; that has, of course been picked up by all the media. (You can watch one report here: http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?SX30492.
When word began to get out; Pastor Gaines admitted that he had a conversation with the long-time staff member in June… yes, June of this year. But he said that he was assured that the situation had been properly cared for. This past weekend he read a statement saying that the staff member had been put on leave (paid leave) while an investigation could be conducted. All this because it had come to his attention that maybe hte situation wasn’t fully closed and forgiven yet. (Not to mention the scuttlebutt on the internet and in the media).
Hindsight is always 20/20; but how would you have handled that one? New Life Church (Ted Haggard’s old church) just let go another staff member for a sexual indiscretion that happened (I believe) seven years ago.
Here’s my question… is there a cutoff? Does/should sexual sin disqualify you for ministry? (Most of us, I guess, would say yes) But what if that sexual sin now admitted to was 17 years ago?
How do you think you would have reacted? And how would and should have your church (or Bellvue in this instance) react when word gets out, not only of hte sin, but that you knew about it and by doing nothing, seemingly covered it up?
I’d love to hear your input on this one…
Todd
Here’s the scenario… you just found out that one of your staff members had molested his son. What would you do? There’s more. It happened seventeen years ago. Oh, and the staff member has assured you that you have confessed this sin to God and your family; and that they all have forgiven you. Would that change anything?
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JT on Sun, March 04, 2007
I like Pastor Gaines, and I hope that he survives the storm, but he should have examined these three words in making his decision.
gay incestuous pedophile
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