Florida Church Set To Tell Congregation of Woman’s Adultery on January 4
- Posted on December 22, 2008
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- (93) comments
PDF of Grace Community Church’s letter...
Here’s the story on FoxNews.com...
According to the Fox News story, Hancock says she has left the church rather than leaving her boyfriend. He two children remain active members of the church.
The Rev. T. Scott Christmas, pastor of the church, told the Florida Times-Union that the “process of loving accountability” is made very clear to members, and the church is doing “nothing more than following the practices of what biblical churches have done through history.”
More from the Fox News article:
Despite knowing her relationship was against church rules, Hancock said she never realized that disclosing it would trigger the first in a three-step process used by the church to deal with sinners: private admonishment, admonishment in the presence of witnesses and finally public admonishment.Still, she said she tried to follow her mentor’s advice and break up with Young, who wasn’t a member of the church.
“I must have gone through 10 breakups trying to end it, but after not having the power to do it I would go back,” she said. “It was hard to give up somebody I love.”
Hancock learned that her private sessions with her mentor hadn’t been so private after all, when in October her mentor pulled her aside in church and asked her come into another room.
“In the room, there were several women that I never told my business to. And they proceeded to tell me about my business and what I was doing and what a sinner I was — just persecuting me.” Hancock said. “One of the ladies was even saying ‘I was at your house when you didn’t come home all night.’”
It was then that Hancock said she decided to leave Grace Community Church.
“I told them, ‘I cannot believe you people are doing this. I’m not going any further — I’m never coming here again,’” she recalled.
Darrell L. Bock, a research professor for the Dallas Theological Seminary, said that public admonishment is not uncommon in churches that focus on discipline but added, “Most churches would handle this much more privately than this particular community is choosing to do.”
What do you think? Is this church overstepping it’s bounds? Or is it lovingly correcting a member? Love to hear your thoughts…
The Elders of Grace Community Church are taking a stand against the unbiblical lifestyle of Rebecca Hancock. And they have no other alternative then to pull a Matthew 18:17 on her. They plan to "tell if to the church". "It" being Hancock's sexual relationship with someone to whom she is not married. In a letter sent to her, the elders write: "Unless you repent of this sin and agree to meet with the elders regarding this issue, this third step will be carried out publicly on January 4, 2009. In order to avoid this, you may contact us through the church office." Hancock, instead, decided to contact the media. You can see a copy of the churches letter here...
Comments
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ckincincy on Mon, December 22, 2008
Here is a comment I left on another blog about this topic:
I want to touch on this from three point of views.
1. We are only getting one half of the story. The church is wisely being quiet about it. The articles never did say how old the children were, but if they are of age… watching this go down, and support the church… then there is stuff we aren’t hearing that would likely make this more appropriate.
2. I was in a similar hard line denomination for 6 years. Where people were ‘marked’ for dating the wrong person, not following advice and the like. So I’ve seen the bad…
3. In general, I support this churches actions. My hunch is that she has been causing a stink and has not simply left the church. So the leaders feel they need to tell the other side to the church. Their reason for not agreeing with her and the root cause of the situation. It is actually on my “to do” list for blogging. What she was doing was sin. And frankly I wish more churches would start calling sin what it is, not less. Marriage as a whole is on the rocks and if ‘Christians’ like this are what the world see’s, it isn’t going to get any better.
jud on Mon, December 22, 2008
Does anyone see the irony in a woman angry about a church exposing her sin publicly (before the church) taking her story to the media?
Nora on Mon, December 22, 2008
I guess I’m a little confused about a couple things. The word “adultery” is used in the title to this article, but I got the impression that neither Hancock nor her boyfriend are married to anyone. Have I misunderstood?
Also, according to the Fox News article, the church is going to publicly announce Hancock’s sin to the entire congregation, despite the fact that she has formally resigned from the church. If she has resigned, I don’t think it’s necessary for the church to continue to press its case against her by public humiliation, because she is no longer a member of the church body and, therefore, no longer subject to church discipline.
ckincincy on Mon, December 22, 2008
Nora,
I can leave a church and still deserve to be publicly called out.
Because even though you leave something, doesn’t mean you aren’t talking to people.
My hunch is that she has been running her mouth a bit on the situation saying that the leaders were unfair, etc… so they felt they had to let the other side of the story be known.
anne jackson on Mon, December 22, 2008
ironic their church is called grace.
sam on Mon, December 22, 2008
It is amazing and sad that church discipline is so foreign to people today because it is so infrequently practiced in the church today that it makes headlines like this.
Anne, it is ironic you speak of speaking in love to one another on your blog but yet speak unlovingly of this church and dare i say cynical. I thought that was forbidden on your blog.
This is adultery and the church is following biblical steps in applying their actions. I applaud them
Eric Johnson on Mon, December 22, 2008
that is ironic, since God is a God of both grace and justice. don’t you think?
jud on Mon, December 22, 2008
“ironic their church is called grace.”
So real grace doesn’t follow Biblical mandates?
Pat on Mon, December 22, 2008
Nora: you didn’t misunderstand. The FOX article says the woman is divorced, so she and her boyfriend are guilty of fornication, not adultery.
Jud: I think it’s ironic that in the FOX article, the woman actually refers to it as “my sins”. I don’t think I saw anywhere in the article where she denied being in sin. Rather, she admitted to trying to break it off and apparently chose love of this man over ending the relationship. Interesting… If she loves him so much, why not get married?
Ckincincy: The FOX article stated that her children are 20 and and 18, so they are adults, but I can’t imagine how they will feel sitting there listening to the accusations against their mother.
Personally, I would handle this as privately as possible and if she refused wise counsel, I would proceed with removal from membership, but try to do so without divulging all the ugly details.
Peter Hamm on Mon, December 22, 2008
There has to be a more graceful way to handle this, perhaps on both sides.
jud on Mon, December 22, 2008
Pat - She might not deny that she is in sin but does that mean she’s repented? No. She obviously hasn’t “turned” and that, from the elders perspective and the Scripture’s for that matter, is the issue.
Now, “Personally, I would handle this as privately as possible and if she refused wise counsel, I would proceed with removal from membership, but try to do so without divulging all the ugly details.”
How does this trump the scriptures that the Elders brought out in their letter?
jud on Mon, December 22, 2008
Peter, there IS a better way.
The woman should have met with the elders in the first place… which she avoided. I’m hoping that, had that meeting happened, the Elders would have sought to determine whether the woman actually had saving knowledge of Jesus Christ or if she had just put her faith in a prayer she made after having her emotions manipulated in a common production oriented evangelical service.
Pat on Mon, December 22, 2008
Jud:
I wasn’t implying anything regarding the woman’s repentance. I simply thought it was interesting that in a way she was admitting to sin, yet she’s outraged for being called on the carpet.
As for trumping the Scriptures, that is not my intent. In light of my view of Scripture AND the nature of God, I would handle this a little more privately than the church did. Maybe just keep it to her mentor and the elders. If it has to go before the church, I would simply say due to a moral failing or something like that. You have to take into account the spiritual maturity of your congregation and if the goal is to bring repentance, sharing something like this publicly with people who aren’t mature will lead to gossip, slander, etc. In situations like this, you really see where people stand—who’s committed to biblical restoration and those who are more concerned with pointing fingers and being self-righteous.
Peter Hamm on Mon, December 22, 2008
Jud,
That’s kinda why I said the situation needed more grace on both sides.
Matthew M on Mon, December 22, 2008
This church is simply followngthe Scriptures. Just because the world is confused by the church’s procedures, doesn’t mean the church has done anything unbiblical.
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