The is the 11th article in a series of posts dealing with resume questions I recently answered for churches searching for a new pastor. This particular one has to do with church leaders, sexual sin, and church discipline.
Here is the question and below that is the answer I gave. What do you think about my answer? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
[stextbox id=”custom”]A member of the congregation comes to you with probative information that a deacon is committing adultery. What procedure(s) would you follow, with respect to his position as a church officer, to satisfy the requirement of Scripture regarding adultery? Cite the Scripture upon which you would base your decision.[/stextbox]
MY RESPONSE: Scripture says that we are not to “receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19). The accused man is a deacon in this scenario and not an elder, yet both offices are official positions of leadership in the church. However, a member of the congregation has brought forth “probative information” and so this is not merely an accusation against the deacon, either, since tangible evidence is involved.
Here are 7 things I would do to handle the situation.
1. The first thing I would do would be to speak to the church member who brought forth the evidence and find out if he/she has already confronted the deacon with this evidence. If the member has not, I would counsel him/her that Matthew 18:15-17 reads as follows regarding discipline of a sinning Christian: “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED…”
2. However, as the Senior Pastor, I would personally confront the deacon (along with the church member) because this isn’t a sin such as lying, but one that would cause him to become immediately disqualified to hold the office of deacon. Moreover, this isn’t a sin issue that can be excused after step 1 in the discipline process, since the accused is a deacon. Furthermore, by personally confronting the deacon, the church member and myself would constitute the “two or three witnesses” necessary so that “every fact may be confirmed” (also c.f. 1 Timothy 5:19).
3. When we confronted the deacon, I would make sure the “probative information” is true by laying it out before him. I would ask the deacon if he has committed adultery. If he admitted to the adultery, I would inform him that he committed a public offense that must be immediately brought to the attention of the Church Leadership Board.
4. The Board (along with myself) would immediately convene to investigate the matter as discreetly as possible. I would prepare written documentation concerning the witnesses, accusations, and evidence and submit these to the Board. If the Board agreed with the information, including the accused’s confession, the deacon would be immediately suspended from all duties related to his office.
5. As soon as is practical to call a special church business meeting, the deacon would be officially terminated from his office upon recommendation by a majority of the Board and a majority vote of the voting members present.
6. The following Sunday I (along with the Church Leadership Board) would delicately, yet publicly, announce the situation to the congregation, including its final outcome of the man being removed from his office as deacon. Doing so would be in accordance with what the Scripture says in 1 Timothy 5:20, “Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”
7. Moreover, so long as the ex-deacon openly confessed and repented of this sin, there would be no further need to continue with church discipline and the congregation would be exhorted to lovingly embrace this repentant man as a Christian brother still.
(Scriptures I would cite: Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Timothy 3:8-12; 5:19-20; Proverbs 6:32-33)
The only other component I’d be curious about is the restoration process. I wouldn’t advocate re-installing the ex-deacon the next day, but without a sense of there being a restoration and a healing it would seem as though such a sin follows someone for the rest of their days, haunting them like their own invisible “scarlet letter.” Galatians 6:1 seems to point to this notion, and the processes for church discipline in Matthew 18:16-20 are contingent upon the spirit of restoration in verse 15.
i have a personal issuse that deals with a deacon of a church. how is it that he become a deacon when he was on his 3rd marriage when he became a deacon of the church. to this day there is a married women who is a member of the church that goes to his home and is there alone with the deacon all day everyday and returns home only when your husband comes home from work; they are together alone due to he is a widower, when his wife passed away he wasnt even with is his he was at lunch with the same women he spends his days now with. and the worst of it is his son that has been a member of that church since he was young went back to church and his father the deacon of the church asked him and his family to stand outside because he was not longer a member of the church and the church had a bussiness meeting to attend to…and still to this day none of the church member has adressed this issuse
Sorry to hear about this, Mandy. Based upon what you’ve written, and in my personal opinion, which I believe is what the Bible teaches as well, is that this man is not qualified to be a deacon. He is not above reproach and his testimony is hurting the church’s testimony to the people around your community.
I would encourage you to sit down with your pastor and explain your beliefs and understanding of Scripture. I would also speak to other wise and godly laypeople at the church about the issue, though I’d be very careful to not gossip about the issue or people. Pray about it. God answers prayer!