This question has come up in a couple of different social media groups, and I thought it could be helpful to answer it here on the blog. There are frightened, abused sheep in need of a safe fold out there. I hope they will be drawn in by safe undershepherds. The question was, "How can I know if a church is safe, and what questions should I be asking the leadership?"
The first way I addressed the question was to identify, not what a "safe" church is, but what is a "true" because a true one should be a safe one.
The true church is identified by three main marks:
1. Faithful Gospel proclamation (distinguished from the Law). This is what separates the church from every other world religion.
2. Proper administration of the sacraments: baptism and communion.
3. Sound church discipline: formative and corrective. Discipline forms the mind and heart of believers as we are reminded of Christ's work for us, through Word and Sacrament. It also separates those who refuse to repent of ongoing, habitual sin. This removes corrupt influence from the local body. (See the Belgic Confession: Article 29 on the marks of the true church. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10220042886166120&set=a.10215204486289147&type=3&theater)
Beyond this, here are some questions I would recommend asking and have asked moving toward church membership:
~ What disciplinary issues have been addressed at this church?
~ What did that process look like?
~ What was the outcome of the discipline?
~ How were other members encouraged to interact with the person under discipline?
~ How are women viewed and utilized in church leadership?
Above all, wait, listen, and watch. A good pastor/ good leadership will encourage membership in the local body, but should not pressure you.
*Wait: Don't be in a hurry. Church life is a commitment.
*Listen! Do you hear the message of Christ **for you in every message?
* Watch: Are the practices/work of the church consistent with what is being taught from the pulpit? You will only know this by watching over a prolonged period of time.
Church should be the safest place on earth, but we're seeing that sometimes it is just so far from being the case. Take your time. And in the meantime, receive and rest in Jesus.
Thank you
ReplyDeleteA "safe" and "true" church should be one and the same. A true church disciplines its members. So, when one of its members errs, sinning against another, he/she receives the Gospel and correction. If need be, he/she will be excommunicated and put out, depending on the nature and severity of the sin. So a church that is taking sin seriously is not going to tolerate habitual, ongoing, unrepentant sin and therefore will provide a safe refuge for the one being sinned against. A church that harbors unrepentant sinners is neither a safe or a true church. A church will either be known as one that harbors them or provides safety for the injured party. It cannot be both simultaneously.
ReplyDelete