Recently we have seen a number of headlines revealing scandalous behaviour of clergy; pastors, bishops and others within church circles. Yesterday, the above headline revealed how police raided two churches and caught an incredibly large number of illegal immigrants. Last week we read a story revealing a pastor that abused young girls in the name of exorcising demons. How can the church fix this miss? How did so many con-men and counterfeit clergy get into the church to begin with?
I would like to suggest three things to fix this mess. They are not all, but they will certainly help.
1) Churches and church bodies must speak out against these atrocities. When the churches remain silent, it makes us seem either indifferent (don't care) or sympathetic to the perpetrators! We should say how, in no uncertain terms, that we do not condone these illegal and immoral activities. The church should distance itself from such, and expel any such members from its rank. Even the Bible says that our patience must have limits. We are to expel this person from our ranks. Anyone who says this is too 'harsh' has not read passages like 1 Corinthians 5: 1-13. Zero tolerance! We must not spare the rod.
2) Every church must have checks and balances. Since "there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7: 20).Church members must hold their leaders accountable for lifestyle and use of funds. I come from circles that believe in "elder rule". The elders all partake in the crucial decisions of the church, and the pastor/reverend is the "ruling/preaching/full time" elder. But they all have a vote in the big decisions of the church. That way there are checks and balances. It is not a perfect system, but it prevents anyone from going too far (1 Timothy 5: 17-21).
3) Engage the community to regain trust. Go out and meet the needs of the vulnerable in society (James 1: 27), visit the prisoners and educate the youth. Show that those who commit crimes in the name of God are a few crooked characters that are wolves in sheep's skin (Matthew 7: 15). Show that the church doors are open and there is nothing to hide. May be we even suspend any overnight seminars and prayer meetings, to show that we are sensitive to the worries of society. This may seem like too much for some, but I think it is worth going out of our way to show that we stand for something more. If we sacrifice overnights for 'over-day' prayer meetings, we wont lose anything! But if we decide not to, we need something in place to show that we have a higher standard. WE must begin to evangelize again, and distinguish the gospel from all the false gospels going around.
These three things will make a world of a difference, in a world that is so desperate for genuine hope, in (what are for many) desperate times.
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