My home church in Texas is facing a serious dilemma. They have been approached by a half-way house with a proposal for allowing the men there to come and be a part of the church.It is a half-way house for sex offenders.
Discussing an issue like this is far easier when it is a hypothetical situation or when it is at someone else’s church. But imagine this is happening at your own church right now. What do you do?
Here are some questions to ponder:
How does knowledge of recidivism rates influence your decision? Click here for an excellent article on relapse and recidivism. While the stats vary, I think most would agree that in the short term (3-6 years), child molesters have a 15-20% reconviction rate and rapists have a 20-25% reconviction rate. The reconviction rates are higher in the long-term. And reconviction rates miss the number of actual relapses or reoffenses because so many incidents go unreported. (Click here for more information on sex offenders.)
If you welcome them into your church, how do you keep your congregation safe? What precautions, policies, and procedures should be implemented? What level of risk is acceptable?
If you put large scale policies and procedures in place to keep the congregation safe, how do you justify using the resources needed to do so? Resources of time, energy, and money will be pulled from other ministries. Is this wise?
If you do not welcome them into your church, what do you do instead? Are there any legitimate alternatives?
I am not interested in criticizing this church, regardless of their decision. Nor am I interested in creating controversy. But a healthy dialogue about what it means to be a church might be good for all of us. I would really like to hear your thoughts. In the meantime, here’s a slightly modified portion of an email I wrote to a good friend today (pardon the poor grammar and writing style)…..
“So you know where I stand. I think that these men ought to made a part of the community of faith (if they are asking to join). In fact, of all people on this planet, maybe these kinds of men are the ones in MOST need of a true, genuine, community of faith. As Christians, we are primarily called to be ambassadors, to bring people to Jesus. We are not primarily called to be safe. Working with sex offenders is dangerous, but it is necessary. Rejecting people from the body of Christ (outside of proper church discipline) is tragic, if not unbiblical. I wonder how the parable of the Good Samaritan would apply in this situation. I’d hate for the church to be like the ones who passed these men by as they were lying on the road.
But the church needs to go about this process with a full understanding of the danger involved. No one should water down the facts to make bringing the men to church more palatable. There is real risk involved and the church needs to be wise in setting up policies and procedures.”
AN
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17 comments:
very heavy stuff to consider. But all said and done, what would Jesus do? I will pray for those attending this church that they might have Godly wisdom.
Thanks for praying, anonymous. They will need great wisdom. Pray for unity, too. Churches have split over smaller things.
AN
You are right and nothing hurts quite as much as a "family" torn apart. Been there.
Oh my, this is a tough one. Although I am not at WBC anymore I still consider it my church. I also work with children (foster care) who have been abused by such people as mentioned here. I see everyday the sad results of the abuse. I also work with youth who are sex offenders and its tough b/c more often than not they will victimize again. Oh my... what would Jesus do?! I know He wouldn't turn anyone away. There are things that Wedgwood can do to protect their young ones and I know/trust should they decide to open the doors to these they will think out very specifically what that will look like. Oh one other thought... I wonder how many sex offenders are in our churches right now that we don't know about. Unfortunately we live in a world full of yuck and it is already in our churches. We need to protect our young ones from anyone who may wish to harm them!!!
the world is a scary place and we'd like to believe there are some safe havens left where we can take our families and not have to worry. That is no longer the case/ Schools aren't safe, playgrounds aren't safe, churches aren't safe the list is long. No place is really safe anymore not even our homes are compleltely safe. Missionaries would never minister to the unsaved if they thought they would always be safe. No we are only safe in God's hands. The men your church may minister to probably went thru their childhood never feeling safe and are in need of a safe haven now. Wisdom and unity is needed from the staff to the members rather. God be with them.
Wow. Here's another side to consider when thinking about what the church should do.
These men are violaters. They are criminals. They think like criminals. They deceive people. They HURT people.
What would Jesus do? Of course he would open his arms and love them no matter what... but I believe that the criminals who molest and rape women will take advantage of the church's kindness and abuse the church itself. Yes, the church is supposed to be a safe place; but like people said before, no place is really safe. Pastors have been known to abuse children and use the church in horrible ways to gain more money and power, so we are definitely not safe. We need to open our eyes and see what is in front of us before we react to a situation of great trouble with little knowledge of what we are facing.
Find a goal as a church, and work as a church to find a resolution. We will never be totally safe, but we can make every effort to make our lives a little less stressful. Nothing will be accomplished until someone takes a stand, why not start with the most influential part of a Christian's life?
My views are only MY thoughts, they are not meant to ruffle feathers and cause chaos.
your thoughts were good ones Jessica. When the church is not your own the answers seem easier. What are the guidelines needed to ensure peoples safety? The obvious of course is that they can not work with children or young people but what about using the gym and attending Sunday school? Do they attend with someone or merely come and go alone? I don't know how half way houses work but there must be other churches doing this and could give wise council
to this church considering this ministry. Would everyone know their background like wearing a scarlett letter? Maye someone reading this has some information to share with us.
KJ
I can't imagine the meetings and conversations that will go on as this is thought out. My first thought was that of a missionary serving in some far off place. They go knowing full well that it may be dangerous...some places more than others. They put their lives on the line, sometimes literally, to serve our mighty and awesome God.
When it's "at home", it would probably cause a lot of confusion, bickering, and yes, a potential church split. Just as most people are not willing surrender their personal safety or their lives for Christ as a missionary or pastor, so are most people not likely to invite potential danger into their congregation. We have become so much of a "Me" society that something like this seems too terrible to consider. But, you really have to go back to the question stated here already...what would Jesus do?
Personally, I think they should take all of the precautions that are necessary and then embrace them wholeheartedly into the congregation. If we're not going to "practice what we preach", what's the point?
I appreciate everyone's input. This has been good discussion. There seems to be some agreement that these men ought to be made a part of the church - and you can tell that in the end, I agree with this sentiment. But let's take a harder look at the situation....
Let's say that I could guarantee that after 5 years, one of these men would commit another sex offense. What kind of backlash would you expect from the community? People would question whether the church was doing enough to help the person. People would question whether or not to try to help the man AGAIN. If I could guarantee this outcome, would it be wise to submit the church to that kind of controversy?
Let's suppose I could gurantee that not only would one of the men commit another sex offense, but that I could guarantee it would be against a church member, perhaps even a young person or child. What do you tell that family? How do respond to those who would say the church KNEW this was going to happen and they let the men come in anyway. Would there be any litigation issues? Again, if I could guarantee this outcome, would it be wise to subject the church to that kind of suffering?
Of course, the reality is that I CANNOT guarantee these outcomes. But what kind of risk should a church be willing to assume? What if my guarantee was a 99% guarantee? 90% 50% Where does a church draw the line? SHOULD it draw a line?
AN
how many times does the Bible tell us to forgive? Not just 7 but 70x7...... That doesn't mean we should put our families in danger recklessy but they are still in some measure of danger everytime we send them out alone.
Rather it is in a store parking lot or just playing on the sidewalk around our house. These men are out and about in the neigborhood regardless of rather they go to church or not I assume. What are their chances of not recomitting the same kind of crime if they come to know and love the people of God and in doing so learn to commit their lives to Christ? Someone said earlier do the members know who these men are as if wearing a "scarlett letter?" I know school districts are libel if they hire someone with a history of abuse that they know about and a child gets hurt. But can we really deny sinners from coming to church to worship? What about prostitutes, people who have abused alcohol and drugs, people who have stolen, people who have over eaten, people who have lied, people who have been lazy, people who have gossiped, people like you and I ?
Yes the church should do all it can to get wise council and install as many safe guards as possible but can a church really say "no" if someone truly wants to come?
Suburban churches may not have to deal with these questions but inter city churches certainly do and perhaps that is the true mission ground.
have you ever been really over weight and you knew food was slowly killing you and in doing so you were also hurting your family that you love more than anything else in the world and yet you couldn't resist (that one time) the double cheeseburger, large fries and super sized coke? You resolved never to do it again and yet............when would you give in again? It may very well be that way with sex offenders. The resolve never to hurt someone again and yet...........
I wish someone would write that has had knowledge of how to best protect people who perhaps would unknowenly (is that a word) put themselves in danger in this church.
Indeed what would Jesus have us do?
RF
OK folks, now you're just being mean. I would appreciate it if everyone would stop directing their comments directy to me...about my double cheesburger habit! :-)
(Side note: Have you seen that commercial where the guy in the drive-thru orders his burger with extra bacon and hold the tomato and lettuce? The drive-thru lady pops him on the forehead and the voice-over says..."You could have had a V8." I love that.)
Anyway, do you believe it to be true that all sins are equal in the eyes of God? If so, and if we are to be accepted or rejected by a church on this basis, nobody would be allowed in any church...including the pastoral staff.
WOW- this is really heavy stuff. This issue is at the center of the "Christian Culture" and it asks ,if not demands, of us who procliam Christ as Lord to do something. And that is the crux of the matter. WHAT DO WE DO? I read where someone on here replyed by asking "What Would Jesus Do?" That is a question that can never truly be answered, but we do know that he would minister to them. Would he invite them into the church, for coffee, or worse a drink at the local pub??? We don't know. The one thing he asked us to do was to go and make disciples.
That one thing there is where the church in America has really messed up. We have been so concerned about getting people to church so they can be saved and once they have "gotten saved" done everything we can not to lose them to another church or organization. Instead of trying to get them saved by letting them come to church, how about just being their friend, neighbor, shoulder, and hands. They don't have to come to "church" to get saved and unfortunatly they may not even see Christ in the church.(Thought for a future blog AN)
How about having the church go to them and minister to them where they are and not the other way around. And that my friends is what I think Jesus would do.
Good points, Afterdarkness.
And I'm sure the church has considered emphasizing ministry to the sex offenders at their own location rather than bringing them into the church. And this might be a viable option if we knew all of the guys were non-Christians. I agree with you that in many ways evangelism is best done OUTSIDE the church. We shouldn't focus our efforts on reaching people to just bringing them to church.
But the picture with these guys looks a little different. It seems that there are guys in this half-way house who are saying that they are Christians. They don't need to be evangelized. But as Christians, they DO need to be a part of a local community of fellow believers.
Being a part of a local church is just one element of the Christian life. But I think it is a very important element. So, some of the same questions remain.
Do we reject these men from membership / participation in a local church based on their history or based on their liklihood to offend again?
How do we know they are serious about their claims to be Christians? Is there a litmus test of any kind for joining a church? If so, should these men have a different litmus test than anyone else who wants to join a church?
If you agree with me that these men should be allowed full participation in a local church, then what do you do to keep your church family safe? What practical policies / procedures can be put in place?
Difficult stuff, to be sure.
AN
Very true. How do we know if anyone is a Christian? We have to look at their fruits and sometimes we just take their word for it. I think for too long it has been way to easy to become a member of a Church. Like they do in most muslim or hindu countries, there is a time of testing to see if the new convert is truly a new convert. There shouldn’t be a different litmus test for anyone- All have sinned and will continue to sin, the difference being we are daily trying to overcome the temptations of sin as we become more like Christ. I truly believe that if done through prayer and discernment and not through pressure from the outside world, that if this church allows these men to come be apart of the congregation then God will protect his “children”. I think it is only right that the church also takes all precautions to protect the children, women, and men. I know it was asked and will always be asked “Are all sins the same” From a theological standpoint the answer is Yes and No. Yes because it only takes one sin to damn you to hell, but within sin itself there are various degrees. The punishment is still eternal damnation but while still on earth there will be greater and lesser punishments for sins. The church is full of sinners but the sins that these men have committed are those of the sexual nature and are not only against another person but against one’s self. It is not an easy position to be in. To be honest we face it here at CBC. We know someone is doing or is apart of something that goes against our “values” so do we still admit them hoping they will see Christ? Of course we are seen as an educational institution and we are not a church, but we still have to be ministers of the gospel. Tough Tough Tough.
Aaron-
I am not even sure where to begin. I have commented on this issue on other blogs - essentially asking the same question - but in a different way. I asked how do we minister to these guys? The gist of the various responses I got were that we should never let them back into the church - though I don't think anyone actually said that. They agreed that Jesus would want them to be ministered to - but I guess just not in their backyard.
I am reminded of a passage in Luke:
Luke 5:30-32
...the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
In the case of these men who are offenders and criminals, the key word for me here is "repentence". They must be repentant both in word and deed before I would even consider casting my vote for them. They would also never have a position of authority within the church - it would simply not be wise.
For many who have been affected by this, it's an emotional issue. I know people who would walk away from not only the church, but the faith if these guys were ever allowed in. They would feel completely betrayed and let down by both the church and by God Himself... again. I am not saying this is the right response, but it's reality.
I don't envy the church that is about to undertake this issue - but am glad and actually proud that it is willing to look at a hard issue honestly. It would be much easier for them to just say "No" and move on - as I am sure alot of churches would do.
Good thoughts, Alan. Thanks for stopping by.
AN
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