How Church Discipline Can Be Like Doctor Shopping
— Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012 —
Law enforcement officials use the term “doctor shopping” to refer to the way those addicted to prescription pain medications seek to avert accountability. If you go to your doctor to ask for Vicodin, and your physician refuses to prescribe it, you are doctor shopping if you then seek out multiple doctors until you find the one who will prescribe the Vicodin. Sometimes an addict will have multiple doctors going at once, all prescribing different medicines, often those that are dangerous to mix. I’ve noticed the same thing going on when it comes to church accountability.
The truth is, there’s a certain type of personality that doesn’t want accountability, but affirmation. If one wants to divorce someone one shouldn’t divorce or marry someone one shouldn’t marry or do something one shouldn’t do, he seeks out a pastor’s “accountability.” When the pastor tells him the opposite of what he wants to hear, he leaves and goes to find a pastor or counselor who will. And this goes on and on.
This isn’t being shepherded. It’s the same old autonomy of the self, that first manifests itself in the life-cycle of a child saying, “But Dad said it was okay…” except now grown up into something with a far more malevolent motive and a far more dangerous outcome.
Sadly, there are too many ministers of the gospel out there willing to empower this sort of behavior. If you have a church member who has been warned or disciplined by another pastor or church, you have a responsibility to investigate what’s going on. True, it might be that the old church spoke where there is no authority to speak, disciplining a parent for not homeschooling, for example. But, even then, if you will give an answer for the soul of this person, you bear the responsibility to find out what exactly is going on.
If you’re the kind of minister who refuses to acknowledge the discipline or accountability structures of other churches, you might simply be more enlightened than those churches and leaders. Or you might not know what you’re dealing with. And you just might be fighting against a word spoken by Jesus himself, handing over an unrepentant soul to Satan, with the hopes of ultimate repentance (1 Cor. 5:4-5).
Your affirmation of an unrepentant and fugitive-from-discipline church member isn’t an act of love or mercy. It’s an act of hatred. You are empowering the unrepentant to “bear the name brother” or sister (1 Cor. 5:11), to assuage a conscience that should be convicted by the Spirit. If so, you’d be better off just prescribing an addict another round of Percocet.
19 Responses to “How Church Discipline Can Be Like Doctor Shopping”
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Good word! What should the communication between churches look like concerning disciplined members?
Excellent post, Dr. Moore! Courageous! I appreciate you being willing to put these words into print. We as pastors need to be reminded of this. Thank you!
Amen brother I agree completely.
As their pastor, I was warned “we don’t ‘church’ anyone!” Being “churched” it seems in those parts, anyway, was the cultural, Baptist folk religious equivalent to “shunning” and was an area I would not be allowed to shepherd in. Well, I certainly understand how discipline can be heavy-handed and/or high-handed rather than humble. Further, as as young (though middle-aged) pastor, I also knew there was a “choose your battles” wisdom I needed from God. But, I also knew to Whom I was accountable and that we do not sin or condone (or ignore) sin that grace may abound. I had to deal with the most egregious cases (slander, law suits, gross/public sexual immorallity). My sheep being sinned against were crying out for justice. And, God was just and merciful in bringing resolution . . . BUT, I’m no longer (currently) employed as a pastor, in part at least, for having led down this right path. My conscience is clear. I write this only to encourage other pastors to stand firm and break the heretical opposition to discipline in their churches. The Bride of Christ deserves to be clothed radiantly and the dark stains of undisciplined sin are ours to serve to remove through biblical discipline.
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Thank you, Dr. Moore! Thank you so much for giving such a good analogy! I pastor a church that has had a history of not wanting to flesh out biblical truth because of their fear of losing people. One clear result is they have never seen the God honoring fruit of accountability because to do so would mean the “church-shoppers” would leave at the slightest sign of accountability. Please pray for me to preach the truth with gentle strength as I tend His lambs. We have some uneasy times of wrestling with the scriptures ahead of us, but I am so confident that His Word is sufficient to change their hearts!
Way to nail it, Dr. Moore. Church discipline is one of the stickiest issues out there precisely because it’s patchy. It’s not even close to uniform, so if you’re the kind of sinner who rejects help, it’s easy to find a pastor who will helpfully leave you in your sin. This is something I want to do thoughtfully in the future.
Thanks!
Dr. Moore,
I think what you wrote is good as far as it goes. But, in an age of the-church-of-your-choice, how can this effectively be practiced? Is what you proposed widely practices? Is there not something inherent in the way things are today among our myriad of denominations, free groups, house churches, parachurch organizations and lone rangers that encourages church-and-pastor shopping and prevents effective discipline?
Very good word. Unfortunately, this also happens within some church staffs as well. I’m having this problem myself and excuse after excuse is used for poor behavior on a staff members behalf. When something like that is swept under the rug, it doesn’t help the credibility of the church.