What's a Pastor (or Congregation) to Do?

First published in The Daily Sentinel, Friday, January 25, 2008

Have you heard of Pastor Jason Burrick? Until last week, neither had I. Pastor Burrick doesn’t have the name recognition enjoyed by Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, or Max Lucado. But that didn’t stop him from being featured in the Wall Street Journal.

For many people, the Wall Street Journal is all about business news: stocks, interest rates, mergers and layoffs. But did you know that the Journal also covers religion? These days, even religion can be about business – or maybe even business can be religious!

But back to Pastor Burrick. According to the Journal, he is pastor of a small Baptist church in rural western Michigan. And I mean small: twelve members when he arrived. But what makes his story remarkable enough for the Journal is what he did when one of those members showed up for worship one Sunday. He called 911. The member did not need an ambulance; the pastor needed a sheriff.

Actually, the need for a sheriff was quite questionable. The church member in question was 71-year-old Karolyn Caskey, a member for nearly 50 years who had taught Sunday school and faithfully donated 10% of her fixed pension to the church even though rising prices made that an increasingly difficult sacrifice. Mrs. Caskey was armed only with her well-worn Bible – and a critical tongue.

Mrs. Caskey and Pastor Burrick did not get along. They really did not seem to like one another very much. The pastor accused her of spreading a “spirit of cancer and discord” and expelled her from the congregation. She claimed the pastor refused to follow the church’s charter for administrative decision-making and distribution of power. The charter called for a Board of Deacons; Pastor Burrick claimed the church was too small for a Board and needed centralization of authority under his leadership.

Since Mrs. Caskey refused to drop her end of the argument, the pastor sent a letter to the entire congregation that said Mrs. Caskey and two other individuals were guilty of gossip, slander and idolatry, and they should be shunned. Because Mrs. Caskey did not see the error of her ways and repent, the pastor also refused to write a letter of transfer to another church for Mrs. Caskey.

So on the day that Pastor Burrick called 911, he charged her with trespassing. She was put in handcuffs and taken to the county jail. The county prosecutor refused to press charges. A month later, she was back. She sat in the front pew as Pastor Burrick preached about “infidels in the pews,” according to witness reports in the Journal article. A state trooper eventually arrived and took her to jail again. The prosecutor still refused to press charges and told law enforcement to not bring her back unless she created a disturbance.

So now they are at a stand-off, and it has split the church. During Pastor Burrick’s tenure, the church had grown to more than 50 people in worship. About 25 left in protest over the Caskey matter. Those who stayed support the pastor and continue to shun Mrs. Caskey. The only relief to the stand-off is when Mrs. Caskey travels to Florida for the winter. She’s there now, but promised to be back in the spring.

As I read that story, I had several emotional responses. In one way, this is funny – a “little old lady” squaring off against the “big, bad pastor.” In another way, this is tragic – there is no demonstration of love, charity or forgiveness by anyone.

Church controversies aren’t just “out yonder.” They are right here in our midst. And what’s a pastor or congregation to do when there is open sinfulness (or closet sinfulness, for that matter)? The Bible has several passages for how to deal with unrepentant people. Matthew 18:15-17 has the most famous process, directly from Jesus:

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Jesus describes a four-step process: 1) talk one-on-one. If that doesn’t work, then 2) take a couple of church leaders with you as unbiased, reliable witnesses and try again. If that doesn’t work, then 3) bring the matter before the whole congregation. Finally, if all else fails, then 4) treat the person as if he (or she) no longer belongs. But about that last step, I have a question: how did Jesus act towards “pagans and tax collectors”? He acted without judgment, but with mercy. He LOVED them back into repentance! He didn’t ostracize, ignore, ridicule, or condemn!

The Wall Street Journal article doesn’t describe the process used by Pastor Burrick towards Mrs. Caskey. But even if he followed the process in Matthew 18, he goofed at step 4. And so did she.

Church discipline is a tough topic. Yes, we should encourage people to refrain from sinfulness. Pastors are expected to lead their congregations, following a high standard of ethics for themselves. Troubles occur whenever the pastor or the parishioner fails to live into Jesus’ ethic: “be perfect, for your Heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:48) But Jesus also says to “forgive seventy-seven times” (that is, without limit!) in Matt 18:22.

I do not have an easy solution, and I don’t think God even offers us one. The only solution I know is extremely difficult: to become so much like Jesus Christ that I am no longer a problem. Obedience is not driven by fear of punishment, but rather by such an overwhelming willingness to follow Christ that disobedience becomes unthinkable! I’m not there yet, but I keep on trying!! And I urge you to pursue holiness, as well. That’s what pastors (and congregations) are to do!