Disfellowshipped

[LaVonne]

Originally Posted by JTULLOCK

I have not been disfellowshipped though it was threatened by a pastors wife. I stuck up for a friend that was being accused of stupid stuff and she told me I could, "go to hell with them." Nice huh? Also, I have a friend on AFF that he and his family was disfellowshipped from that same church. That is the mode of that church. Do not agree with them or go against them, you are asked to leave. This is a UPC church and has been for 30+ years.

Sadly, I've heard of churches like this as well.

[Jack Shephard]

Originally Posted by CareyM

Sadly, I've heard of churches like this as well.

I have been apart of this church for about 6 years. This has been very common practice there. There have been at least a dozen people, counting thier children, that have been asked to leave. That is "division" there.

[LaVonne]

Originally Posted by JTULLOCK

I have been apart of this church for about 6 years. This has been very common practice there. There have been at least a dozen people, counting thier children, that have been asked to leave. That is "division" there.

I know of many who have been wounded by this kind of thing...this is the kind of garbage that needs to stop!!!

[mfblume]

Criteria?

Here is one case:

1Co 5:1-13 KJV It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. (2) And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. (3) For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, (4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, (5) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (6) Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: (8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (9) I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: (10) Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. (11) But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. (12) For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? (13) But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

[LaVonne]

Originally Posted by mfblume

Criteria?

Here is one case:

1Co 5:1-13 KJV It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. (2) And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. (3) For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, (4) In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, (5) To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (6) Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: (8) Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (9) I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: (10) Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. (11) But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. (12) For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? (13) But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Right you are! Sadly, this was not the case...

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by CareyM

Just curious...has anyone here ever been disfellowshipped from a church?

Pastors, reasons would you ever disfellowship someone in your congregation?

I was officially excommunicated in front of 3 ministers called in to be "witnesses." I was forbidden to attend the church where my wife and children were expected to attend.

The meeting didn't start out as an "excommunication." I was just supposed to be "chewed-out" in front of witnesses because I wasn't going along with the good ol' boys' routine. The official/pastor who was presiding kept making ambiguous accusations against me, and his witnesses weren't in on the truth of what was going on; so I decided to try and press the point toward the truth.

I demanded that some sort of concrete accusation be made against me. The local official then called for his wife to be brought in (she was shilling for a family member of hers that wanted my job). In a fit of rage that shocked everyone in the room, she demanded that I leave the local church. Years later she would deny saying that, until one of the witnesses confirmed it. Then she rather ambiguously beat around the bush about how it wasn't really her fault.

I petitioned the pastor several times to lift the ban - but he refused. I petitioned his replacement and he refused to even acknowledge the situation. I brought it up with my district and they offered to reinstate my license- but no one would address the Matthew 18 implications of what was done.

The whole "whatsover you shall bind..." language doesn't involve "binding" spirits, etc. Read the context. When someone is expelled from the church it is binding on earth and in heaven. When they are loosed on earth, they are loosed in heaven.

I believe God will make some sort of accounting for the boneheads that administer his church on earth. But when you've been expelled in front of witnesses - and expelled under the most wicked conditions, why does the church then just hem and haw about how their own words don't really matter?

No wonder the church has no real power in the supernatural realm. We curse and "bind" one another with frivolity - and then expect God to hear us "when we really mean it this time..."

I've shared this before, probably too many times. But what kind of idiots do we have administering the church of God? Or is this all just a play toy that some people use to make a good living?

[LaVonne]

Originally Posted by pelathais

I was officially excommunicated in front of 3 ministers called in to be "witnesses." I was forbidden to attend the church where my wife and children were expected to attend.

The meeting didn't start out as an "excommunication." I was just supposed to be "chewed-out" in front of witnesses because I wasn't going along with the good ol' boys' routine. The official/pastor who was presiding kept making ambiguous accusations against me, and his witnesses weren't in on the truth of what was going on; so I decided to try and press the point toward the truth.

I demanded that some sort of concrete accusation be made against me. The local official then called for his wife to be brought in (she was shilling for a family member of hers that wanted my job). In a fit of rage that shocked everyone in the room, she demanded that I leave the local church. Years later she would deny saying that, until one of the witnesses confirmed it. Then she rather ambiguously beat around the bush about how it wasn't really her fault.

I petitioned the pastor several times to lift the ban - but he refused. I petitioned his replacement and he refused to even acknowledge the situation. I brought it up with my district and they offered to reinstate my license- but no one would address the Matthew 18 implications of what was done.

The whole "whatsover you shall bind..." language doesn't involve "binding" spirits, etc. Read the context. When someone is expelled from the church it is binding on earth and in heaven. When they are loosed on earth, they are loosed in heaven.

I believe God will make some sort of accounting for the boneheads that administer his church on earth. But when you've been expelled in front of witnesses - and expelled under the most wicked conditions, why does the church then just hem and haw about how their own words don't really matter?

No wonder the church has no real power in the supernatural realm. We curse and "bind" one another with frivolity - and then expect God to hear us "when we really mean it this time..."

I've shared this before, probably too many times. But what kind of idiots do we have administering the church of God? Or is this all just a play toy that some people use to make a good living?

I'm so sorry to hear this! This is terrible treatment and completely unscriptural.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Trouvere

Nope.I have always been a help.

I remember one man that had been in the military when he was won by a UPC chaplain overseas. The guy left the military and settled down with his family in a UPC church state-side.

After a short time in the states he developed an infection that was rather disfiguring. His doctor told him to stop shaving for 6 months or so while undergoing treatments. This was all discussed and understood by his new pastor. Sad thing was, the pastor's wife didn't really think beards were "Apostolic." At her instigation the man was driven from the church- by the same pastor who agreed to the "6 months without shaving" regime in the first place.

The betrayal that this poor man and his family suffered still haunts me today. After the hard work of the chaplain brings forth fruit- we in the states throw it all away over something so petty.

I should stay away from threads like this... you could get me going and I would despair... But then again, is the answer to just ignore these things? I worked from the inside of this system trying to do all I could to support pastors and others in leadership. I gave it my all and have nothing to show for a life time of committment. Even the souls that I helped to bring into the kingdom- did I do them any favors by getting them caught up in all of this?

I always tried to help support "the system" and was dutiful in every way. But when I finally got to the point of seeing how we throw human beings away like garbage I was troubled. And then I was thrown out with the trash. We're a machine that eats up consumes human lives all so that a handful of us can have the means to retire to a horse farm.

[FRINGE_NUTTER]

Originally Posted by pelathais

I was officially excommunicated in front of 3 ministers called in to be "witnesses." I was forbidden to attend the church where my wife and children were expected to attend.

The meeting didn't start out as an "excommunication." I was just supposed to be "chewed-out" in front of witnesses because I wasn't going along with the good ol' boys' routine. The official/pastor who was presiding kept making ambiguous accusations against me, and his witnesses weren't in on the truth of what was going on; so I decided to try and press the point toward the truth.

I demanded that some sort of concrete accusation be made against me. The local official then called for his wife to be brought in (she was shilling for a family member of hers that wanted my job). In a fit of rage that shocked everyone in the room, she demanded that I leave the local church. Years later she would deny saying that, until one of the witnesses confirmed it. Then she rather ambiguously beat around the bush about how it wasn't really her fault.

I petitioned the pastor several times to lift the ban - but he refused. I petitioned his replacement and he refused to even acknowledge the situation. I brought it up with my district and they offered to reinstate my license- but no one would address the Matthew 18 implications of what was done.

The whole "whatsover you shall bind..." language doesn't involve "binding" spirits, etc. Read the context. When someone is expelled from the church it is binding on earth and in heaven. When they are loosed on earth, they are loosed in heaven.

I believe God will make some sort of accounting for the boneheads that administer his church on earth. But when you've been expelled in front of witnesses - and expelled under the most wicked conditions, why does the church then just hem and haw about how their own words don't really matter?

No wonder the church has no real power in the supernatural realm. We curse and "bind" one another with frivolity - and then expect God to hear us "when we really mean it this time..."

I've shared this before, probably too many times. But what kind of idiots do we have administering the church of God? Or is this all just a play toy that some people use to make a good living?

Follow the money and you follow who gets the accolades and pats on the back from the good ole boys. Many times it's not about souls but about who can pad the coffers! Sorry about what happened to you.

[RandyWayne]

What hurts the worst is to look back at such things and wonder "Why did I stay in bondage so long??"