"Having accepted a pastorate, I will not use my influence to alienate the church or any portion thereof from the fellowship or support of the United Pentecostal Church International. If my convictions change, I will be honorable enough to withdraw."
Questions:
Will ministers withdrawing abide by the code of ethics they ascribed to in the manual when they affirmed their membership with the fellowship?
Will they simply withdraw w/o using their influence to alienate their church which may be UPCI affiliated? Will they not use their influence to alienate the fellowship or support of the UPCI?
Have not their convictions changed in regards to abiding to the current bylaws of the UPCI ... and so the honorable thing is to withdraw without trying to bring others w/ them?
Will their integrity be questioned ???... do they not also fall under question ethically if they break this code of ethics? ... which can seemingly then be adjudicated under resolution 3?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel Alicea
First, a church can be informed as to their rights to disaffiliate but before the meeting ... a pastor has a window ... to exert influence as to alienate the church's decision ....
but that's not at the heart of the issue ....
To make this thread about the procedural issue of disaffiliation is to miss it entirely. We are speaking about the ethical commitment ministers and pastors made when they agreed to enter the fellowship.
They agreed not only to the AS and Fundamental doctrine ... but also to the teachings/positions of the fellowship, it's bylaws and guidelines.
Will those leaving or considering leaving act ethically as to the underlined portion below:
2007 Manual Page 159
Position Papers/Ministerial Code of Ethics
ends with...
"Having accepted a pastorate, I will not use my influence to alienate the church or any portion thereof from the fellowship or support of the United Pentecostal Church International. If my convictions change, I will be honorable enough to withdraw."
Were the calls by some ministers to protest/boycott organizational divisions with their offerings unethical as stated in the fellowship's teaching/position for ministerial ethics?
Are those unhappy w/ the "change of direction" of the org and promoting alienation/division violating their commitments made when they applied for their license by not simply and honorably withdrawing?
Yes, tv is a conviction dear to some ... but weren't their commitments not to adversely influence or contend towards the disunity of the faith also convictions?
Have some poisoned their congregations w/ anti-org rhetoric from the pulpit? Is there strong-arming by some being used to influence departure?
These are just some of the ethical commitments made by those applying for license with the fellowship:
[This is a current application for a local license]
Isn't part of the teaching of the church this position paper on ethical and honorable departure?
Are those considering a concerted departure avoiding the breaking of the unity of the Spirit in the assemblies?
Have they refrained from speaking evil, critical and contentious words about anyone in their fellowship? What have they done to work towards peace and harmony? And have they been cooperating w/ all efforts of the organization?
If people leave their present affliation because they can't go in the same direction,I can't fault them and if they leave on good terms and in a peaceable fashion to me that is their business.
__________________
People who are always looking for fault,can find it easily all they have to do,is look into their mirror.
There they can find plenty of fault.
Again, the fact that Article XIX, section 1 gives detailed procedure for affiliation, and disaffiliation, I still see you argument as moot. As long as a minister goes through the proper procedure in disaffiliating his church, he is not contradicting anything within the bylaws of the UPCI.
Exactly.
This is a feeble attempt at a "Gotcha!" that wouldn't fool my twelve year old.
I'd rather folks be honest than stay in something they don't feel is correct.
__________________
People who are always looking for fault,can find it easily all they have to do,is look into their mirror.
There they can find plenty of fault.
Was I unethical to take my vacation on a job I had one time knowing I was going to give notice when I returned??
As long as the procedures for disaffiliation are done according to the bylaws, it really makes not a hill of beans if the preacher turns in his license afterwards. If the church is wanting to follow their God ordained Pastor, and he is going to leave the org, then they are well within their rights to disaffiliate to be able to keep him.
Now we enter yet another area of discourse: who is responsible and more accountable for the local church?
The pastor, whose office was ordained by God in the Scripture, and who was called to that city and that flock, or a group of elected officials holding man made offices in a man made organization?
I'd rather folks be honest than stay in something they don't feel is correct.
Yeah, but is there a church somewhere that I think is 100% correct?
__________________ "It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity." Dave Barry 2005
I am a firm believer in the Old Paths
Articles on such subjects as "The New Birth," will be accepted, whether they teach that the new birth takes place before baptism in water and Spirit, or that the new birth consists of baptism of water and Spirit. - THE PENTECOSTAL HERALD Dec. 1945
"It is doubtful if any Trinitarian Pentecostals have ever professed to believe in three gods, and Oneness Pentecostals should not claim that they do." - Daniel Segraves
i think the much bigger issue here is not fellowshipping other UPCI churches.
this affiliation thing is much less the issue for me.
if the church elects to follow a pastor out of the org, honestly there is nothing that can or should be done.
however, if the church has had that pastor for a long time and he has taught them to be exclusionary, well here in lies the breach of faith. To me this is equal to the TV gotcha.
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
Now we enter yet another area of discourse: who is responsible and more accountable for the local church?
The pastor, whose office was ordained by God in the Scripture, and who was called to that city and that flock, or a group of elected officials holding man made offices in a man made organization?
I'd say the pastor and I'm not crazy about outside influences dictating things to pastors,a local church has some autonomy, to me.
__________________
People who are always looking for fault,can find it easily all they have to do,is look into their mirror.
There they can find plenty of fault.
Linear Mode
