What do you think of this?

[SDG]

Originally Posted by MissBrattified

Of course, DA, and I have no problem with people choosing where they attend. I object to pastors who use manipulative tactics to keep their saints under their thumb. I don't care about the reasoning, either. Some people simply want a church that is close to their home. Nothing at all wrong with that.



It doesn't offend me either, for a saint to CHOOSE. It does offend me for a member of another church to deliberately affect their choice to their own advantage.



I completely agree, but you still have not addressed the issue from the perspective of people who would attempt to persuade others to leave their assembly and go elsewhere, and the motivation behind such.



It sounds like the UPC pastor is trying to do just that, but with some reasonable concerns based on past acts of division.



So address the character, and I still think that "sheep stealing" is a reasonable label for those who make a concentrated effort to relocate the saints from another assembly into their own.

Again, unless there is a memo, a video, etc ... a smoking gun ... this stuff usually boils down to he said, she said. In this case, there is none ...just some poster's recounting of a situation.

The principles remain the same for a pastor or saint ... backbiting is a sin.

In these terrritorial fights (yes, that's what they are)... usually there is backbiting on both sides ... I've seen it enough to know that all it does is lead to disfellowship.

Churches make coordinated efforts all the time to appeal to the saved and unsaved ... it's par for the course ... with their progams, format, signage, etc

The problem would arise if it was based on backbiting ... just as I think that if the person who has lost members ... should not engage in it ... after his number's dwindle ... at the expense of the person who has benefitted from the increase.

When it's all said and done ... the Kingdom of God ... should come first.

Move forward .... do it better. No such thing as "sheep stealing" ... in and of itself. They are His.