5 ways churches can guard against fraud and financial missteps

By Filings on

“Most of the time, fraud doesn’t begin with bad intentions. It often starts with a lack of oversight or one person carrying too much responsibility. Over time, those gaps can open the door for mistakes or misuse. Add in life pressures or financial struggles, and the temptation to cut corners can be real.” - Baptist Press

Are Christians Supposed to Judge Others?

By Christopher Cone on

Jesus says in Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, that you may not be judged.” From this statement one might conclude that judging is prohibited, but in the next verse the context helps us understand that the passage is not a prohibition. Rather it is a warning: “For in the way that you measure, it will be measured to you” (Matt. 7:2).

Luke 6:36-37 records a similar statement by Jesus: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. And do not judge and you will not be judged, and do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Set free and you will be set free.”

How “Above Reproach” Lay Elders Saved My Ministry

By Filings on

“As my offenses were enumerated, I felt my blood pressure skyrocket. My reflex was absolute defensiveness. But then I looked into the faces of these four or five men. I knew them. I knew their track records of humble, faithful, loving service in our church.” - 9 Marks

Barna: 56% of Christians Feel Their Spiritual Life Is Entirely Private

By Filings on

“This majority of Christians is less likely to say it is very important to see progress in their spiritual life (30% say progress is important vs. 54% of those who don’t consider their faith private), less likely to say their faith is very important in their life today (45% vs. 66% agree strongly) and less likely to have weekly time with God (51% vs. 66%).” - Barna

First Among Equals: Why the Pastors Need a Leader

By Filings on

“The necessity of a first among coequals in human economies is resonant with (though not equivalent to) the way the Son submits to his Father in the incarnation (Philippians 2:5–11), as well as in the order God ordains in the home (Ephesians 5:21–33). Leadership is not a consequence of the fall, but represents God’s good design for human flourishing in a well-ordered world.” - Desiring God

When Should You Report Ministerial Misconduct?

By Filings on

“The questions are many: What sins need to be reported? When is it to be done? How is it to be done? Certainly, not every sin a minister commits is to be reported to church leaders. …There are three categories of moral failure that should be reported.” - TGC

Hammond, Accountability and Legalism

By Aaron Blumer on

The pastoral scandal in Hammond has sparked many conversations about why these disasters keep happening, what the phenomenon says about independent fundamental Baptist (IFB) churches and ministies, and what ought to be done to fix whatever exactly is broken. The idea of accountability has figured prominently in several of these conversations.

But if IFB and other branches of Christendom1 are going to use accountability effectively, we’ll have to arrive at a clearer understanding of what accountability is, what it’s limitations are, and where its real value lies. My aim here is to make a small contribution toward that end.

Defining “accountability”

For some, accountability has an almost magical power to keep all bad behavior from happening. Whenever some kind of shocking sin comes to light, their first and last response is “we need more accountability.” In these cases the term “accountability” tends to be defined vaguely if at all. At the other end of the spectrum, some argue that accountability is only something that occurs in response to wrongdoing and that has no power to prevent it (see the conversation here, for example).