But scripture is clear, we are to resolve disputes in house, not in a secular court of law, as Houston’s Second Baptist Church will soon find itself.
The church, part of the Southern Baptist Convention, is headed to court in a little more than a month. At issue is how to change the 94,000-member church's bylaws. The answer to that question will not likely be solved there, and as SBC President Clint Pressley says, Paul, in I Corinthians 6, tells the church to keep their disputes out of public courts.
“I really have not followed the story very closely, but it is sad. I would advise any pastor that runs into this sort of conflict to pump the brakes, slow the process down,” he says.
Most of the church fights he has seen have been about power and control -- and both sides at Second Baptist are passionate about the issues. But Pressley says there needs to be a higher priority for all concerned.
“You have to make sure that your passion for the church is greater than your passion for something you're trying to do.”
Fights about church bylaws are fairly common and often brought on by the blessing of growth. The pastor who shepherds a 100-member congregation might not be equipped to lead a church of multiple thousands.
“You will need godly trained professionals that can manage the day-to-day affairs of a church that size,” Pressley says.
It’s important to pick your battles, he adds. Not every issue is a hill to die on. Some are.
“There are going to be times when there are disagreements, and those disagreements … they can't be allowed to escalate to the point of splitting the church unless there is some sort of doctrinal disagreement.”
