what to do if a member steals money from church?

Question

What is sheep stealing?

Answer

Sheep stealing is a term generally used to describe what happens when a church building grows every bit a result of people leaving other churches. Many Christian teachers accept suggested that churches should only abound as a event of evangelism; that is, church growth should reverberate the number of unsaved and unchurched people coming to the Lord for the first fourth dimension. Pastors who seek to build their churches by siphoning members from other churches are accused of "sheep stealing."

Put more than positively, sheep stealing has also been described as "transfer growth," as Christians transfer their membership from a church building they experience is not meeting their needs to a church they hope will be a ameliorate fit for them. Such transfers can occur for any number of reasons.

Is it wrong for a church to accept attendees or members from other churches? Or, to put the focus on churchgoers, is it wrong to exit one church to join another in the same town? The answer is complicated.

All Christians ("the sheep") ultimately vest to Christ, the Swell Shepherd. He taught that we are condom in His hands and that nosotros cannot be "snatched" away (John 10:27–xxx). Even if we leave one Bible-believing church to attend another, there's no ultimate "sheep stealing" taking identify. We are not being stolen from Christ. We remain His sheep no thing which "pen" we detect ourselves in.

With that said, if a local church building really attempts to lure Christians away from other Bible-believing churches with similar doctrine simply for the purpose of growing their own numbers, it would likely be roundly condemned by the Christian customs, for good reason. That kind of sheep stealing is wrong and would seem to autumn under the Bible'south warnings nearly causing divisions among Christians. It's disputable how many churches are actually engaged in such direct sheep stealing. Nearly churches hope to attract the unchurched, both the unsaved and Christians who have fallen out of the practice of attending church building.

Some of what is chosen sheep stealing may non be. Many legitimate reasons be for a Christian to leave i Bible-believing church to attend another. Obviously, a motility to another boondocks may require finding another church family to join. It's also possible that a person's ain convictions nigh specific doctrinal issues or methods of worship may alter over time, requiring him to alter churches and find a like-minded body of believers. Sometimes a member may experience the demand to leave a church over the mishandling of discipline, scandals, or interpersonal problems. Those who modify churches should exist able to do and so in good conscience.

Churches, besides, can change in their convictions. Over time, denominations or local churches may modify their teaching almost who Christ is, their view of the Bible's authority, or their opinion on specific moral and social problems. If someone decides his church has stopped beingness a truly Christian church, he would exist obligated to move himself and his family to a church still committed to preaching the Word of God and following biblical doctrine. If one church'south attraction is that information technology is property forth the truth in contrast to another church's abandonment of truth, it cannot exist rightly accused of stealing sheep; it is but feeding the flock.

In some cases, what might appear to be sheep stealing is actually church hopping. Immature Christians may grow discontent with a church over shallow bug. If the motivation to motility to a new church is simply to find a younger demographic or more heady music or a trendier congregation, then this flow of "sheep" from one pen to some other is specially selfish. Instead of understanding church every bit a place where we serve (Romans 12:3–viii) and encourage (Hebrews 10:25) each other, these "church hoppers" seem to be searching out churches that will best serve them or make them the most comfy.

Some "sheep" let themselves to be "stolen" abroad by whatever church building becomes the next big thing in their town. Unfortunately, some "shepherds" actively seek to "steal" from the flocks of others rather than deliver their customs. Both situations are unhealthy and not conducive to sacrificial and Christlike service of others.

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This folio last updated: January 4, 2022

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