"If they desire his help..."

Just down the street from the main Seacoast 'campus' (it's multi-location of course) is a large Baptist Church with a Reformed Baptist pastor. John Owen, The Institutes, Valley of Vision Prayers, & Spurgeon regularly referred to in the service bulletin and service. The church is often referred to as the 'big black hole of the PCA' in Charleston). When we visited one of our daughter's and son-in-law there a few weeks ago (they are members, as are many devout Christians from the medical school there), the service ended with the public announcement of what we'd call an ex-communication - same issue. The contrast with Seacoast is not unexpected.

What a sweeping indictment of both Seacoast Church and Pastor Greg Surratt with no more knowledge of the situation than a paragraph in World Magazine.

If Pastor Surratt did know of Gov. Sandford's infidelity, or the sins of any other member of the church for that matter, it would be wildly inappropriate to comment on it to a reporter. Further, if Pastor Surratt were working with the Sanfords to bring repentance and reconciliation (a fact neither you nor your readers have any insight into), public excommunication would be completely uncalled for at this time. Finally, if the Sanfords did not desire any input from Pastor Surratt he would be hard pressed to provide help. If the sin continued without repentance then a form of church discipline would be in order. Excommunication, however, should be the final, not the first response of any pastor.

Or Seacoast could line up all of the sinners in the church and stone them. Anyone care to cast the first stone?

>>Anyone care to cast the first stone?

Dear Anonymous,

You're jumping to conclusions not warranted by what's been written. It's not a question of discipline, but simply of recognizing the responsibility a pastor has to provide pastoral care regardless of whether it is or is not desired.

Seacoast's pastor has given the quote to "World," and it's his own words that indicate his help would only be given if it is desired.

Warmly,

I am an infrequent commenter and frequent lurker around here. My family lives in Charleston, SC, and we are members a PCA church here. The description of Seacoast is more accurate than you know. It exists to inoculate people to true Christianity.

The PCA churches here do tend to hold onto paedobaptists in general, once they have families. The ministry of East Cooper Baptist is very strong, as has been said, at the Medical University and is fairly strong at the other three major universities in town. Most young singles (and young marrieds with no kids) tend to go where the other young singles are, which is at East Cooper Baptist (ECBC). Some young people are faithful members of PCA churches in town, but there is a strong pull to be where other people are more like them. In my experience, those who bolt for ECBC have had an underemphasis on doctrine in their home churches. (ECBC's pastor considers himself a 3 1/2 point Calvinist or so, so we do consider that church to be an ally of sorts.)

Here's another example of a pastoral response to a prominent church member's infidelity:

Appearing Thursday on CBS' "The Early Show", the McNairs' family pastor in Nashville deflected questions about the quarterback's affair with a woman who police confirmed killed him before committing suicide.

"His death primarily was the shock," Bishop Joseph Walker III of Mount Zion Baptist Church said, adding that he and the community aren't focusing on McNair's relationship with 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi.

McNair, 36, was a married man shot four times in his sleep on the Fourth of July by a girlfriend 16 years his junior, who then killed herself. Kazemi was distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that he was seeing someone else, police said Wednesday.

McNair's wife, Mechelle, has not spoken publicly since the shooting. No record of divorce proceedings have surfaced, and Mike Mu, who is handling media for the memorial service, said Mechelle McNair didn't know who Kazemi was.

That's not how McNair will be remembered Thursday during viewings at a funeral home and the stadium where he once played. His friends, ex-teammates, former coaches and wife will celebrate him at a memorial service.

>>> Have any of you actually ever
>>> walked through the effects of
>>> adultery with church members?

Of course not. No one at Tim's church ever commits adultery, and no one ever sins. By the way, please contact me if you're interested in a prime real estate deal. I've got some ocean front property in Arizona. From my front porch you can see the sea.

I try not to wrestle with the pigs by commenting on blogs like this, but I cannot believe that the words "how encouraging" were just used in response to finding out that a church excommunicates someone. Sounds like we are cheering that the 1 left and high-fiving the 99? I am sad by the post. As someone who would consider himself reformed, I am embarrassed by how absolutely prideful most who wear that name.

And just as a side not - do we actually judge a church by how much Spurgeon is in the Bulletin? I though we reformers were for the Bible?

I would pray that if a national magazine calls you moments after a member has publicly confessed sin you would do your best to protect the wife and children and keep an open door with the sinner. But maybe for that wish I should be excommunicated...

Scott Tibbs dealt with this in his post