My problem is not even with the reason they left. It's a big, free world. You can decide to leave just because you don't like the way everybody smells. It's just when you get to contacting and inviting people out of the handbook that you have serious ethics problems in my opinion.
It's funny how that concept seems so hard to understand in this situation for some, but if it were to happen in their own local church...it would be crystal clear. If someone in leadership at any church decided to leave for whatever trivial reason, I say more power to you. If they get their hands on the church roll and begins to contact the membership to inform and invite them, I say that they are being highly unethical....and I'm sure pretty much every pastor would feel that way.
the problem with this post is that the upc is not a church.
I just think this whole ministerial fellowship thing is funny when in the very manual it states how both churches and non-minister church members are a part of the UPC...
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"Most human beings are not able to stand the message of the shaking of foundations. They reject and attack the prophetic minds, not because they really disagree with them, but because they sense the truth of their words and cannot receive it." Paul Tillich
the problem with this post is that the upc is not a church.
Hometown. It's the same principle. The UPC is many churches...and the potential harm is exponentially greater. It is unethical and if someone did it to any of the individuals involved they would feel the same way. If someone were to leave the WPF right now and use their mailing list to solicit others, I would say the same thing. It would be unethical...maybe poetic justice... but still unethical.
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There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois
Hometown. It's the same principle. The UPC is many churches...and the potential harm is exponentially greater. It is unethical and if someone did it to any of the individuals involved they would feel the same way. If someone were to leave the WPF right now and use their mailing list to solicit others, I would say the same thing. It would be unethical...maybe poetic justice... but still unethical.
Perhaps this may be unethical but to compare it to trying to still sheep from another church is not the same.
Perhaps this may be unethical but to compare it to trying to still sheep from another church is not the same.
Hometown, I just fail to see a tremendous difference. This had the potential to affect exponentially more sheep on many continents. At this point I just pray the will of God for the Apostolic movement as a whole, but I do think that the way this was done was unfortunate. There are many good people on both sides of the issue that have the potential of being negatively affected.
God Bless,
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There are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Chuck Norris lives in Houston.
Either the United States will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the United States. – W.E.B. DuBois