This post was written by Sol Fenne, 20schemes Director of Music

Music and singing is a unique and fundamental part of corporate worship. Unique in its distinction as the mutual and participatory act of worship. Set apart from the reading of the Bible, praying and the preaching of God’s Word by its unifying nature, where the entire church joins together with one voice to sing praises to God.

Music is also an important part of Scottish cultural identity. When you visit Scotland, it’s never long before you hear the world-famous bagpipes in our city centres, the sound of buskers on the streets and live music – both traditional and contemporary – in many of our pubs and clubs. The Edinburgh Festival and Celtic Connections in Glasgow make Scotland renowned around the world as a respected music hub.

'Schemes are teeming with creative talent, people with something to say but no opportunity to say it' @SolFenne
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At 20schemes we are desperate to see people saved from their sins and put their faith in Jesus. When this happens rescued sinners suddenly have the biggest and most exciting story they’ve ever had to share. They start coming to their local church, they give their stories (testimonies) once at their baptism, learn the repertoire of hymns and songs written either hundreds of years ago or more recently by professional American ‘worship’ leaders. They then keep their mouths shut, keep their stories to themselves and just get on with ‘the Christian life’.

Ok, so what are you going to do about it?

We have been created in the image of the Creator. We are a local Church full of creators. The plan therefore is:

1. To begin by creating an album of original and authentic songs and hymns written by believers from our own local communities.
2. Ensure the content is carefully planned and executed so that local stories are suitably expressed within a biblical and helpful framework.
3. Produce a high-quality product utilising where possible resources in our existing pool of members/believers throughout all our 20schemes plants.
4. Promote the concept of encouraging believers locally who are songwriters and musicians to use their God given abilities within the context of their own local churches and deliberately not seek to create artists beyond their local church *
5. Provide a platform for all local believers in our schemes to write about their faith, express their joy and struggles creatively and learn or develop how to respond to Psalm 42:10 rather than just read about it in the Bible.

We want to continue teaching new believers existing hymns and songs and welcome them into what we already do. To use the established and well written, biblical hymns and songs by all the usual household names, both current and from the past, whilst additionally creating an environment where local churches also sing their own distinct repertoires for the deepening of relationships and encouraging of one another.

(*) We’re not creating new artists – this is a local church model. Local churches singing their own songs, testimonies, prayers, experiences within a sound biblical framework and true doctrinal understanding that is ultimately for and accountable to God, his Word and therefore his church. We’re also not looking to do anything new. This isn’t about being innovators; we aren’t looking to reinvent the wheel. This is about enabling more stories of God’s work to be expressed and heard.

Sing to him a new song; play skilfully, and shout for joy. (Psalm 33:3)

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. (Psalm 98:1)

I will sing a new song to you, my God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you (Psalm 144:9)

Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people. (Psalm 149:1)

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. (Isaiah 42:10)

Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name. (Romans 15:9)

Sounds wonderful, what did you say your name was again?

Sol and Carlie Fenne

My name is Sol Fenne. I am a musician, who has been saved from all my sin by Jesus Christ. Along with my wife Carlie, and our children Hamish and Betsie, I live in Gracemount. We have been members at Niddrie Community Church since 2008 and we are now part of the team planting Gracemount Community Church.

I am a composer who has had pieces performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London as well as on BBC Radio 2 and BBC television. I am also a former professional orchestral percussionist and a drummer who has played in different local bands and ensembles for the past 20 years.

I am a nobody in the music industry but I have been given a gift in music by God and a passion for it. There are so many people out there like me. My role in all of this will be:

• To co-ordinate and oversee the project identifying and utilising the skills and talents of others
• to seek out individuals and their stories working with them and other songwriters and lyricists within our churches.
• Encourage believers to ‘give it a go’ and then develop what they produce into songs

There is so much talent and ability at 20schemes and it is my belief that our churches are full of potential hymn writers, songwriters, and creative artists who have no opportunity to be heard and I’m very excited about all of this. There is already a core number of musicians and song writers in our plants who will form the basis of the project.

In the meantime, I am already planning several music based blogs for the next few months where I will discuss ‘the biblical case for song writing’ and ‘the music culture of Scotland’s working class’.

So, watch this space…

The post Sing To Him A New Song appeared first on 20schemes.

This post was written by Andy Prime, 20schemes church planter in Gracemount, Edinburgh

Not beating about the bush, let me give you this blog in a sentence: Thanks SO much for supporting our church plant. But unless you’re local to Gracemount, please, please, please DON’T come to our church launch on Easter Sunday.

We are really grateful to so many people and churches – both locally and globally – for supporting our church plant over the last few years. Without your faithful prayers and generous giving we would not be where we are today, almost ready to go live with Gracemount Community Church.

Over the last few weeks, especially as our team members have been getting ready to say ‘goodbye’ to their sending churches, loads of people have said to us, ‘We can’t wait to come to Gracemount Community Church on your first Sunday to support you guys and see how it all goes.’ Although for some church plants this would be welcomed as they try and make a big splash through a rent-a-crowd type strategy, this really isn’t what we want. In fact, let us go as far as to say that you are NOT INVITED to the launch Sunday of Gracemount Community Church.

You are not invited

Let us explain why.

Over the last few years as our team have moved into the scheme, we have been very deliberately doing four things:

1. Seeking to build deep, genuine relationships within Gracemount.
2. Taking time to thoroughly exegete and understand our community.
3. Praying and strategically thinking through how as a local church we can most clearly communicate the gospel to Gracemount.
4. Creating a distinctive, yet compelling counter community that displays the gospel in Gracemount.

To put it another way, we’ve spent ages seeking to be known in Gracemount, to know Gracemount, and to know how best to make Jesus known in Gracemount. We are not simply planting a replica of a Chalmers Church or Niddrie Community Church service in Gracemount. Everything will be contextualised for our scheme.

Contextualised for our scheme

That means that everything that happens on our first Sunday will be for people from Gracemount – whether a believer or an unbeliever.

• On opening Sunday, everything we do, everything we say, everything we sing, will be very deliberate and thought through for our community.
• We want the service on opening Sunday to be typical of what every other Sunday will look like.
• At our first service we want people from the scheme to walk in and see faces they know well rather than a bunch of strangers.
• On our first Sunday we want people to walk to church (even if it’s raining), rather than people driving in from outside.

That means that if you’re not local to Gracemount – to put it bluntly – you’re not invited!

It doesn’t help us

Listen, please don’t hear us wrong. We are so grateful for your support. We know that your motive for wanting to come is a really godly one that wants to encourage us. However, if a load of people from Charlotte Chapel, Chalmers Church, Niddrie Community Church, or Cornerstone Church turn up, it really doesn’t help us serve the people of Gracemount, who we are desperate to share the gospel of the risen Jesus with on Easter Sunday. Having a load of outsiders there on the first Sunday has the potential to dilute everything we’ve sought to be, and disfigure everything we’ve sought to create.

I think we’ll have bouncers on the door on opening Sunday. (@revandyprime) #churchplanting
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If you’re keen to show your support for us as we move to launch, the planting team will be getting commissioned at the service at Niddrie Community Church this Sunday (2nd April) at 11am. You’d be very welcome to come to that service as they pray for us and send us out for the task ahead.

And once we’ve got our feet under the table, and got the first 6-8 weeks of Gracemount Community Church under our belt, then you’d be more than welcome to come in your ones and twos to see how we’re getting on.

But let me say it again: we love you. We’re grateful to God for you, we covet your prayers and are humbled by your partnership in the gospel. We just don’t want you all at our launch Sunday.

The post No, You’re Not Welcome To Our New Church Launch! appeared first on 20schemes.

Is God anti-gay?

We’re delighted to announce that Sam Allberry, author of the popular book Is God anti-gay? (Good Book Company: 2015), will be joining us on Saturday 3rd June 2017 for a one-day conference at Niddrie Community Church, Edinburgh.

Spaces are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. For more information and bookings, please visit the event page, where you will also find details about the subjects Sam will be addressing.

Sam Allberry

Sam Allberry is an editor for The Gospel Coalition, a global speaker for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, and a pastor based in Maidenhead, UK. He is the author of a number of books, including Is God Anti-Gay?, James For You, and most recently Why Bother with Church. He is a founding editor of Living Out, a ministry for those struggling with same-sex attraction.

The post Is God anti-gay? A Conference With Sam Allberry appeared first on 20schemes.

Lewis and Rosie Campbell, church planting in Torry, Aberdeen

We’re delighted to welcome Lewis and Rosie Campbell to 20schemes. Lewis is looking to plant a church in a community in Aberdeen called Torry.

We put a few questions to Lewis and Rosie this week to introduce them to you.

Tell us a little about yourselves.

Lewis: We have been married since August 2016. I (Lewis) am 27, from Lossiemouth and in my last year of study at the Acts 29 Oakhill Academy. Before this I worked for Elgin Baptist Church for 6 years doing a mix of youth work, preaching and other ministry. I enjoy reading, football, running, coffee and, since moving to Torry, Swimming! My wife, Rosie, is 22, from Elgin and currently doing a postgrad Social Work Course at Robert Gordon University. Before this she lived down in Edinburgh studying. Her life is very busy at the moment but in free time enjoys reading, singing and napping!

Tell us a little about Torry, Aberdeen.

Lewis: Torry is an area in Aberdeen of roughly 10,000 people. The area that we are planting in is known as Tullos/Balnagask and has around 4000 people. Torry is a mixed community with many locals and people from Eastern Europe. While the area often has a bad reputation for unemployment, drug problems and crime, Torry is a strong community with locals loyal to, and proud of, the area.

How long have you been in that community?

Lewis: We moved to Torry in Summer 2016. The local United Free Church of Scotland has been working in the Tullos/Balnagask area on and off for many years, including a great Boys Brigade group that continues to run at the local primary school. However, this is the first time the church has committed to people actually living in the area and intentionally building relationships there.

Tell us how you became a Christian?

Lewis: I became a Christian when I was 17. I had been going to church my whole life and would have claimed to be a Christian. However, God began to convict me that I wasn’t. The way I lived my life did not reflect a real or active faith. The influence of Christians guided me to make a proper commitment to God.

Rosie: I became a Christian when I was 13. I had been brought up in church but always knew that being a Christian had to be my own choice and not my parents. At that time God really convicted me that a life without Jesus was pointless and I knew that my purpose for living had to be Him.

When did you first start to think about church planting and how did that happen?

Lewis: Quite quickly after becoming a Christian I felt a strong calling to ministry and over the next year or so I became more sure of the idea of church planting. The strong desire I had for church planting grew as I read more about it and listened to teaching on it. Towards the end of 2015 we became aware of the church in Torry and the work they were looking to do. We felt strongly that this is where God wanted us to be and the plans for beginning the work in Torry unfolded over the following few months.

Rosie: During my teenage years at several times I was re-convinced of some form of calling to mission. As I was young I pushed it aside but I prayed that God would use me for his work. When Lewis and I started going out it was clear that he was going to go into ministry and church planting was something we talked about together right from the start (2012). I had never thought that we would end up in Aberdeen but I know now that this is simply a different version of a picture God gave me when I was 14.

How did you get involved with 20schemes?

We were already aware of 20schemes through various church things. Before we knew we were going to Torry we were looking at different church planting networks. We originally met with Mez at an Acts 29 conference last year. We were pointed to him because Tullos/Balnagask is a scheme and work on schemes is obviously the focus of the ministry. After that meeting we were encouraged by the potential partnership as the resources and training are what we needed and were excited to be a part of a bigger network.

Why are you committed to gospel ministry in Torry?

Lewis: In the area we are living in and looking to plant in there is no established church. Churches over the years have done bits and pieces of work there but we are convinced that what is needed in order to make a real impact is long-term commitment to living in the area, building relationships and being part of the community. Having a local church is the only way for local people to be taught and discipled in the faith.

What are are you most excited about as you embark on this work?

Lewis: The chance to actually share the gospel with people who have never heard it before really excites me. At the moment things are slow. The early days are more about building routine and getting to know people. We are just praying for opportunities to tell people the gospel.

What are some of the concerns you have for the years ahead?

Lewis: At the moment it’s just the two of us with help from people in the United Free church. We are looking to gather a core team so this is probably something we’re thinking about at the moment. In general, its very early days and we know that things are slow at this stage. There are days when this can feel discouraging. However, we know that things take time and that this stage is important for setting the ground for the future.

Give us 3 things we can be praying for you and Rosie.

1. Gathering a core team of people who are willing to live in the area and be a part of things.
2. The ongoing work of the Boys Brigade and the opportunity to build relationships with the boys but particularly their parents through this contact.
3. At the moment we are both balancing work in Tullos with study. This largely works well but prayer for getting the right balance of time and energy would be helpful.

The post New Church Plant In Aberdeen appeared first on 20schemes.

This post was written by Pete Stewart, 20schemes church planter in Barlanark, Glasgow

It’s been a Proverbs 19:21 start to the year in Barlanark:

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

Proverbs 19:21

In fact, our whole experience here is summed up in that one verse.

18 months ago we left our roles as youth workers and set out on this journey to plant a new gospel-centered church in the scheme. In some ways it seems not so long ago, yet in others it seems a lifetime ago.

At that stage our plans were to gather a team, cement our vision and start reaching out with the gospel to the many lost people around us. It wasn’t long until this morphed into our vision statement:

Making Jesus known in Barlanark and beyond;
by proclaiming the gospel
by making disciples
by living in community

This hit a chord. It pulled us together. It united our passion to see people come to know Jesus.

Soon we had been given a great office to work in, based in a local community centre. We started to study the Bible and pray with others every morning. We started to develop 1-to-1 discipling relationships for all the members of our group. We started to make new contacts with non-Christians. We started to see people profess faith.

Many were the plans of man. And it seemed the plans were bearing fruit

By the end of the Summer 2016, a year into the full-time journey, we had over 15 adults who were professing faith and working towards this vision. We had at least 4 non-Christians who were regularly about our meetings and contact with many others. We had 9 kids with a number more soon on the way. And it seemed we had momentum. Our first intern had just started. Our toddlers group was hitting the ground running. We were encouraged. People, it seemed, were coming to know Jesus.

And so, we decided it was time to think about ‘launching’. The next stage in our plan was to meet together formally on a Sunday. It would pull us together. It would move us from being a group of Christians on mission to being a committed, covenanted-together local church. It would provide a focal point for our non-Christian contacts to come in to. It would be the end, and at the same time the beginning, of our journey.

So we made a plan. April 2nd 2017. That would be our first official service. That would be what we were working towards. That would be the moment our dream, our vision, became a reality.

Now don’t get us wrong. We were sure this was not just our plan. We had prayed about this for months, for years in fact. We had sought wisdom from others. We had discussed this often. And everything seemed to be falling into place. It seemed this truly was the purpose of the Lord.

And then, bit by bit, the plans unravelled

People who had been professing faith and growing, abruptly hit the wall and gave up. Others who were going strong for the Lord slowly but surely fell away. Some who had been working towards the vision were called elsewhere to serve in other places. And others who’d been on board with our vision, realised our theological convictions didn’t align.

What looked from the outside as a thriving group of Christians, living to ‘Make Jesus Known’, slowly began to crack at the foundations.

Many were the plans of man, but the Lord had other ideas

We are now back to the original 7 members of our group that we started with 2 years ago. And the last 2 months have taken their toll.

Surely the implosion of our #churchplanting team right before launch wasn't the purpose of the Lord? @petetheirishone
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And yet, in many ways, these were nothing compared to the last few months. We have been keenly aware of the Lord’s care in all these moments. Despite the roughest of times he has held us fast.

But surely the implosion of our church planting team right before launch was not the purpose of the Lord? Certainly, it wasn’t our plan. If you had given us a blank sheet of paper just a few months ago and asked us to write down our worst-case scenario for pre-launch even that probably would not have been this rough.

This was not our plan. But it was the purpose of the Lord

All this does change things. We are going to slow down. We are going to regroup. We are going to postpone our 2nd April launch until the dust settles.

Rightly people have asked us if we are sure? Shouldn’t we keep going in faith? What is the magic number? I mean biblically surely 7 is the ideal starting point right?! And no doubt there is truth and wisdom in this.

But many are the plans of man…

We feel more at peace now than we have done in the last 6 months. We feel more assured than ever that now is the time to regroup and refocus on our mission. We feel more free than ever to go and proclaim the gospel. We feel ready to direct our energy again to the task in hand, to go and ‘Make Jesus Known’.

Perhaps the hardest part in all of this is dealing with our own pride.

We were looking forward to being the exciting first church launch from Harper Church and 20schemes in Glasgow. We were looking forward to being able to lead and pastor this church that we’ve dreamed of for so long. We were looking forward to getting going and hitting the ground running. Yet now, again, we are having to admit our weakness and say our plans have flopped. We are having to face people no doubt wondering if this is a lack of faith for not pressing on despite difficulty. Once again, we are having to be patient and rely TOTALLY on the Lord.

But this is not the end. This is not failure.

This is the mighty and gracious hand of God bringing HIS purposes to pass.

And we will press on

Despite an abundance of evidence that might suggest otherwise, we are CONVINCED we are in the place God wants us. Why? Not because we have a growing team of mature Christians ready to give their all for the cause. Not because we have buildings and activities to act as a safety net for our group. Not because we are seeing many come to know Jesus. But because there is nearly 4000 lost people in our scheme that need to hear the words of the gospel. Because we still have this treasure, admittedly in weak and failing jars of clay, that alone will bring hope to the hopeless. Because Barlanark (like every scheme and community in our land) still needs to know Jesus.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:8-11)

And so, more than ever, we are envisioned.

More than ever we are excited about what God is going to do

We are convinced this will be for the good of our group. That as we move forward we will be able to build on a firmer foundation. That we will be able to learn these lessons and move forward in renewed joy and strength. That it is gracious of God to slow us down at this point rather than let us implode once we properly got started.

And so we are convinced that this will be for God’s ultimate glory. That he is pulling back all pretence that we have this church planting gig sorted. That he is making it clear that he alone will build his church. That he is showing the world that this is ALL down to him.

Therefore, we continue to proclaim the gospel. We continue to make disciples. We continue to live in community. We continue to desperately pray that the Lord’s will be done, and that he will indeed build his church and bring many lost people to know Jesus in Barlanark and beyond.

We didn’t plan it this way. But the Lord did. And for that we are glad.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

The post Church Planting; What Happens When It Doesn’t Go Our Way? appeared first on 20schemes.

VOICES: Who Do I Listen To? is the third title in the series, and looks at the guidance offered in the book of Proverbs. God has not left us alone to navigate life as best we can. Wisdom is calling us … if only we take the time to listen.

About the author: Andy Prime started his ministry as an Associate Pastor at Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh. He and his wife Sarah left Charlotte Chapel in 2014 to plant a church with 20schemes, which they still help run today.

For your copy visit the 20schemes store!

The post VOICES: Who Do I Listen To? appeared first on 20schemes.

All too often, our heads can feel like they are caught in a dark, lonely battle between what we want to do and what we know we should. God feels distant and we feel dirty.

The second book in the First Steps of Discipleship series tackles the fundamental, day-to-day difficulties experienced by every Christian, and looks at the question War – Why Did Life Just Get Harder?

This series of short workbooks, from the IX Marks Urban series, are designed to help you think through some of life’s big questions.

For your copy visit the 20schemes store!

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This post was written by Andy Mathieson, 20schemes church planter in Lochee, Dundee

On the 23rd of October 2016 the Lochee team covenanted together around our statement of faith. In doing that, we ceased to be a team and became a church. In some ways this was the culmination of years of vision on the part of 20schemes and Central Baptist Church and of 2 years of graft and vision on the ground by the team in Lochee. We have got to know and love our community, we have done our research, we have built connections and relationships, we have shared our vision, gathered a team around that vision and now here we are.

Job done?

It would be easy to think job done, what’s next. However, I urge you not to think that way. On Sunday 4 December we celebrated our official launch which was a special moment for us. We recently just baptised our first indigenous believer. We are several weeks in to what we hope will be a church that stands and lasts for generations preaching the gospel to the people of Lochee and seeking to plant other churches across Dundee and the rest of Scotland. In order for that to happen a “job done” mentality on our part or on the part of those who pray for us will not do.

I will build my church…

Churches are both exceptionally powerful and exceptionally fragile things. Powerful in their unconquerable nature routed in Christ’s promise to build His Church. Fragile due to the fact that if we drift away, from Christ exalting, God glorifying, Bible preaching ministry in to liberalism or dead orthodoxy, there is no guarantee that we will last for generations. Christ promised “I will build MY church,” he didn’t promise to build ours.

A 'job done' mentality on our part or from those who pray for us will not do! (@Math1eson)…
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Lochee Baptist Chapel: Gospel, Discipleship, Mission, Together

We are incredibly encouraged by the last few weeks and by the beginning of this new church. We have seen new faces, we have been joined by non-Christians, we have preached the gospel, sang God’s praise and broken bread remembering Jesus and the work he has done for us. It has been hard work but good work. Through all our joy we are deeply aware that Lochee Baptist Chapel is in its infancy and in order to thrive we have to remain committed to our core values of Gospel, Discipleship, Mission, Together. This cannot become a catch phrase or a mantra but a way of life. Babies do not grow from infancy to childhood into the strength of adulthood by accident. It requires love and care and dedication. The same is true for baby churches. Churches like Lochee Baptist Chapel.

We are deeply grateful for your prayer support. Please would you continue to pray for us. Here are a few things to pray for.

• Pray for me in my preparation and preaching.
• For the church that the Lord would knit us together in the love of Christ and one another that makes the gospel both visible and attractive to the community.
• Pray that we would continue to make connections and relationships so that people would come to know Jesus and that God may be glorified in Lochee.
• For our new believers that they would keep close to Jesus and walk with him all the way to the end.

The post Welcome To Lochee Baptist Chapel appeared first on 20schemes.

Video Transcript – Kevin DeYoung

Kevin: I’m grateful for the ministry of 20schemes because I think they’re trying to bring together a lot of things that people think don’t go together, but they should. And that’s trying to minister among low-income folks, trying to minister in what most people would think are ‘hard places’. And understanding that this gospel that we preach is the same gospel for rich and for poor and that the local church is absolutely central to God’s plan wherever the kingdom is going to break in.

This gospel that we preach is the same gospel for rich and for poor @RevKevDeYoung #gospelministy
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And I love that there’s an understanding that what people need most, no matter where they come from, what they’re facing, what they need most is to know their sin and a Savior, they need to know the Bible. And that when we do this ministry, we don’t want the… people call it the soft bigotry of low expectations – thinking that, well if we’re going to minister in hard places then we should really water down the truth or we shouldn’t really care too much about doctrine, or we shouldn’t try to put too fine a point on it. Now I mean, absolutely wrong because the things that we’re doing require the best, deepest, most robust, theological truths and affirmations not only so that we’re partnering with the right people, doing the right things, but so that we have a real life, long life giving, God glorifying sense of motivation for what we’re doing.

We don't want the soft bigotry of low expectations (@RevKevDeYoung) #poor #dumbingdown #patronising
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The post Why Kevin DeYoung Loves 20schemes appeared first on 20schemes.

To summarise:

1. As a church we follow the Matthew 18:15-17 principles for church discipline at our church.
2. When we talk of church discipline we mean the daily ‘one anothering’ of church member with church member. That means the overwhelming majority of ‘sin issues’ in our church are dealt with in this way.
3. We have an extra layer within these principles in which serious sin issues come to the elders for prayer and discussion before we take them to the congregation for appropriate action. This gives us time to investigate the situation and we either (a) encourage those involved in originally challenging the sin to maybe rethink or act with more wisdom and/or grace (in other words we don’t think the issue is as serious as they do) or (b) we challenge the person confronted to explain the situation. Going to the members is always our final option, and only after we have exhausted all other biblical measures and steps open to us.
4. Excommunication is the final step in our discipline process. This is when we say to a person, or people, that we can no longer, as a body of God’s people, ratify their confession of faith. To be clear, we only excommunicate people for serious, public and consistently unrepentant sin that brings the gospel and the witness of the church into disrepute.
5. Excommunicated members of our church are still permitted, indeed are actively encouraged, to attend worship on Sunday’s (unless the offence(s) puts others at risk) but are not allowed to participate in the Lord’s Supper and have no rights as members (such as pastoral care). In effect, we treat them lovingly, kindly and welcomingly as unbelievers until such time as we see a genuine profession of faith that produces fruit in keeping with repentance.

This all sounds clear but, unfortunately, life (and sin) don’t quite work out like that. There are many, many factors that can muddy the process. In my 18 years in ministry I have experienced the following:

1. Those under discipline just leave the church and refuse all attempts at contact in an attempt to avoid serious sin issues in their lives.
2. More ‘open’ churches (read liberal) will take in people involved in serious, open and unrepentant sin with no questions asked. So, for example, we recently had a couple come to us professing to be believers but discovered that they were sleeping together outside of marriage. We challenged the behaviour when they applied to us for membership. They left our church and now ‘worship’ at another one that accepts their behaviour (or at least doesn’t challenge it).
3. Members under discipline from our church were encouraged to leave us and join a different church by the pastor of that church with the promise that they would be taken care of better (they since almost split his church and nearly ended his ministry).
4. We have had members of other churches turn up at our services, citing ill treatment or legalism or accusing their church of not being ‘gospel centred’ (a favourite excuse) when, in fact they have hopped around from church to church for years and had caused division wherever they went. They leave when we question them and ask for references.
5. Church leaders have given us good references for ‘problem people’ just to get them off their hands (a growing issue this one!).
6. We discovered one of our members, undergoing the discipline process for serious sin, was actually a small group leader in another church (where they weren’t a member!). When I informed their pastor of the situation he wasn’t even aware this person was in attendance at his church, never mind leading a group.

Some churches, desperate for bums on seats, will take almost anybody on board... (@mez1972)…
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The challenge then is for pastors to take some responsibility for the current situation. We need to remind our church members of their responsibility to ensure that we are on the lookout for wolves among the sheep. The problem became even more pressing recently at a meeting of 20schemes church planters. We discovered that a man who was excommunicated from our church had begun attending one of the plants in another scheme. As I write this another of our excommunicated members is attending a different scheme church. The question is, how should the church planters, and we as the excommunicating church react? How should we treat those in question?

How do we handle those who have been excommunicated from one church when they start attending ours?

1. We must ensure that we truly know the sheep Jesus called us to feed. We don’t want to come over all secret police but we do want to know the people sitting in our pews and attending our meetings. Who are they? Where have the come from? How can we serve them? What is their background? What is their previous church experience (if any)? If they were under discipline in their old church, what was it for? If they won’t answer that question truthfully (and the chances are that they won’t) then ask them what about some of the major sin issues they currently struggle with in their life?
2. Take up references from other pastors where appropriate. We do this at Niddrie regardless of denomination or whether we think the church they’ve come from is ‘sound’ or not. We must ask probing questions when doing this. What were they like as church members? Have there been any historical or serious sin issues that we ought to know about? (Small church pastors and church planters are terrible at this). Many a time I’ve had to call a pastor or planter and inform them of the situation of some of my people who’ve left us under a cloud and have joined them in an attempt to run from their sin and responsibilities. Alongside this, many pastors/planters are often too willing to believe bad things about other church leaders from people they hardly know who’ve turned up at their meetings with a sob story about how they’ve been badly treated. This is made even easier if the church they have come from is one with which we disagree theologically.  No-one comes into membership in our church until (1) we have taken up references and are satisfied that there is no serious history we need to be concerned about and (2) they have left their last church well (in other words, they are not on the run).
3. Encourage new attenders to finish well in their old church. In effect, don’t let them sneak out the back door of their old church and skip through the front door of yours. Have they written a letter of resignation to their old congregation stating their reason for leaving and assuring them they are in fellowship in a new, gospel centred church (this is part of the covenant statement for our members)? Be sure they are not leaving unresolved sin behind. Remember, not getting on with other people or not liking the pastor’s sermons are not, in my opinion, biblically sufficient reasons for leaving a congregation and joining another. If they don’t leave their old church well then the chances are they won’t leave yours well either.
4. Encourage reconciliation with their previous church and/or those they have sin issues with.
5. Don’t hand out authority quickly. Let people attend and be welcoming but don’t give them too much authority too soon. This gives them a chance to get to know your church and you a chance to get to see their character. One couple left us after 6 months because the man felt that he was more gifted than most of my elders. That may well have been true, but the fact that he couldn’t sit and humbly receive ministry from them told me what I needed to know about his character defects. Also, his leaving had very little effect on the church than it would have, had I given him a place of authority earlier. One of the problems with scheme churches (and this win poor communities generally) is that they tend to attract theologically knowledgable, but spiritually immature, believers. Small churches (20-60 people) in our communities are easy targets for those looking to show off what they know and exert power and influence.

In our desire to have mature believers, we can confuse knowledge with character... (@mez1972)…
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