The sacking of a pregnant woman
Today I read an article on Straits Times on FCBC needing to sack one of their church staff for having an affair with another staff. The woman was later on sacked and she went on to MOM to complain as the church did not compensate her for sacking her a few months before she delivers.
I don't think I will go in and comment whether the church's sacking of the woman is unjust or not, as I do not attend this church and I shall not overstep my boundary to judge whether Lawrence Khong has done the right thing. But this makes me think of church employment and reflect on the quality of disciples we have today in the church. Disturbing in the article is a seemingly lack of repentance on the part of the woman who, after being assured that she will keep the job if she stops seeing the man and attends counselling, persisted in seeing the man. Worse still, she was undergoing divorce proceeding.
I just wonder how much example should a church staff be setting for the congregation, or if there is any need at all. I am not sure how other churches employ their staff and hence I cannot be certain if the staff even needs to be part of the congregation, thus subjecting himself/herself to the church's moral and spiritual authority. But I will suppose that on the part of the church staff, one thing is clear. All Christians, whether we are full time ministers, church staff, volunteers or not, are commanded to obey the Word of God. This is not negotiable. Hence, we should see ourselves holding a higher standard of morality in the world. After all, what good can a salt be if it loses its saltiness? Ps Jeff preached on Saturday about real world faith and that we should not be chameleons and blend into the world. As such if we demonstrates standards of the world, then what use of we as God's testimonies in the world?
The larger question is therefore a question of how we, as Christians, should carry ourselves and bear the name of Christ in our daily lives. The sacking of the woman may perhaps be a case study on how this question can be answered for each and everyone of us.
I don't think I will go in and comment whether the church's sacking of the woman is unjust or not, as I do not attend this church and I shall not overstep my boundary to judge whether Lawrence Khong has done the right thing. But this makes me think of church employment and reflect on the quality of disciples we have today in the church. Disturbing in the article is a seemingly lack of repentance on the part of the woman who, after being assured that she will keep the job if she stops seeing the man and attends counselling, persisted in seeing the man. Worse still, she was undergoing divorce proceeding.
I just wonder how much example should a church staff be setting for the congregation, or if there is any need at all. I am not sure how other churches employ their staff and hence I cannot be certain if the staff even needs to be part of the congregation, thus subjecting himself/herself to the church's moral and spiritual authority. But I will suppose that on the part of the church staff, one thing is clear. All Christians, whether we are full time ministers, church staff, volunteers or not, are commanded to obey the Word of God. This is not negotiable. Hence, we should see ourselves holding a higher standard of morality in the world. After all, what good can a salt be if it loses its saltiness? Ps Jeff preached on Saturday about real world faith and that we should not be chameleons and blend into the world. As such if we demonstrates standards of the world, then what use of we as God's testimonies in the world?
The larger question is therefore a question of how we, as Christians, should carry ourselves and bear the name of Christ in our daily lives. The sacking of the woman may perhaps be a case study on how this question can be answered for each and everyone of us.
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