Matthew 18:15-20
Proper 18 / Year A
When
the preacher took to the pulpit everyone in the congregation noticed the huge Band-Aid
on his chin. As the sermon dragged on
and on and on, minds began to stray and most wondered how the preacher had
injured himself. After the service he
was bombarded by everyone with the same question: What did you do to your chin? He patiently answered each person. “While I was shaving I was thinking intently
about my sermon and, not paying attention to what I was doing, I accidently cut
myself.” Without missing a beat, one of
the church’s longtime members responded, “Next time, focus on shaving and cut
the sermon!”
I
don’t know how much you keep up with news about the Episcopal Church. For those who do, you know this has been an
interesting couple of weeks. On August
30, Julia Ayala Harris, the President of the House of Deputies (elected lay and
clergy leaders from every diocese in our church), announced in a letter to the members
of this body that a retired bishop had made “unwanted and non-consensual
physical contact” with her followed by “inappropriate verbal comments”
immediately after her election to her office.
Ayala
Harris found the actions so egregious she filed a formal complaint under the
process outlined by our national disciplinary canons. She said nothing publicly about this while
the investigation was on-going, which went on for over a year. Even though the event was witnessed by three
other people who corroborated her account, a church attorney determined the
incident merited only a “pastoral response”, rather than a more severe form of
punishment. This is when the president
chose to go public with her experience.
She did not name the bishop responsible for these offenses, but
subsequent reports revealed him to be her former bishop from the Diocese of
Oklahoma.
This
incident follows on the heels of two other accusations against bishops in our
church. One bishop has been accused by
his adult children of being physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive
toward them and his ex-wife. Another
bishop has been accused of “a pattern and practice” of discrimination against
LGBTQ clergy and their supporters.
On
August 31, a group of over fifty bishops signed a letter indicating they are
aware of all three allegations and are deeply concerned about the perception
bishops accused of misconduct get a “free pass.” Bishop Susan did not sign this letter because
she serves on the Disciplinary Panel which oversees this process and thus is
not able to comment publicly on matters which might fall to them. As I understand it, she would not be involved
in any of these cases until they reached the point of a church trial.
From
this morning’s gospel reading we learn there has always been conflict in the
church – always. Jesus experienced it within
his own small band of followers. Paul dealt
with it in several of the churches he founded, especially the church in
Corinth. The process Jesus lays out for
dealing with conflict is rooted in the belief our relationships in Christ
matter. Every effort must be made to
nurture and protect them, and, when damaged, to heal and restore them.
It
also speaks to the need to safeguard the health and well-being of the community
as a whole. If one person’s actions or
behavior is disruptive or detrimental to the common life of a congregation, it
cannot be ignored or swept under a rug.
Fortunately, most congregations have a healthy culture which allows for
things to get worked out in a fairly natural way. But, there are times when a more direct,
aggressive approach is necessary.
Sometimes this will resolve the issue.
Sometimes it won’t. The stronger
the relationship – what Jesus refers to as “binding” – the more likely a
positive outcome will be.
The
person most likely to be most disruptive in a faith community is the ordained
leader. We clergy can cause all manner
of mischief! A few years ago, the
Episcopal Church changed its canons around clergy discipline – what is referred
to a Title IV. The old canons were based
on the model of a military court marshal and allowed little room for
flexibility or discernment. The current
model is more pastoral in nature, provides care for the accuser and the
accused, and seeks healing and restoration whenever possible. Is it perfect? No.
But it is better than what we had before and seems more adaptable to
necessary change. If you would like to
know more about this, talk with John Rector.
He has been elected by our Diocesan Council to serve on our Disciplinary
Board. As such, he has undergone
extensive training in the Tile IV process.
In
her letter to the deputies, Julia Ayala Harris wrote, “My motivation for
sharing this story stems from a deep love for our church. It is from this place of profound care and
concern that I raise important questions about safety and security.” I applaud her courage and pray her actions
will lead to deeper awareness and reform.
