Our Case Studies have been described as the most entertaining part of the day. We have a friendly draft of Elders from the delegates. These 3 or 4 Elders are presented with a hypothetical situation that Elders might face. After their first and second impressions, we open it up to the floor for discussion.
A youth workers spends a lot of time with a select few of the youth. Although you haven't seen anything inappropriate, you caution the worker about the problem of appearances. They promise that there is no problem, but that they will make certain that there are always several adults around.
A few months later someone takes you aside after services, and tells you there is a rumor going around about the youth worker and child sexual abuse. They mention a family whose child was allegedly victimized, a family you've not seen in a couple of weeks.
What do you do?
You have several guests who want to become involved in your ministry. They have not yet joined the church, but seem like hot prospects.
What ministry roles are they allowed to fill in your congregation?
Do you differentiate between baptized prospects and non-baptized prospects?
You have a small group within the church that always seems to be negative. No matter what happens, they always take a pessimistic view. No matter what you do or how you do it, it's never good enough for them.
You've left them alone for a long time. But some Elders have come to feel they need to be confronted about their attitude. This is driven partly because of a concern for them as individuals, and partly because you don't want the negativity to spread.
What would you suggest?
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