I’m sure this topic has been beaten to death here at least several times. I’m starting this thread only because I sincerely do not understand the cog policy on divorce and remarriage. I mean, I thought I did, but I’m not sure I really do.For instance, we all know ministers who are divorced/remarried and still retain their credentials. We also know ministers who are divorced/remarried who had to surrender their credentials. One can only assume the reasons for the divorce weigh heavily on the decision as to who keeps their credentials and who does not.Of course, we can say everything is a “case by case†basis, but is it really that way? I’ve read comments on here about ministers having multiple divorces and remarriages who still kept their credentials. Is that actually possible?Can someone please explain the official cog position on divorce/remarriage, and the issue of multiple divorces? Thanks________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
Just in case, it’s better to kill your spouse…
Re: Just in case, it’s better to kill your spouse…
That’s what I tell young brides in the premarital counseling sessions. Less stress than a divorce, no hang around issues, and a fresh start after a little prison and probation time. Now the mama of the groom doesn’t think that appropriate, but you got the groom looking over his back and behaving.
00110101
He could have been born again between #4 and #5. And again and again and again and again. 00110101
Re: 00110101
Uh, no, just the once. She said she couldn’t understand how that could be. That’s one way — he could have been a sinner in four marriages, and then saved by God’s grace following his fourth divorce. Oh, I see, marriage is a temporary relationship until you get saved. The disciples were so wrong when they said it was best not to marry. But for the sake of understanding, what if he had said he was a Christian in one (or more) of the first four marriages? What did Wesley say, Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can, and marry all you can? Or something like that.
Does this lady minister have cog credentials or in the process of acquiring them________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
Fair enough, the question may be, is she qualified to be a pastor, considering her choice of husband?I am not questioning her relationship with Christ, or her call to ministry for that matter, but for the office of pastor does who you’re married to matter?
Does this lady minister have cog credentials or in the process of acquiring them?
I don’t know anything about what ranks highest in terms of what the cog considers to be the most important. I do think however that there is enormous emphasis placed on divorce and remarriage, while other things seem to take a back seat. I’m just trying to understand the policy and if the policy is applied fairly to all________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
I don’t know anything about what ranks highest in terms of what the cog considers to be the most important. I do think however that there is enormous emphasis placed on divorce and remarriage, while other things seem to take a back seat. I’m just trying to understand the policy and if the policy is applied fairly to all. The policy is not applied fairly. It all boils down to who you know. What I am about to say is commentary on the COG not a Condemnation of Marcus lamb. I remember when Marcus lamb confessed to his moral failures. I thought to myself man if he was a pastor he would have lost everything especially when it was a staff member. I asked myself did he even go though COG restoration? Was there a time off taken. We didn’t hear a thing until there was an appearance on good morning America . Which begs the question is the cog being quiet about moral failures of high profile people. I love the lamb family and I feel the cog standards are too shall I say inconsistent and harsh. Some get a pop on the wrist others get ran over by the overseer driving the moving truck.
Status of Marriage and Background checks go hand in hand when evaluating a persons qualifications to be a pastor. Both pastor and spouse (husband/wife or wife/husband) should have background checks. As to the number of divorces, beyond your interpretation of scripture as to who should and should not pastor, divorces involve sexual history of that individual. Multiple divorces can point to someone with bad judgement when it comes to relationships, or a sexual issues that has been covered up by legal marriage and divorce.I have seen both over the years – the wife of a pastor has sex with a teenage boy (her daughters boyfriend); and the husband of a woman pastor has sex with a teenage girl who was like part of the family. Both teens were from the congregations.You have got to drill-down beyond the well, they got saved excuse when it comes to sexual issues and you cannot overlook five divorces (I’m guessing he had sex with all five women).
It’s starting to sound like while there may well be an official policy, it is applied differently in each situation. I get that, I think. Someone may have had 3 divorces and be well connected,thus he or she gets the pop on the wrist. Someone else with no connections and 2 divorces gets the boot. What prompted me to start this thread was the following situation.I know a former minister(apparently not well connected) who’s first wife committed adultery. He married again and second wife abandoned the home and took up with many men. There was a third marriage that has been going strong for well over 20 years. He’s been told he has zero chance of ever being reinstated, even though the two divorces were for acts normally considered as allowable. Of course,he feels like he has been abandoned by the organization and has really struggled with this.Maybe that’s why some organizations don’t allow any divorced ministers. They eliminate the need for having to decide how many is too many________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
He was held back by one of those unwritten rules that the COG is famous for. I’ve heard, several times, If you have 3 marriages, you can’t get credentialed in the COG, no matter what________________
This just isn’t funny anymore, Aaron________________More of Him…less of me.twitter.com/camiracle77www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691241499&ref=name