Can anyone tell me what you would do?

That's because I did not say they were dictators. I gave a mild perjorative about their statements being dictatorial in nature. Not the same thing at all. The dictator type pastor that I then made reference to was ficticious in order to illustrate my point. I thought we were being hypothetical.

 

No, not at all...well...maybe some of you a little bit. What I mean is that there seemed to be noticeable amount of, "I'd get rid of them no account deacons!!!" attitude. Even when there was no hint about the subject matter of the meeting.
</font>[/QUOTE]</font>[/QUOTE]Notice my use of the words, "maybe", and "some", and "a little bit". I was by no means making a blanket indictment of the pastors on this board.

 

True statement. I couldn't agree more. I have never said otherwise.

a pastor telling the deacons that they can't have a closed door meeting where they will discuss the truth about him is dictatorial</font>[/QUOTE]So, now they are the judge and jury of what the truth is without even confronting him and asking what his side of the story is? This is sounding more and more like gossip to me. They don't know the truth untill they ask him about it. There may be more to this story than what the one disgruntled Church member is telling. This is why they should never discuss negative comments about the pastor behind his back. This is gossip.

Apparently, you don't believe what the Bible says about elder discipline? [/QUOTE]It isn't that I do not believe in "elder discipline", it is that I am unfamiliar with the concept. I would be very interested if you would show me where the Bible talks about the pastor being able to exercise discipline at his discretion. I am familiar with church discipline[/QB][/QUOTE]

Daniel David explained earlier in thread about what the Bible says about disciplining an elder. Go back and read it. Interestingly, enough, it looks nothing like what you are suggesting the deacons should do. As a matter of facts, it says the exact opposite.

Apparently the definition of gossip is the main point of contention here.

Gossip refers to both the act of spreading news, especially rumours or private information, or the news spread through the act of gossiping. While this is one of the oldest and (still) the most common means of spreading and sharing information, it is also notorious for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information thus transmitted. The term also carries implications that the news so transmitted is of, usually, a personal and/or trivial nature. Or...

One who runs from house to house, tattling and telling news; an idle tattler. [This is the sense in which the word is now used.] To run about and tattle; to tell idle tales. Or...

gossip:
talk about other people's private lives
Have you heard the latest gossip (= what is being said about someone)?
A gossip is also someone who enjoys talking about other people's private lives: Charlie is a real gossip.

The main point here is that gossips are people who are talking about things that are none of their business [/QUOTE]

If you are bad mouthing the pastor behind his back, without hearing the pastor's side of the story, is, in my book, gossip. It is wrong and there is no scripture that would endorse doing this. There is scripture that tells us to do the exact opposite. I'll stick with scripture. You do whatever you want.

Joseph Botwinick