Christians not in “good standing” need not apply – Bishop Charles
Bishop Charles was at the time responding to a question by Karia J Christopher, hostess of the TV programme Real Talk about how he dealt with internal rivalry and the transfer of members to and from his congregation. The programme was aired on CBN Channel 51 on December 27, 2012 as part of a series of the "10 most fascinating personalities in the BVI for 2012".
“I do not like to take delinquent members from other churches,” said Bishop Charles, “because they are coming with a lot of baggage.”
The head of the New Testament International Worship Centre added that he employed something called ‘Ministerial Ethics’, wherein a member migrating from another church would be required to get ‘something’ from their previous pastor.
This ‘something’, he explained, was a reference that related that the member was transferring from one pastor to another as a Christian. This reference however, did not apply to persons who got ‘saved’ and joined the church.
The reference he requested, Bishop Charles explained, needed to say that the member of the church was “in good standing”.
Bishop Charles continued, “what is happening in some churches in the BVI… people are leaving churches, go to other churches, and we have Ministers who would not even ask the other Minister ‘why is this person coming to this church?’ and sometimes they do wrong in this church and they’ve gone to another church… and they have not made things right with the church that they came from.”
“You can’t keep everybody,” he said, “no matter what you do, you’re not going to have everybody. I’m not called to pastor the whole BVI.”
There are three types of growth in churches Bishop Charles explained; biological growth – persons who are born in the church; transferral growth – persons moving from one church to another; and conversion growth.
Bishop Charles told the hostess that the nature of the Virgin Islands, due to its high expatriate population, “brings a different twist to church world”.
One of the things that the Evangelical churches in the Virgin Islands are prospering from, he related, was when persons left their home country to come to the Territory to work, “Those persons come here as Christian believers and they make a choice to go to a church, so we grow from transferral growth.”
77 Responses to “Christians not in “good standing” need not apply – Bishop Charles ”
Hear the kind of bull$h1t this early Sunday morning?? I thought we were all created equally in the eyes of the lord now we have conditions when it comes to attending Church? I hope the congregation read this and see what's going on. A set of numbskulls brainwashed over and over. Now listen to this man? LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO! WoW, I don't see how people can waste their time and money with these snake oil sales men. People should be able to attend any place of worship that they want. This is the Lodge now? What membership?
Dell
Stop telling me bull$...t please. When the Pastors want people money they welcome ALL and tell them each person is created equally and that ALL persons are sinners that will be forgiven by God. What, the dynamics change now? There's a new Y2K Bible that I'm not aware of? Do tell! Sadly, this is what many Pastors and church goers feel, they think it's an elite club that only the 'blessed' shall be a part of. They say thou shall not judge, so what 'deliquency' are you talking about? Isn't that the reason we go to Church to 'worship'? Because if we were perfect why would we need to confess, pray for forgiveness for ourselves and others? GTFOH with your nonsense, I'm not buying it. It's wrong wrong wrong! It probably slipped out and not in the way he meant it but I got him loud and clear. This is how many of them behave. IT's either the Church is opened to ALL sinners or they need to issue membership cards, they can't have it both ways sorry.
pastor: welcome my son
@bigger picture, you need to look at the bigger picture and watch the show. Stupid of you and everyone else to make comments about a show you obviously did not see. For if you did you would not be making such dumb comments. Rather than making a judgement out of a few lines cut from a show,watch the entire show and stop being a royal a$$.
people listen to the program for yourselves and take the man's words in context. stop stirring controversy > the media needs to take ethics classes
grow some horn dude!
"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:1-2). In response to this charge, Jesus gave the three parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (the prodigal son) to show how the loving God searches for and seeks the ones who are lost.
They call u Bishop..., I see you as just another average man. I have assessed you unknown to you and you are not God. When I kneel down to pray In front of my white candle, I don't need to offer to the lord a permission slip before I enter into the holy union of pray between me and The Lord, and my prays do get answered. I don't walk around Tortola believing because I am apart of your church or New life that I am spiritually better than anyone else. I am very humble and spiritually grounded, and by looking at me you will never know it, because I don't walk around with him religious/spiritual beliefs on my sleeves, I don't force my religion or religious beliefs on anyone, why, people will get there calling to The Lord in in there own timing, that is not for me to decide. May God be with you, " these things I have spoken you you, that in me he shall find peace", this is what you should be striving for in 2013
He is not teaching Christs principles.
Jesus not only Welcomed the sinner, He went to their places..
This is why I will Never be a Christian..
I will Forever be a Child of God.
Last time I checked, Jesus Welcomed Everyone to his Sermons.
I may not have the Whole story , however that statement is Not Godlike wether taken out of context or not.
This only makes sense in the context where someone is going to look for a job in the church...for example as a bus driver...they may have left one church because there were allegations of them harassing the young women then...then and only then should a reference from the previous church be sought...just like any other place of employment.
But to go there as a regular member? If he recognises there are different types of growth, he must be able to implement sensible measures to ensure growth in each area. So if someone is trying to transfer membership to his church, then they should have some classes set aside, like a bible study, for transferees. I'm sure there are enough ministers in that church who can assist in the job.
So in conclusion, this seems to be an utter nonsense! Try again...(laughing)
IS IT NOT THE GOD THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THAT SENDS THESE DELINQUENTS YOUR WAY? IS IT NOT YOUR GOD THAT YOU BELIEVE IN THAT WILL NOT GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE? Lol now we have arrived to Religious Segregation. Immature religious sentiments DISINTEGRATES one's personality while MATURE religious sentiments INTEGRATES it and I am not finding this guys religious sentiments based on his comments to be MATURE. Men of sound judgement will ALWAYS be sure that a sense of divinity which can NEVER be effaced is engraved upon men's minds which nature itself permits NO ONE to forget! While I am sure this man may mean well, he is not ready to teach or preach the Word of God because he has limited the type of crowd that may NEED HIS HELP MOST!!!!! I'm a 24 year old that used to have the same mind of a delinquent AND I don't go to Church but my relationship with the almighty is TIGHT because my words are REAL through mind, body AND SPIRIT. So Mr. Charles, you've made your bed with those words, now lay in it and pray that you find it in yourself to take on the challenge of the delinquents because every man, woman and child was a so called delinquent in their day!
of your members being delivered from demon by a visting pastor!!!!!!!!!!! oh i think you should have been a part of it clown