Troubling question ... where do I post it?

[EvanEssence]

This is my first post here. I need answers and anonymity. I think someone is scamming my church into funding a ministry. Which forum should I use?

 

[DesertJoe]

Evan, I do not know if either one of these will help.but Dave Ramsey talks from time to time about financial scams dealing with churches,& you might try contacting his organization,starting at daveramsey.com.There is also an organization called ecfa, The evangelical council on financial accountability,who may be able to give you a heads up.there site loads slow,but you can find them at ecfa.org

 

[EvanEssence]

Thanks. I checked those sites. I don't know what I should do personally. This guy is a recent member of our church with a shady past, and I know that he has lied to us from the beginning. He has run two money scams that I know of in the past couple years, even one while a church member.

He has a mission committee that guides him in his "street ministry" in a nearby big city, which he does of his own volition, but he wants the church to fund him even though he's perfectly capable of working. He's just lazy. He's a street-wise con man who is almost like Elmer Gantry (in the Hollywood film). He's an I-know-he's-lying-because-his-lips-are-moving kind of guy.

Our church is conservative, straight-laced, and wealthy, and I worry that he's pulling the wool over their eyes. He's an inexperienced Christian, who asks very basic questions. But then he's quick to learn Christianese and then pump it out and sound very legitimate.

My situation is, do I: 1) Confront him (but he may simply lie or worm his way out of it), 2) Go to his mission committee (but that would be rather inflammatory), 3) Trust the Spirit to inform his committee.

Option 3 seems logical, but I'm not sure about trusting that this will happen. So, this is as much a faith issue for me as anything else. I suppose that, if they make a move to fund him, I could step in before it's finalized.

 

[TheBibleDude]

It's hard for me to provide a true assessment of the situation, but my gut tells me to think about what the Scriptures say when you have something against a brother... go to him. Then if he doesn't listen, bring another witness, etc.

#3 sounds logical, but it is the least confrontational, and confrontation is difficult. Jesus confronted problems that He saw in the church regularly, and wasn't afraid to call people out...

But it's easy for me to say this while sitting on the outside. Hope this helps though...