Brother Ken

Church in a small, rural community is never without its adventures. Two weeks ago (on a Sunday morning) was one such adventure. A gentleman, by the name of Brother Ken, called one of our elders the previous evening about possibly receiving a ride from the local Motel 6 to our church for the Sunday service. The request was not unreasonable, so we made arrangements to have Brother Ken picked up and brought to the church. Caught in the preparations for the morning, I did not have an opportunity to visit with him at length before the service began. I did manage to introduce myself, at which time he requested to visit with me for a few minutes after the service. And, of course, I was more than willing to make myself available to him.

The service went its normal length, and afterwards I was active connecting with various members and visitors. I progressively made my way to Brother Ken, who was waiting patiently for his chance to talk with me. I approached him and extended a listening ear to whatever may be on his mind. He then proceeded to inform me (and not ask) that we were going to give him a place to stay for two to three nights; he preferred staying with a family rather than in a motel/hotel. He continued to reveal that he has a ministry in which he travels the “highways and byways” of Texas in order to share the gospel and to “confront” churches on how they receive outsiders. As soon as he used the word “confront,” I knew things were going to be dicey.

After hearing him out, I told Brother Ken that we were more than willing to help in whatever way we can, but that we have a procedure in place for these kinds of situations. We request that someone needing assistance fill out some forms that ask about their background, financial circumstances, etc. We then sit down with them and have an informal interview to more accurately assess the nature of their need. Brother Ken immediately was offended that we were treating or viewing him as a “needy person.” He was a brother in Christ who was entitled to our hospitality – no questions asked. In fact, from his perspective, he had a biblical right to privacy, and our procedure to gain more information was unbiblical (he would not even give us his last name). I informed him that as overseers/elders of our congregation, we are charged with the responsibility to protect and shepherd those within our church, to make wise decisions concerning the affairs of our congregation (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, 1 Peter 5:1-3). Our process ensures that we are using our resources with accountability and stewardship, and that we are not putting families in danger of manipulation or fraud. If he was unable to submit to the authority of the elders and the procedure they put into place, then we were unable to help him.

This sent Brother Ken through the roof. He first turned directly away from me and walk straight up to another gentleman in our congregation. He then proceeded to ask that gentleman (our friend Leroy) about staying in his home for the two to three days. I was shocked that he had turned away from me and approached Leroy – an act of pure defiance to what I was communicating. I walk over to him and immediately interrupted his conversation with Leroy. This was not how things were going to transpire. He became even more heated and informed me that I was an instrument and voice of Satan, and that he wanted to have nothing to do with a church like ours. We had to escort him out of the church building. He simmered down once outside and requested a ride back to the interstate; I had one of my rough cowboys give him a lift.