Accusations Against Our Church Members

There are people in our church who come to house church meetings but not to Sunday worship services. Some do so because they don’t want to face certain church members. They claim that our church members cheated them in business dealings or that they didn’t return money they had borrowed or other things like these. When I heard these kinds of accusations I was saddened. When the accused were our shepherds or deacons, I got angry.

But I no longer get upset when I hear similar accusations against our members or leaders because I have learned from my experience that it is often not the accused but the accusers who are in the wrong.

There are irrational people who accuse everybody except themselves. It’s a problem for all people, not just Korean-Americans, but some Korean-Americans do act irrationally. A Korean-American real estate broker once said to me, “I avoid dealing with Koreans because some of them are so unreasonable. They haggle too much over prices, demand that I submit false financial reports to get approval for bank loans, or accuse me of intentionally selling failing businesses when the going gets tough.”

As a fellow Korean-American I felt ashamed but could not disagree because what he said was partially true. These are the kind of people who usually accuse our church members and leaders.

So I would like to encourage our church members to not pay too much attention when accusations are lodged against our fellow members and leaders. It’s OK to hear out the accusation to help the other person vent his frustration, but do not share this with others. If the accusations seem true, contact the accused and hear his side of story. Always remember that it is often the accuser, not the accused, who is in the wrong. Make sure that you have the whole truth before you tell others about it.

I know that our church members and leaders can make mistakes. I know that they are not perfect and can be wrong. But they are the people who strive to be like Jesus. When I hear accusations against them I go with the assumption that they are in the right, unless demonstrably proven otherwise.