HANDLING GRIEVANCES WITHIN THE CHURCH FAMILY
The Bible teaches that as a family, united as one body in Christ, we are to make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace cf. Eph 4:3. We have been called into the mystery of the Gospel to make known the manifold wisdom of God that all things will be brought together under one head; Christ. Our fellowship at KCW demonstrates that unity which has brought peace between us and God and peace with one another.
Given that unity is such a crucial distinctive of the body of Christ the NT consistently call us as a fellowship to love one another with costly, generous, humble love cf. Rom 12:10, 1Thess 4:9, I Peter 1:5-7. The Apostle Paul in Ephesians asks his readers to be completely humble and gentle, being patient and bearing with one another in love cf. Eph 4:2. We are the body of Christ, our unity is precious and anything that threatens that unity is condemned e.g. ‘warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them’ cf. Titus 3:10 ‘…rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander…’ cf. Col 3:8. Therefore, each of us has a duty to deal with one another in a manner worthy of the Gospel of unity, and so where we have grievances, we are to speak truth in love and forgive as the Lord has forgiven us cf. Col 3:13.
In Matt 18:15 Jesus prescribes a process for dealing with sin in the church which is helpful for handling grievances.
Should we have a grievance with anyone in the church therefore…
1. Please seek a defined face-to-face meeting (in person or online) to raise your concern. Please do your best to have a clear description of your concern/complaint and any relevant facts/dates/witnesses noted. Please also consider carefully what you think resolution (listening to you cf. Matt 18:16) would mean for you.
Please try to do this as soon as possible so the details are fresh in both sets of people’s minds. It is much harder to answer grievances which go back months/years.
2. If the person addressed does not listen, then arrange another meeting and take one or two other witnesses along with you so that every matter may be established by the testimony of multiple witnesses.
3. If the person involved still will not listen, then please contact the Senior Pastor or an elder and they will seek a meeting with you and one other elder to hear your grievance. If the grievance concerns the Senior Pastor then please contact one of the elders of the church – who will seek a meeting with you and another elder.
In preparation for that meeting please bring with you your clear description of the concern/complaint and any relevant facts/dates/witnesses plus your thoughts on why you feel your concern/complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily.
The Senior Pastor and elder will then meet with you and the other party to discuss the grievance and should a proven grievance not be listened to then the elders of the church will take disciplinary measures. If the grievance is not proven then the elders will seek reconciliation and forgiveness between all parties.
This same procedure would be applicable for any grievance concerning a member of staff or an elder. Our staff team and elders strive to care for individuals and to serve everybody - without discrimination in a way that will please and honour our Lord Jesus. However, we will sometimes make mistakes and we realise that may be painful for those affected. If you have a grievance please follow the procedure already outlined by first meeting with them one-to one, then with other witnesses and then with elders present (who are not implicated in the grievance). Should your proven grievance not be listened to, King’s Church Walton is part of The Co-Mission Churches Trust and you may appeal to them by following the charity’s Complaints Procedure below.
N.B. The procedure outlined above should not be used where there is a safeguarding concern about a staff member, elder or any other member of the fellowship. In such instances concerns should be reported in accordance with the Co-Mission Churches Trust Safeguarding policy. If there is uncertainty whether something constitutes a safeguarding concern, please contact Simon Martin in the first instance. If Simon is implicated, please contact an appropriate elder of the church.
All grievances concerning staff and/or elders will be:
· Listened to fairly with a view to discerning truth and where necessary need for repentance and/or ministry review.
· Provided with guidance on positive next steps towards restoration and forgiveness.
· Heard in the context of as much relevant information as possible: facts/dates/witnesses.
Contacts
· Simon Martin – Senior Pastor and Elder – simon@kingschurchwalton.co.uk
· Chris Gunter – Senior Elder – chris@gunter.family
· Jurgen Wellinger – Elder – jurgen.wellinger@gmail.com
VIEW THE CMCT COMPLAINTS POLICY