Experiment Conclusion: Failure

"The problem with any unwritten law is that you don't know where to go to erase it" (Glaser and Way).

The problem with unwritten promises is that there is no way to claim them.

It has now been more than three years since the illegitimate vote with which the Takoma Park Seventh-day Adventist Church inaugurated an altered governance structure not in harmony with the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual. At the time this change was proposed Takoma Park was promised by a representative of the Potomac Conference that the change could be reconsidered after three years. That time has fully elapsed. Calls to allow this reconsideration have gone unheeded.

What lesson can we draw from this? It's more of a warning to others than a lesson for ourselves, but the thought we come away with is to never accept verbal promises from people pushing agendas. If your church leaders are making promises about the conditional and reversable nature of changes they are trying to get you to accept, get them in writing or don't believe them. (Chances are they would baulk at such a request, but then you know for sure that they have no intention of honoring their promises.) It will be far too easy once they have what they want for them to pretend that the promises you trusted in were never made.

This principle goes even further. Documentation is invaluable when experiencing a dispute with church leaders - collect as much of it as possible. If their intentions aren't honorable those you are disputing with will try to prevent your efforts at documentation, usually with a line about unity or keeping the matter as quiet as possible for the good of the parties concerned. Do it anyway. It is the only tool you have by which to hold their feet to the fire, make an appeal to a higher authority, and/or prove your innocence should they start launching dirty counterattacks.

May our pain in this respect be your gain.