The Modern Epic, Pt. 4

Despite our profound wish that the subject of Alan DeSilva being involved in the governance issues of the Takoma Park Church would have been concluded with the previous chapter of the Modern Epic, it appears that he may continue to figure in this story for a while yet. This chapter certainly revolves around issues of his instigation.

On Sabbath, October 26, 2013, Pastor Patterson called an emergency meeting of church officers to take place immediately after the church service. At this meeting he announced that DeSilva had asked to speak to the church in order to make an apology, and he wanted these church leaders’ reactions to the proposal. The response he got was lukewarm, at best, but this didn’t deter him. Pastor Patterson set up a meeting between DeSilva and the church board for the evening of November 7, 2013.

It should be noted at this point that such a meeting is strictly against the directives of the Church Manual, “Members under censure have no right to participate by voice or by vote in the affairs of the church or lead church activities, such as teaching a Sabbath school class” (p.63). No voice or vote means zero participation in any church meeting (other than simple attendance of Sabbath School and other worship services). Pastor Patterson attempted to get around this by declaring that this was not to be an “official” meeting, but we do not see how it could justly be called anything else; it was a meeting called by the pastor, to occur in the church facility, and admission to the meeting was determined by election to church office. As the saying goes, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.

The Church Manual doesn’t give reasons for denying voice and vote to members under censure, but those reasons are not difficult to surmise. First, it is logical that a member who was under censure for some sin would have their judgment clouded by that sin, which would make their opinions or advice undesirable to consider in church meetings. Second, even if that person were still capable of giving sound counsel, allowing them to address the church would give the appearance that the church condoned their behavior. Third, a forced silence would compel the member in question to withdraw from the public life of the church and instead engage in introspection regarding their own condition and the behavior. But all of this goes out the window if the restriction against voice and vote is ignored.

Pastor Patterson argued that it was necessary to allow DeSilva this opportunity to repent and be reconciled. However, in making this argument he ignores two crucial facts: 1) DeSilva had an opportunity to say any and everything he wanted to say to the congregation during the disciplinary business meeting, and 2) there would be nothing stopping DeSilva from speaking his piece individually to any member of the congregation he wished to address or even inviting whomever he wished to some private event of his own arranging so as to speak to them all at once. There is absolutely no need nor justification for the course Pastor Patterson has chosen.

At a regularly scheduled board meeting on November 3, 2013 (which Pastor Patterson didn’t attend) Pastors Warfield and Taylor responded to the agitation of the board members by claiming that they had had nothing to do with setting up the meeting for DeSilva. That assertion, while illuminating as to whose idea this was, did nothing to address the wild inappropriateness of the meeting or its probable effect on the congregation as a whole. In fact, as word of the impending meeting had spread through the congregation it had caused a fair amount of anger and a feeling of betrayal that the man who had caused so much pain would be allowed to waltz back in and address the leadership as if nothing had happened. This being generally known by the board members there was some concern that individuals not on the board might attempt to crash the meeting. In response to this, Pastor Warfield suggested posting deacons at the door to ensure that only board members would be allowed in.

The meeting was called off at the last minute—on the morning of the seventh—via an email in which Pastor Patterson announced that DeSilva was in Georgia and would not be able to make it, and that he wasn’t sure whether DeSilva would want to try again another time. That being the explanation given, it is unclear whether the matter is truly dead or merely postponed. What is clear is that Pastor Patterson has chosen to prioritize what he sees as being good for a single individual over what would be good for the rest of the congregation, and even over the reputation of the church at large.