Resource for Pastors' Wives

[HappyChristian]

I've hesitated to put this in writing, but it's been on my heart so here goes...

The Bible tells us "Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease." Prov. 22:10

Honestly, I am wondering if serious consideration ought be given to church discipline with the end view of putting out from membership if the strife does not stop (and from all that you've both been saying, the strife doesn't look to be stopping but rather growing).

This situation does not sound, to me, as a woman against woman issue (and, believe me - a woman would know...). It sounds to me like a situation in which a troubled-and-trouble-making woman has gained the upper hand. Your sympathies are in play, Mike, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. But what is it doing to the church? And to your wife? Both the church AND your wife are more important than one couple who is in the seat of the scornful (which appears to be where they sit right now).

Part of being in the ministry is sacrifice. But that sacrifice has to be tempered. We cannot sacrifice the whole for the part. When someone who is determined to be contentious is allowed to have sway (and when decisions are made in the contentious one's favor, or excuses made out of sympathy to the contentious one, that one is holding sway), chaos reigns because contention brings chaos. And confusion. But God is not the author of confusion, so allowing it to go on is wrong.

So, again, I'm wondering if serious consideration ought to be given to church discipline. For the health of the church and the health of your marriage.

(please don't be offended or think that I am condemning anyone...)

I could be wrong - it has happened before - but I am skeptical of sympathy softening a scorner.