Dispute Resolution Within the Church

Eddie Lee Long (b. 1953, North Carolina) is the senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia (USA).  Under his leadership since 1987, the church has grown from  a membership of 300 to 25,000.

Pastor Long has had civil (not criminal) lawsuits filed against him by several young men alleging that he used his influence as their pastor to seduce them into sexual relationships.  Whether or not the allegations are true, (and Pastor Long has not said "I didn't do it." but instead said "I am not that man,"); whether or not the men are colluding together to tap into Pastor Long's million$; none of this is proper.  Listen to what Paul had to say about taking a Christian brother to court before unbelievers.

“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?  If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.  I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?  But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.   Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather [suffer yourselves to] be defrauded?  Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that [your] brethren.  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. “ 1 Corinthians 6: 1-11

Jesus himself told us how to go about the dispute resolution:

"If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them."  Matthew 18:15-20