Should Churches Forgive Child Molesters And Let Them Join?

Churches claim that 'All Are Welcome' in their congregation and The Bible says we are to forgive others... so how does this apply to sex-offenders?

Recently a 53 year old man joined a church told his fellow members that he had been to prison for molesting children earlier in his life. Now, he was looking for a church to join and he liked their church. The news sent the congregation into a deep discussion about how they really felt about forgiveness and this man's crimes. Do they forgive the man for his crimes and allow him to worship at their church even though they could potentially risk their children's safety? Or could this man truly accept God in his life and change and no longer be a danger? The problem is not uncommon and several churches across the country are also dealing with the same dilemma and church leaders are reaching out for advice on how to deal with the problem. The Rev. Debra W. Haffner, director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing in Norwalk, Conn., has received several questions concerning the matter and says that having a church policy on the issue is the best route.

“They are conflicting ministries,” the Rev. Patricia Tummino said about reaching out to sex offenders, to children and to adult survivors of abuse. Since the late 1990s, Ms. Tummino’s congregation, the First Unitarian Universalist Society in Middleboro, Mass., has dealt with two known sex offenders. “You can’t be all things to all people,” she said.

It appears that church goers in most cases are split and if the church instates rules that say they will allow sex-offenders some families do leave the church, but at the same time, other families join the church, impressed by their willingness to truly forgive anyone. It's a tough one to make a call on. I couldn't tell you how I'd react to this one, but if I knew sex offenders were allowed at my church and I had kids... I'd keep them close at hand at all times.