Addressing Particular Moral Failures Inside CC

There is a discussion going on in the Phoenix Crashing site about how particular moral failures in Calvary Chapels should be handled. There are a number of opinions being posted on the comments section. Since I have been moderated out from participating there (no surprise), I will comment here.

Who's Business is it?
If it is public teaching, that's one thing, but moral failure, is another. I think we are responsible to comment on public teachings, but if there is a moral failure in a particular Calvary Chapel is it my business to comment? I am not an eyewitness of course, so I have no direct commentary of any value anyway.

Is there a value in warning people about predators? That would seem to be the right thing to do.

Unfortunately all of the discussion in the group which centers around various texts on discipline in the church just don't work within Calvary Chapel. There are no effective independent elders to investigate and judge issues. There is no overarching ministerial body which can be appealed to for help. In short, there's no way to address them in Calvary Chapel. That's why the discussions have gone outside the organization.

Do the verses even apply?
The reason the verses do not apply is that Calvary Chapel is not a church. It is a personality cult built around the leader, Chuck Smith. The local CCs are modeled on the same principles as the mothership. The Senior Pastor is at the top of the chain and there is no way to correct him. This demonstrates the cultic nature of the organization and why the verses about how church discipline should be handled are simply not asking the right question.

The problem is first theological and ecclesiological, not ethical. "Is Calvary Chapel a church?" is a prior question. For the verses about churches to apply to Calvary Chapel it would have to be a church. It's really just a glorified Bible Study or at best a mission. The fact is has no church discipline simply demonstrates the point that it's not a church.

"But my XYZ Calvary Chapel is a 'good' Calvary"
At this time I can hear the objector raising the point above. I ask "How do you know if your local CC has church discipline or not?" Without reading the constitution of the organization and the controlling documents you don't know whether it's there in structure and without really knowing the culture inside the leadership of the church you don't know if it's there in practice. A local CC can even look like it's not a cult on paper (there are a couple of them out there) but without really knowing the inside culture you just don't know.

How do I figure it out?
Start by asking for a copy of the church constitution, articles of incorporation and other documents of that nature. Tell them they can PDF them and send you them in a email. Check them out. Does the Senior Pastor get a free pass if there is moral failure or is he held accountable by a truly independent board?

If they don't have it right run for the door. If they do, talk with staff in "honest" moments. Don't expect honest answers since the staff have a culture of covering up for the Senior Pastor which is long established and well documented in CC literature.

Best to just stay away from Calvary Chapels.