Trespassing at Church

Imagine having this woman in your church: 71 years old, a member since 1959. Struggling with knee and hip replacements, she winters in Florida.

According to the Hillsdale (MI) Daily News, however, that same woman, Karolyn Caskey, was handcuffed and escorted from Allen Baptist Church on Sunday, June 17th.

Read the entire News article.

The paper reports that while in Florida, Caskey had received a letter from the church, informing her that “the congregation no longer wanted her to be a member.”

When she returned home to Michigan, she attended her church on Sunday, just as she had for the past 48 years. This Sunday was different. The Daily News gives few details regarding what exactly went on within the church, only that the woman had allegedly “interrupted services” that Sunday and previously. The police arrived and attempted to escort Caskey willingly from the building. She refused, and the officer was forced to handcuff her for trespassing. She was booked and fingerprinted, and released after paying 10% ($62) of her bail.

Without a few more details, it’s difficult to evaluate the situation; still, there are questions that arise from such a story.

Why was her membership suspended? How much effort was put forth to resolve the situation, in terms of discipleship?

With the information provided, this incident does not seem appropriate. Attempts to clear the membership registries should not generally end in trespassing arrests.

Whatever the motivation or reasoning, it is up to us to learn what we can from the situation.

Evaluating the procedures we’re given in Scripture leaves us with quite the box of tools for approaching wayward members. The story doesn’t tell, but I’m curious to hear how those tools were used.

Almost more interesting would be seeing whether or how the relationship between Karolyn and Allen Baptist is restored.

HT: JeriWho

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