I heard it again a couple of days ago while discussing ministry; “sometimes it is easier to get forgiveness than to get permission. Do what you’ve got to do.” People in the audience seemed to nod in approval, perhaps endorsing the idea. Usually spoken in frustration, it was said partially in jest and partially in earnest.

Like drinking out of the “cold water bottle” in the refrigerator, there is an inherent “back wash.” Help me unclothed the naked truth of this choice.

1. When we practice “forgiveness instead of permission” some church members and officers, similar to sleeping terrorist cells, wait in ambush of your next great idea. We are dealing with cognisant, conscious, thinking people who do not forget such “in your face” tactics.

“Yes, but we did what we thought was best,” you might argue! “True, but our enemies gained influence. Even supportive church members are hand-cuffed by our antics. We experience punitive action in the future… just like a parent when an immature teenager tries this at home. Soon I hear people say, “It just seems like nobody in this church cares about ministry to the youth.”

2. Think of it as a bank account that contains credibility instead of dollars. When we pull these “fast ones” we loose huge amounts of credibility with the youth, the parents, grand parents, community… everyone.  

The man said, “So you’re a preacher? Pimps, preachers and politicians are all cut from the same piece of cloth.” Of course, I was offended! Then last night, after watching a religious broadcast on TV before going to bed, I saw an hour long appeal for money where the evangelist stated that God had told him to ask for a thousand dollars from a thousand people. He could guarantee them God would give it back to them many times over within thirty days! Hum… thinking back on the guy who called us “pimps, preachers and politicians” I realized he had been dealt with in a manner that forged this opinion in his heart.

In the church no one may ever contend with us face to face. They will just silently undermine the things we try to do. So we will never have the chance to explain our reasoning or even defend the decision. It will be silent retribution for decades.

3. Jesus did not utilize this method of change because He knew it would be catastrophic in the long run. When arrested He stated that “daily He was with them in the synagogue and speaking openly among them.” “Forgiveness instead of permission” is a shortcut in the process of change which entrenches the DNA (values) of the established church to remain the same. Open and full disclosure allows the church community to transition with the times when a thorough and thoughtful vision for change is articulated, contemplated, motivated, voted and then implemented.

4. Youth will look, listen and learn. They will try to mimic this modus operandi with their parents, some day their spouses, their boss and even with the church of the future. It is only appreciated when we are on the giving end, never when we are on the receiving end of a strategy.

Please don’t use the “forgiveness verses permission” strategy. If we are to the place where the end justifies the means, then Holy Spirit has not been able to deliver His promises and we truly are our own worst enemy.