Sex Offenders Test Churches’ Core Beliefs - New York Times It is always interesting when a church is really challenged by the world in stories like this. When former sex offenders come into a church openly seeking a place of worship, how will the church respond? Personally, I think this is an example of the need for some sort of mentor program in the church. Whether or not you advertise it as mentoring, every church need some sort of system that creates relationships for people of the same sex to hang out and grow spiritually together. That way, if a sex offender does come into a church, it is not awkward when a group of men (or women depending on the sex of the sex offender) immediately become friends with this person. They sit with them in church, hang out with them outside of church, and most importantly, be able to know how well this person is doing with their particular sin. If they are not really responding well to the accountability, the church can respond "But this is what it means to be a Christian. Everyone in the church is watched this closely even if they do not have a criminal record." It also reminds the church that even though they may not be a convicted sex offender, their sin is just as disgusting before God without the death of Christ counting on their behalf. Not to mention, it creates a standard that every church member needs close accountability in their lives. No one is allowed to believe they are a Christian and live their lives however they want. For someone to claim to be a Christian means they represent others who make that claim. Mentoring certainly does not make the situation a breeze, but it can allow the church to open up to people with serious problems and keep some sort of tabs on their well-being.

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