Open Letter to a Danville Church in Error

"Tell it to the church" (Matthew 18:17)

Twice last year I notified Pastor David Bell at Calvary Baptist Church (416 Edgewood Drive, Danville, Virginia) that their church had accepted a man as member who was ineligible to be a member because he was under discipline at another church. They had appointed that man, George Barker, a deacon. I got no response. At the beginning of this year, I again notified him and the deacons of Calvary Baptist Church and still got no response. Now it’s time to “tell it to the church” (Mt. 18:17.) If you’re a Christian in the Danville, Virginia area, this letter is for you. Please take it to heart, pray for the people involved, and, if you have the opportunity, encourage them to repent.

Dear Danville Area Church,

On June 24, 2018 Covenant, having followed the Lord Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 18:15-18, excommunicated George Barker. According to the Lord Jesus, what we bound on earth has been bound in heaven (Matthew 18:18). If we follow Christ’s instructions and bind someone through church discipline, it has already been done by God in heaven. We followed Christ into this decision; so, it is a binding one. After the process of appealing to him and then the vote to discipline him, George was informed that he should not receive the Lord’s Supper or seek membership in another church until he has repented of his sins with us, including his submission to his wife. Since he knows that his brothers and sisters have something against him, he should follow the Lord Jesus’ command and urgently seek to be reconciled (Matthew 5:23-24.) He’s been repeatedly reminded of his Biblical obligations over the last five years.

• On Church Discipline, see:

In January 2018, Rachel Barker decided she no longer wanted to be faithful to her membership covenant to “walk together in Christian love” and to “always be ready for reconciliation.” Instead, she ceased attending with her husband. Despite their claims otherwise, she had no real reasons for making this decision. She made it without any attempt at following the Lord Jesus’ instructions on how to appeal to a brother in (apparent) sin (Matthew 18:15-18). She usurped the authority in the family to decide where to be a church member. George initially continued to attend with us, for over a month, hoping his wife would return but would not tell his wife the truth. (That he attended with us for over a month while his wife refused to do so, proves that it was his choice to be with us and that he eventually submitted to his wife.) During that time he came to me, trying to get me to placate his rebellious wife. I asked him directly whether he had addressed the problem with his wife. He had not. He feared telling his wife the truth. So eventually George submitted to his wife’s leadership. George has allowed his wife to usurp the headship of the family (contrary to 1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:22, 1 Peter 3:1-7.) To cover up this fact, he fabricated false accusations against the church. Further, after leaving our church and breaking his church covenant, he never sought an orderly transfer to membership elsewhere. He didn’t resign his membership or seek a letter of transfer.

There’s only two proper ways into membership in a Baptist church: either baptism or a letter of transfer (assuming the previous church still exists, is orthodox, and/or is willing to send a letter; if either of these cases don’t exist, then acceptance by statement of faith of a baptized person is acceptable; see: How to Join a Baptist Church.) Since he didn’t have a letter of transfer from us, he should never have been admitted to Calvary Baptist Church (416 Edgewood Drive, Danville, Virginia) as a member. Since he is bound in heaven, he should not be receiving the Lord’s Supper or be eligible for membership. The Lord Jesus promised that when a church follows His instructions and binds a member on earth, it has already been done in heaven, by God. Thus to ignore another church’s binding is to ignore Christ’s rule. Further, the church ignored the stipulations for deacons when it appointed a man as deacon who doesn’t manage his family (1 Timothy 3:4-5).

Calvary Baptist Church (Edgewood Dr.)

Calvary Baptist Church (416 Edgewood Drive, Danville, Virginia) has been repeatedly informed of all this. Before he was (improperly) accepted as a member there in 2018, I informed the previous pastor, Rick Markham. On October 25 and December 13, 2022, Pastor David Bell (cbc416ed@gmail.com) was informed about all about this via email. On January 1, 2023, the deacons of Calvary Baptist Church (416 Edgewood Drive, Danville, VA) were informed of this, on the assumption that that church had the common (unbiblical) church government in which deacons preside like elders. There was no response. We’ve let time transpire, to allow the consciences of the people in involved to respond to the Holy Spirit’s conviction. But now it’s time to follow the Lord Jesus’ words and “tell it to the church” (Matthew 18:17.)

“Tell it to the church”

The entire Christian community should know that Calvary Baptist Church (416 Edgewood Drive, Danville, VA) has willfully accepted a man into membership it knows (or should know) is not eligible for membership; that it (presumably) accepted that man and his rebellious wife to the Lord’s table; that it turned a deaf ear to a sister church; that it went so far as to make a man who was ineligible to be a member a “deacon” although he fails the basic Biblical requirements for the deaconate. The church universal has a right to know so it can appeal to the local church in error to make this right.

Yours in Christ’s Service,

Dr. John B. Carpenter

July 1, 2023

please note: this does not relate to Calvary Baptist Church of 218 Holbrook Street, Danville. That’s a different church.