Picture this scene. It's Sunday morning in your local church and the second hymn has just finished.
As the page number for the Bible reading is announced, more than a dozen people scattered throughout the congregation climb onto their chairs, unroll banners and begin chanting insults and obscenities so that the pastor is unable to make himself heard. A second group bursts through the main doors and parade round the church throwing leaflets as they shout at the congregation. What happens next?
The legal position
Christians everywhere need to be aware that pressure groups complaining against the church's stand on a number of moral issues are al-ready doing just this kind of thing. Do you or your church need to consider what is an appropriate, desirable or even legal response in such a situation? Each fellowship will obviously have its own thoughts on many aspects of such an intrusion, but all should at least understand what the legal position is.
The Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act ('the Act') creates an offence of:
'- riotous, violent or indecent behaviour
- in any chapel of any religious denomination or any place of worship duly certified
- whether during divine service or at any other time'.
The three elements of this offence need to be explained a little.
The behaviour
In this context 'indecent' may merely mean behaviour that is inappropriate to the time and place. Shouting, or talking in such a way as to draw attention away from the conduct of the service - even to express a point of view - has been held to constitute indecent behaviour.
The place
Many mainstream evangelical groups have been recognised by the law as 'religious denominations' for the purposes of the Act, but it is usually easier to establish whether the church building itself is registered under the Places of Worship Act 1855.
The meeting
It seems that the law protects the place rather than the purpose of the meeting. It is therefore unimportant (for legal purposes) whether the intruders disturb a Sunday morning service, a weekday Bible study or, seemingly, a para-church organisation, as long as the meeting is at a place covered by the Act.
If the police are summoned, therefore, they would have the power to arrest for commission of an offence. Until such time as the police are involved, however, some planned response from the church membership itself should be thought out.
Formal Ecclesiastical Law charges churchwardens with the maintenance of order and decency in the church. They may turn people out of the church who disturb the service or indicate an intention of doing so. If such people do not leave when asked, they can be removed using no more force than is necessary.
By analogy, it would therefore be proper for elders - or indeed any church members, where directed by the minister or leader of the service - to seek to remove unruly intruders or those committing an offence as outlined earlier. Unfortunately, it would be presumptuous to describe what might be 'reasonable force' in these circumstances, for two reasons: (1) it is a highly sensitive and fluid area of the law. Consider recent headline cases of householders confronting burglars, etc., and (2) it would seem that one aim of pressure groups using these tactics is to obtain publicity for their cause and perhaps to discredit those whom they seek to disturb. Allegations (even completely unfounded) that an elder/deacon even 'propelled' an intruder out of the building could cause great damage to the church and its message.
Careful thinking needed
Thus stands the law on this matter. Obviously, neither the law nor such an article as this can provide comprehensive guidance for every situation. Each church will need to consider for itself the many and important issues such as:
(1) Anecdotal evidence suggests that the congregation being disturbed commonly expresses a mixture of anger and fear, particularly if there are vulnerable elements present. How is a pastor to prepare and then care for his people in such a situation?
(2) The involvement of the police may maximise publicity and therefore be what the intruders were hoping for. The church should also be aware of its possible involvement in prosecutions if arrests are made.
(3) Such intruders are sinners for whom Christ died. How will the church show Christ's love to them as it responds to the situation?
Where the church is taking a clear and biblical stand on the issues of our day, the possibility of such a public challenge increases. Pressure groups often know exactly how far they may go in their protests; they rely upon their targets' having little idea of what sort of response is permissible or advisable. Each fellowship would do well to think and pray through these issues, to be prepared.
