Shepherding Words "From The Co-Workers In The Lord's Recovery"

[Freedom]

On the shepherdingwords.com site, there is a letter that was sent out to elders in July (not sure if they had this letter posted previously):
https://shepherdingwords.com/pdf/Nor...205%202019.pdf

Matters that do not involve crimes fall under the administration of the church and should be handled by the leading ones with much prayer and fellowship. Accusations related to criminal matters should be referred to law enforcement professionals and/or child protection agencies...

It's interesting how they try to pretend like they've always handled things this way. Anyone who knows anything about LC history knows this isn't the case. There are multiple stories of the elders specially telling people NOT to contact the authorities.

The leading ones should help the saints to realize that any accusation brought to them that falls within the church’s administration must be dealt with cautiously and judiciously based on verifiable facts. Though this may tax the saints’ patience, it is necessary to deal fairly with all parties... The saints should know that if a matter has been referred to the elders, they should not talk about it among themselves lest they sin by damaging others’ reputations,compromise the elders’ ability to effectively address the situation, and inflame fleshly reactions among the saints...

This quote from their letter is an example of how they like to pretend to be fair and balanced even though they have no intention of dealing with the actual issue at hand. When someone feels to make an accusation or wants to discuss a problem, the facts aren't always readily available. That itself shouldn't necessarily stop someone from speaking up. The LC seems to have this thing where stuff gets brought to the elders and then disappears into a black hole of of being "dealt with" by them. Of course, there is never any transparency or indication of a resolution, so that I think is what gets all the rumors started. Do they not realize this?

The whole reason people usually go public is when they feel like their concerns have not or will not be adequately addressed in-house.