You bring up a good point. Consider, though, that Paul never addressed an area with multiple churches of multiple denominations in one town and no one carried in presuppositions about what Church ought to be. Everything was organic and the solution to most overcrowding problems was "start another one!"

The idea that people could attend a church gathering and not be involved in the community was foolishness to Paul and so he wrote no Biblical dictum that addressed this. The closest thing I can find to Paul wanting churches to cut ties with people who didn't really like the idea of church to begin with is in 2 Thess. 3. I'd like to hear what you think of what Paul says toward the end of that chapter.

CONCERNING DONALD MILLER'S ARTICLE ON ASKING PEOPLE TO LEAVE THE CHURCH: I just read your article in "Relevent," about when it is ok to ask church members to leave. I saw how rude and ugly that truely is. If it were something of the effect of differences of opinion on issues that caused ongoing arguments, such as over if gay ministers are accepted in the church, or if they will perform a gay wedding, or something that is of major importance from a Biblical perspective, but over something so trivial, they need the seats to be filled with people they consider active there.... How horrifying! I was given my good bye at the Nashville Vineyard by the pastor Jerry Bryant of whom falsely accused me of witchcraft on the words of crooked cops illegaly coming into the church, violating sep. of church and state, keeping something stirred up against them there all the time. He never asks me if I am guilty, nor is there a change to clear my name there, he waits until prayer alter call to ruin my name in front of all there by saying they will not pray for me until I quit witchcraft. I left saying nothing to defend myself, I left hurt and angry with more than 2-3 years of my life waisted there. What a real jerk. I had seen him that service before downing someone in his sermon that he had accused of adultery, and oh how saddened by it he was... so he said. Not saddened enough to care about someone else's feelings of course. He had even come over and told Monica, a person from CTN, Christian channel that had been there and prayed for me to stop praying for me, whispering false accusations and slander into her ear right in front of me to embarrass me, and once before he gives an alter call for everyone to come up and be prayer for to be annointed for the ministry, and so when I go up to the ater I am the ony one that he singles out of the hundred up there to not want to pray for , with a looke of horror on his face as if I was the last person that he would pray for. I had notice mistreatment from the house group leader, Mark had mistreated me, and his wife acted like I could not be able to run a dance team there, as his wife Carenea /Karena sp? had also been violating my civil liberties listening to the illegal lies and slander from crooked cops coming into the church harassing me, violating sep. of church and state. I tithed the most there, off of the over 40 gold albums we had during that time period, and they prospered because of me. We had recorded Wynonna Judd, Marty Stewart, Kenny Rogers, and others while I went there, and to be treated like I was the trash of the land. I am an ordained minister from seminary. I have not yet confronted them with what they have done to me, but I can say that I quit church for good after it had happened at a few more churches. I would like my money back, and my sue. If you tell someone to leave you may steal their salvation, and they may never forgive, and will not forget, NEVER WILL THEY FORGET. I think that they have a legal right to be paid back the money they gave in as well. Obviously, that money will not be in the church "storehouse," for them, and it their money! The false accustions had come from my divorce hearings where I lost the money off of over 75 gold albums in all, and needed that prayer over being framed for witchcraft and mental illness in the divorce, which was fighting over music industry money. There are more churches that wronged me, all the same way, Smyrna Assembly, Family Worship Center, Nashville Vineyard, Christ Church, etc. almost all from lies and slander from law enforcement and their lying informants stalking me in the church. Just how rude I was treateted was unbelievable! Just look at the rotten fruit of telling a church member they are not welcome! How could you support this!