Probably not so good. This is not a thing to specific to any church, what you will now read is applicable to Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, Presbyterians, and pretty much every other faith, denomination and sect in America.
Board meeting commences:
1. The good people will have someone tentatively express their concern about a long standing problem person. They won't expect much to come of their expressed concerns, and they won't be disappointed in their low expectations.
2. The bad person/s will express that they take great offense over such expressions from the good, and that it's really that..."fill in lies here". The lies will be tired and old, but will be sufficiently semi-plausible to let the uninformed neutrals figure there's truth on both sides, maybe a compromise would be in order.
The lies may not even be a flat out denial, but could as easily be the "pretend repentance", in which it's a hollow one of the kind that sees no reason for they to suffer any further consequences. Certainly not any consequences that would prevent them from promptly committing the same offenses again.
3. The leader will express that prayer and study and time and private discussion is needed and the goal is for all to stay in the fold. Thus nothing of substance will be done now.
And really, that's any church leadership nowadays. The horrible fear of losing anyone by a "commission" of disciplinary action against a wolf has made sure that churches in America have lost millions of sheep by the "omission" of disciplining those wolves.
4. The bad person/s will heartily agree with the leader, knowing full well that such delays are the same as a "win". Justice delayed, after all, is justice denied. And it's not like the bad person/s aren't aware they're in the wrong.
5. The good people will be intensely frustrated, because they also know full well that justice delayed is justice denied. They also know that they will be asked all the more to be "Christ like" and "forgiving" even while the evil-doers run roughshod over them. The good are to be merciful, the bad are to be as they please.
6. At least one good person - inevitably, there's always one - will express intense anger over that, and will then be labeled by the bad person/s as "Un-Christ-like" and "judgmental" and "contentious". The neutrals not wishing to have to take any stand will be happy to accept that assessment rather than have to exercise moral judgement.
7. The leader will use that as a cue to definitely halt all discussion - in the name of avoiding further contention and not chasing the Spirit away - and offer up a prayer. The prayer will ask for healing and reconciliation and I am not so sure it will be pleasing to God.
Why? Because God does like mercy, but He doesn't necessarily love it being endlessly extended to the wolf that savages His sheep. Sometimes mercy must be gave to the good, not always just to the bad. Jesus said to forgive 7 times 70 - He did not say "infinitely".
8. As no one will wish to go through that facade again any time soon, things will lurch on as before, while more sheep are chased out the door.
9. Wash, rinse, repeat.
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