Pastor—Please Read

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun (Ecclesiastes 6:1).

It happens often. Well-meaning pastors see God save a Mormon and then thrust that recent convert into the public eye prematurely. In some cases, great harm and deep heartache could have been avoided with simple, patient discipleship.

When I say, “the public eye,” I don’t mean open testimonies held in a local church as part of its regular worship. I mean leading in public worship, book authorship, conference speaking, or other ministries designed for the masses.

And I admit – it’s a hard temptation to resist. The former Mormon is often eager to testify to their new life in Christ. Christian people, especially those discouraged by decades of Mormon intransigence, are champing for success. And doesn’t the Bible command that the redeemed of the Lord say so (Psalm 107:2)?!

Yet, Paul warns us not to “be hasty in the laying on of hands” (1 Timothy 5:22); he withholds leadership positions from recent converts (1 Timothy 3:6-7, 10). And he could insist on it, for he submitted to a prolonged season of private discipleship before becoming, well, the Apostle Paul (Galatians 1:17-18).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m eager to see born-again, ex-Mormons declaring the true gospel, filling pulpits across Utah, and winning many other Latter-day Saints to Christ. But, before you put a Mormon convert into a teaching and leadership role, would you consider these six qualifications in the form of questions?

Has this person Biblically defined the purpose of public proclamation?

The LDS Church is a testifying church. If you were to attend a sacrament meeting on any given Sunday, you would likely hear several people “bear testimony.” Building a verbal testimony begins in Primary (age 3)¹ and increases throughout a Mormon’s spiritual journey.² Whether in family home evenings, testimony services, baptisms, missionary farewells, firesides, and much more, Latter-day Saints almost always insert a testimony at the end of any public proclamation. For the Mormon, testifying creates and/or strengthens faith. As Apostle Dallin H. Oaks said, “We strengthen a testimony by bearing it.”³

The Bible is, of course, full of encouragements to praise the Lord publicly for His saving work (Psalm 96, 100, 103, 130; Isaiah 61; Ephesians 1, to name a few). But we should also encourage former Mormons to distinguish their past from their present. They need to understand that bearing their new testimony neither grows nor establishes their faith; it simply gives voice to a present reality that God is working.

Does this person affirm truth biblically?

Latter-day Saints are taught to affirm truth emotionally and circumstantially. Doctrines and Covenants 9:8 encourages the reader to feel the rightness of God’s truth.⁴ Further, when members of the LDS Church listen to the “Holy Ghost” through the “still small voice,” they often look for circumstantial confirmations.⁵

When Bible-teaching churches prematurely thrust former-Mormons into public leadership, that person is suddenly affirmed by hundreds of well-meaning people. If the former Mormon is not careful, the old worldview kicks in. Their emotions and circumstances validate the truth of their new pursuit and biblical Christianity begins to feel so right.

When testifying, the born-again ex-Mormon is often overcome by emotion when describing God’s new work in their hearts. Evangelical hearers sense sincerity, but the ex-LDS speaker is tempted to feel something else – confirmation. In their former way of thinking, these overwhelming emotions aren’t just genuine expressions, but confirmation from the Lord that the words they’re saying are true.

Unfortunately, many former Mormons never escape this trap – they are unable to root their new faith in the Word that brought it (John 1:12-13). We need to teach Latter-day Saints that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17) before exposing them to the temptation of human accolades.

Has this person followed the Lord in believer’s baptism?

Baptism is often a major hurdle for ex-Mormons. Their previous, works-based salvation depended on it. And they have a hard time divorcing their previous experience from their current one. Furthermore, many are reluctant to offend family members who remain in the LDS Church. Baptism is an obvious marker of public identification that puts the former Mormon on the right track to counting the cost of following Christ (Luke 14:26-27).

Has this person withdrawn their membership in the LDS Church?

The LDS Church retains members indefinitely unless prompted by request or by some act the LDS Church deems worthy of excommunication, which is rare. Many Latter-day Saints who convert to Biblical Christianity leave their names on LDS Church roles deliberately. Some want to hedge their eternal bets or minimize family offense; others are afraid to meet with Ward leadership (a perceived requirement). I don’t believe it appropriate to promote an individual who will not renounce “secret and shameful ways” (2 Corinthians 4:2, NIV).

Has this person submitted themselves to the authority and accountability of a local church?

I can understand the reluctance of former Mormons to bring themselves under the accountability of a local church. Had you been deceived your whole life by a religious institution, you, too, might be hesitant to trust religious leadership again. In the New Testament, however, Christians submitted to God-appointed church leaders for doctrine (Acts 15:1-29), missionary service (Galatians 2:7-10), unconfessed sin (Matthew 18:15-20), and day-to-day guidance (Hebrews 13:17). It may take years for a converted Mormon to submit to a local church in the above areas. But until they do, it would be inappropriate for them to lead in an institution of which they refuse to become a part.

Do you sense any lingering bitterness in this person’s heart?

Here again, pastors are forced to walk a fine line. Former Mormons should “hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104). But the writer of Hebrews commands that specific caution be taken so that “no root of bitterness springs up” (Hebrews 12:15). By God’s grace, the apostle Paul seems to have struck the perfect balance. He could both condemn Jewish stubbornness (1 Corinthians 18:6) and wish himself accursed for the sake of his kinsmen (Romans 9:1-3).

Former Latter-day Saints saved by the true gospel too often forget that they were once “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (Ephesians 4:18). When they lose sight of their former selves, they can give in to ever-increasing anger, bitterness, resentment, and judgment (James 4:11-12), none of which are fit characteristics for New Testament spokesmen (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

Conclusion

You may be wondering if these six qualifications set the bar too high. For whatever it’s worth, I personally know several former Latter-day Saints serving the Lord in leadership positions who meet them. I know many other former Latter-day Saints who, while they don’t aspire for leadership, would qualify with ease.

In my opinion, at the core of our desire to lay hands too hastily, is the ingrained conviction that sanctification comes by experiences. We need to reckon with New Testament teaching that sanctification is accomplished only by God (1 Thessalonians 5:23) as we sow to the Spirit of God (Galatians 6:8). When we try to sanctify people by experiences, we inadvertently set them up for yet more deception (Galatians 3:1-6) and even greater heartache (2 Timothy 4:10).