“If your personal offense is between you and any other fellow believer, then hearing those stories is none of my business.”

Thank you—good comment. We should not gossip. Gossip is speaking of private things to others, without permission, outside of the bounds of the immediate relationship—often with speculation and judgment. Doing this is unbiblical and betrays the trust of the immediate relationship and tarnishes—perhaps falsely—the reputation of the person being spoken about.

However, after attempting the first two steps of Mat 18:15-16, the Bible then instructs us to tell it to the church. (Mat 18:17). Also, after sharing our accusations against an elder with multiple witnesses (1 Ti 5:19), we are then to rebuke in the presence of all. (1 Ti 5:20).

Our hope was to avoid having to do so; yet because our concerns were not legitimately addressed by GFA after giving them generous time, we needed to follow the next step and share with the church (which we first limited to GFA only) the reports of systemic sins that go beyond personal offenses as evidence to disclose all that has transpired.