Strange Church Practices On Repentance

QUESTION RECEIVED:
"Does sharing your confessed sin to your pastor & first lady (for prayer) mean you can no longer serve in the church? The service I'm referring to is such as ushering, reading scripture out loud and as a deacon taking up the offerings. My brother can no longer read the responsive scripture reading and my daughter can no longer usher. This has been silenced for 3 Sundays. God has forgiven their repented sin, should we relocate to another church. I've been with my church 14 years, my daughter 3 years and brother 6 years. It took a lot of prayers to get them there. I am so confused. We are in the United States."

MY ANSWER:

Yes. We are to confess sins to one another for accountability so we will repent and get back on the path.
James 5:16 (NASB)
"16Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

No. I have no idea what a biblical description of a "first lady" as a church office is. Why? Because this is made up by someone at your church. This is not a biblical office and I do not know why you would confess before the pastor's wife unless you are a female. This would protect the male pastor's reputation from risk from being alone with a woman not his wife. This would remove potential scandal.

What is the sin? I do not know. If a person is mentally unstable or a sexual predator and a threat to others physically, mentally or spiritually they should be removed from public church service.
If your sins, we all have them, are dealt with, and do not threaten others, why can you not function in the church? This applies if afterwards you are saved, repent and respond to correction.

Your description of going to the pastor and his wife as one goes to a priest to confess is perplexing. Yes we go to other Christians to confess sins. Again, if your behavior threatens others you should then be withheld from service and go through church discipline if you do not repent.

1 John 1:9 (NASB)
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

My concern and question for you is are you in a church that practices the orthodox Christian faith? Yes we are under authority of a pastor in a proper biblical understanding of hierarchy. This pastor or shepherd is a servant leader - not a tyrant.

Jesus alone will forgive as He is our only High Priest.
We confess our sins to trustworthy brothers and sisters for accountability.

If you are in a strange church or cult that believes in complete sanctification (total sinlessness) on Earth-flee!