SGM-Mahaneygate: SGM-Cofounder Tomczak Whines re: Mahaney

Yellow for highlights.  Blue for our comments. They are all self-righteous, sectarian and ignorant Sectarians, the whole lot of them.

Larry Tomcak, a Co-founding
Noisebox, Tub-thumper
Ignoramus, and High School
Graduate, Like Mahaney

 http://www.larrytomczak.com/Docs/departure_sgm.pdf

— Larry and Doris Tomczak (November 2011) 

As you read of our time with Sovereign Grace Ministries, we are sharing some traumatic experiences (Larry, there are 1000s of others besides you...glad to see the plural noun here), yet endeavoring to do so accurately (Is there any other way?)  and redemptively. I want to say at the outset that I am not blamless.    (In other words, I, Larry Tomczak--like the rest of them--was a proud and hubristic Pentecostalist with absolutely no education like Mahaney yet with a loud mouth, was an arrogant and ignorant Sectarian thinking PDI/SGM was "it," was an elitist without credentials of any kind in any field, was self-righteous never understanding the Gospel of the Reformation, the catholic history, tradition, liturgy or confessions, was judgmental about all others, lacking integrity and acted with deceitfulness, and proceeding as an abuser like Mahaney), but I at times yielded to a spirit of fear  (With such a puny view of God that I quaked in my boots...I was an arrogant wimp) when told I “lacked discernment” (While all of us "Apostles" claimed apostolic infallibility like CJ, Brent, Dave Harvey and others on the "Apostolic" and "Prophetic A-Team"...just like the Pope at Vatican 1, 1870) and was at times cowardly (Like a wimp, child, sniffler, baby-bottle-man and whiner while Marines and Soldiers live and die on battlefields.  How many $$ were you and CJ making in 1998?  Didn't you say you and Doris feared loss of income, position, place and speaking opportunities in "Reckless Abandonment," page 95?) when I should have (Where were your ethics?  Clearly not catechetized) addressed unrighteous behavior. Where we participated (Details requested) in any unredemptive treatment of God’s people, we ask for your forgiveness. (Granted, but forgiveness is not co-extensive with trust.  While granting the former, the latter is surely withheld and with cause.) Over the years Doris and I have met with numerous people to ask forgiveness and people have been most gracious to us. Feel free to contact us if you feel a need to revisit any past experiences.  

Tomczak, like Mahaney, the author
of illiterate books

Thank you in advance for your mercy and love. (Thanks in advance?  Now, that's presumptive, Larry.  In advance?  Why should we give you an advance without an analytic inquiry and cross-examination? Good, Larry, now move along.  You were integral to the abusive culture of pride, self-righteousness, arrogance, judgmentalism and the Shepherding movement...talking while ignorant yet disclaiming a need for knowledge.)  Let us (Exhortation not accepted...your authority is rebuffed and rebuked)  unite in prayer that what we communicate will help many, bring healing and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. 

“But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones. So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Gen. 50:19-21 (You apply this to yourself Larry, ignorantly?  The narrative is about Christ the promised Seed and redemption, not you, CJ, Brent, Dave and the other backwoods exhorters.  Your incompetence in exegesis, ancient languages, theology, history and other important disciplines is noted...again.  While we're at it, you're books are sophmoric, like CJ's)

“Encountering departures and desertions from our ministries—we must see them as tutors—revealing our real motives and deficiencies in our methodology. These are tests from God. They will reveal our hearts.” -Dave Harvey, SGM Leader  (Dave is still trying to rescue "his ambition."  Do not pay one nickel for Dave Harvey's "Rescuing Ambition," Crossway, 2010, a sophmoric affair for illiterates.))

 Note: This quote appeared on the cover page of a paper I submitted to SGM leaders one year after our 1997 departure, “An Appeal for Repentance, Reconciliation and Closure.” (Poor Dave Harvey.  All he wanted to be was a "Cop."  Good quote though.  Shows Dave didn't learn alot.  Dave is owned.)

Five issues were highlighted at that time: 1) Pride, Sectarianism and Elitism. 2) Self-righteousness and Judgmentalism.  3) Blackmail and Intimidation. 4) Lack of Integrity and Deceitfulness.  5) Abuse of Spiritual Authority. (Things, I, arrogant Tomczak, was heavily involved with, like CJ, Harvey and Detwiler.  We were an arrogant brood of vipers, half-wits, hubristaphiles, and ignoramuses, for sure.  These are the same things Detwiler observed and documented.)

The paper cited the names of 61 former leaders (61?  Eegads, Larry!  How many again?  61?  Let's get the names out there...AoR apparently interviewed 60-80 defrocked clerics in Nov 2011?  Are there more?) who experienced mistreatment (the list is currently over 100 (100?  Eegads!  Is AoR up to speed on this number?)) and included an appeal for a forum where “individuals with outstanding offenses and unresolved issues could be addressed...these issues will not (Harvey and SGM are working hard to bury these issues) simply fade away but will continue lingering for years until dealt with redemptively and honestly.” I received no response (Man, the issue is coverup, not response) from any team leaders to the paper or appeal for adjudication. Date of submission: December 1998. (Said to include Detwiler and Harvey, two fellow hubrists)

“The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.” (I Tim.5:24) 

Next year I will celebrate God’s faithfulness in my 40th year (Who of weight, depth and scholarly inquiry authorized your ministry?  CJ?  Yourself?  For some, like this scribe, it's never been recognized or authorized) of full-time Christian ministry. At this juncture I sensed (The "eternal I" for enthusiasts) it would be helpful to tell the story of a painful turning point in my life and ministry. 



Old Baldy Mahaney, Enthusiast,
Abuser,
Infallbilitst, high schooler

Recently, I wrote a “Statement of Reconciliation” with CJ Mahaney, attempting to be as gracious and discrete as possible regarding specifics. But as more details surfaced on the Internet it became apparent that God wanted everything in the light. (Glad you did too, although you were as dirty, arrogant, hubristic, condescending, controlling, self-righteous and ignorant as CJ.  These are some "categories,"  Larry, Brent, CJ and Dave for your reflection.) Our experience is not an isolated case. (Try 1000s, Larry.  As a narcissistic Pentecostalist, of course there are 100os. Larry, you lost the big income, but what about the children, the abusers, the abuses, the nightmares, the PTSD, the hypervigilances, the traumas, the fears, the lost years, and the extensive pychiatric interventions...for children and families?  Frankly, Larry, you ain't that important...THEY ARE) It is probably one of the most egregious and ignominious examples of deceit and abusive behavior (Pure crap.  Huh?  Try the 8-10 sex molestation cases with coverup...Larry, sorry, narcissistic overstatement. Here's what was created, Tomczak, Detwiler and Mahaney.  We recite what was noted above by Tomczak in his confession that distinquished PDI/SGM for decades.  Here's Tomczak's points.   Five issues were highlighted at that time: 1) Pride, Sectarianism and Elitism. 2) Self-righteousness and Judgmentalism. 3) Blackmail and Intimidation. 4) Lack of Integrity and Deceitfulness. 5) Abuse of Spiritual Authority. surfacing in SGM at this time. But it did not create the crisis. 

Instead, it revealed how root (Root, branch and leaf) issues have been ignored and left unaddressed for too long (SGM Board, listen up). May we all proceed in humility and mercy, mindful of Prov. 28:13, “He who conceals his sin will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes his sin will obtain mercy.” 

After 24 years of service in the DC area (As a high schooler--like Mahaney--and backwoods exhorter) with the “Take and Give Ministry” (TAG), cofounding (Get your grammar right, high schooler, it's "co-founding."  Notice also where Larry fails to put the period where it belongs like a man with no background in college level English.)  Covenant Life Church in our home and then serving in leadership in Fairfax Covenant Church, I with my family departed disappointedly, yet hopefully, for better things in Atlanta in 1996. We knew for a number of years that I was being marginalized (Why?  Details needed?  We know Detwiler has 1000 pages of unreleased docs on the Tomczak-debacle) in Sovereign Grace Ministries (formerly People of Destiny International) and when differences with Reformed doctrine (What would you, a high school graduate, Larry, know about "Reformed" doctrine, let alone history, exegesis, confessions or liturgies?) began surfacing, the tension only increased. (Over predestination?  Eegads, high schooler.)

At a youth rally in Atlanta, one of our teen-age sons responded along with other youth to an appeal for living genuine Christian lives (This is truly a sad story here). That night at home he voluntarily shared with me areas of waywardness and his desire to change, but the door was now open to confront me for “failures at home” and “character deficiencies.” “Apostolic Team” leaders forbade me (Grossly incompetent by the "Apostolic" Infallibilists worse than Vatican 1 infallibilists) to be present for a later meeting with my son (Even law enforcement and legal officials don't do this, but again, we're dealing with backwoods enthusiasts here...hint, hint, SGMers like old Baldy, Slick Dave Harvey, and Bulldog Detwiler) where he was told to “share all your sins” with the vow of their “confidentiality” (which was later broken). (Liars)

Subsequently, the team (the Pentecostalistic Infallibilists like Mahaney, Harvey and others) said it “lost confidence in my leadership,” and agreed to a “leave of absence,” sending out a “letter of confession” written by me, then undergoing several revisions affirming SGM leadership and inserting material with which I was uncomfortable but required to include. (Standard ops for many...aside from the many who endured this, Larry, where was your courage and committment to honour, integrity, and manliness?  The same question applies to other defrocked clerics...) At the church meeting announcing the shift, I was told to nod (hint, hint...lie) in agreement for the congregation to observe (Is there no shame here?). 

The agreed upon 6-12 month period (Mens rea...intent was formed for the blackmail operation)  was short-circuited when we (Details needed) experienced a pattern of spiritual abuse, deceit, harshness and hypocrisy (including premeditated blackmail, communicated and reaffirmed on numerous occasions and subsequently left to silence and hang over us for over a decade). (This sounds exactly like the 600-page Detwiler dump at: http://www.scribd.com/sgmwikileaks) The entire apostolic team and the new senior pastor (Paid by SGMers) and his staff participated in this. (Samo, samo, samo, for dozens of others...EXCEPT CEEJIE.)  We also were told to consider uprooting to Virginia Beach or Phoenix (For cover-up reasons and to get the problem out of sight), which we said we could not do because we did not sense this to be God’s will for our family.  

Criteria established for returning to my former role as senior pastor made that outcome an impossibility unless I embraced the Reformed doctrinal tenets (although people nationwide were deliberately misled with information to the contrary). 

My wife and I finally left PDI when things finally reached the “untenable” point. It became for us a matter of conscience. Disingenuous public statements (Disingenuous = lying and deceitful?) and letters sent nationwide (So much for Mt 18 that is so richly touted by CJ, Connolly and other enablers...Mahaney "publicly" embarrassed other defrocked clerics also) misrepresented what actually happened and I was publically slandered (Did this include the historic "gossip card"?) at Covenant Life Church, called a “liar” (with guests and non-believers present) as the leader declared, “I’d rather be dead than do what Larry Tomczak is doing!” (Telling the truth or lies?) Local leaders were affirmed leading to an almost unanimous standing ovation. (No surprises here) My reputation built upon 25 years in ministry, was debased nationally and abroad. (We're dealing here with a classical and malignant "Narcissist" without a conscience, feelings or rationality) My “Seven Reasons for Departing PDI” were not conveyed (Duh?  I bet Detwiler has those "Seven Reasons") and for 13 years this perception remained in the public domain (So speak and keep speaking), separating our family from many relatives, friends and leaders in the Body of Christ. It also resulted in serious financial repercussions for us as a family of six. (That must have gotten your attention, especially as Mahaney owns at least $1.4 million in properties--minimally on two identifed sites--in Gaithersburg and has pulled down a cool $250K/annum in the late 2000-period...there is reason to believe he owns or bought other properties too, for his kiddoes...eegads, you and Detwiler really got hosed over, financially.)

For over a decade we tried to bring CJ and the apostolic team to account for the injustice, even enlisting nationally known leaders in the effort, but to no avail. Finally, in November of 2010 he consented. (Same time when about 18-20 SGM-CLC leaders were twisting a half-confession from old Baldy) Years of confrontation by SGM leaders and CLC pastors along with the turmoil and defections of people in the network of churches brought CJ to the realization he needed to repent of longstanding (Decades?) sins, some of which were committed in our unfortunate departure. CJ later made a public confession (Now retracted and sanitized from SGM sites compliments of Dave Harvey, John Loftness, Mark Prater,  old Mickey Boy Connolly...move along folks, nothing to see here, intones Harvey) of some of his transgressions at Covenant Life Church and announced a “leave of absence.” (Which he never observed) Many believe his confession was a start but was incomplete and minimized (Then denied) the severity of the issues. We were invited to the November SGM Pastors Conference and Covenant Life Church (Hah!!  There were "too busy" and had "too much going on" Harvey told the nation)  to speak on reconciliation, but the invitation was rescinded. (The heat was too much by Oct 2011) At the conference CJ shared he regretted having taken the leave of absence. (Old Baldy is a joke, then, like now)

CJ’s example, problems surfacing in churches affiliated with SGM, and Internet disclosures from a former apostolic team member (Infallibilists "speaking the word" just like Mahaney) were catalytic in some SGM leaders beginning to come forward to repent and rectify matters with our family. One former team member had already done so years previously, after experiencing abusive treatment leading to his departure. (Like at least 61 others, if not 100) An independent advisory panel, Ambassadors of Reconciliation, has been retained to engage in a discovery process to help facilitate reconciliation with former members and leaders who believe they have been spiritually abused. (Lutherans will never--ever--understand the chaos, ignorance and legalism of SGM...they know better, the Lutheran DNA knows better...AoR will never understand the implicit Romanism and legalism of Mahaney, Detwiler, Harvey, Tomczak and other ignorant enthusiasts...Lutherans are better schooled) The panel is also collecting information to assist with reforms needed in SGM as well as assist in determining CJ Mahaney’s future status. (For close readers, the whole top, the entire SGM Board, all 10 of them, should resign.  Time for all the high schoolers to recognize that serious thinkers think it's over.  Mahaney, clearly, like Harvey, need to go.)

May the Lord guide us all (Who needs your exhortation, Larry?  The Lord will guide us all...we have the Scriptures for the exhortation, not a co-facilitator of ignorance and hubris like you Larry) as we redemptively deal with past transgressions and find His grace manifested in this time of reconciliation, reform and discipline for Sovereign Grace Ministries. (An arrogant, sectarian, judgmental, hubristic, and self-righteous ministry)  The changes are not cosmetic but substantive to effectively eradicate systemic issues and transform a leadership culture (That includes your dismissal for arrogance, ingnorance and hubris of 25 years, Larry) that has drifted (Drifted?  How about, "never knew" Biblical norms...hint, hint...like St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans?) from Biblical norms. Two of the churches in Revelation faced the practice of the Nicolaitans (“suppress the people”). One hated it; the other held to it (Rev.2:6 & 15). May SGM leaders align with the former. 

To be faithful to criteria for Biblical leadership; to steer clear of the sin of favoritism and partiality (And nepotism, like Chesemore, Bradshaw and Whitacre); and to be consistent with what was expected of former SGM leaders, I believe senior leaders should step down for a season (Larry, concur...3 years wouldn't hurt...SGM could run on auto-pilot...)  to be retooled for ministry according to I Pet. 5 and I Tim. 3 standards. (Children could do better than the current crop of leaders) Public repentance and public statements should be made along with restitution where appropriate (Harvey and Connolly, you two first, fess up). Then and only then, can the favor of Almighty God return in its fullness to this ministry and unity be restored. The warning of God’s “lampstand” (His Presence) being removed (Rev. 2:5) is very real when a church or ministry is being evaluated by Jesus and fails to respond. Many onlookers are hoping and praying that will not happen. 

Then we all can pray like Nehemiah did after he instituted reforms to restore the walls of the city of God: “Remember me with favor, O my God.” (Neh. 13:31) (More inopportune applications here, as if Neh applies to liars, muggers, deceivers and opportunists)

PS: Because the issues and contents of this statement have already been made public at church meetings and on the Internet for months, I sensed it was appropriate to release my story at this time. CJ and I are almost 40-year friends and our reconciliation statement still stands. In my study I keep a plaque he gave me decades ago. On it are the words: “My Brother, I would not be the man I am without your care and example. I am eternally indebted to you. Your Yokefellow, CJ.” I would add: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Prov. 27:6)