Update from SGM Board

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/Priorities-for-the-year-ahead-an-update-from-the-new-Board.aspx

The new Sovereign Grace Ministries Board of Directors met this Wednesday. We devoted most of our time to getting an update and overview of the state of SGM and established two immediate priorities for the coming year.

First, we decided to create a polity committee to consist of two members of the Board, two members of the Leadership Team (including C.J. Mahaney, who will chair the committee), and at least three Sovereign Grace pastors not on the Board. This committee will pick up the work that has already been done on polity and develop it to give better definition to the ministry, to how SGM as a ministry relates to pastors and their churches, and to policies and procedures for making decisions and selecting leaders. We are tasking this committee to solicit a broad range of views within SGM regarding how we are governed and how we define our connections between churches and the ministry. Once the committee’s work is done, they will submit it to the Board for review, amendment, and approval. The resulting governance and our partnership agreements will then be presented to Sovereign Grace pastors for their review. We decided, at least for the present, not to set a deadline for the committee’s work to be completed but do want this to be a top priority for our development as a ministry.

Second, we expect to receive the Ambassadors of Reconciliation report in the coming two weeks. We plan to begin discussing the report on a retreat in Louisville April 9 & 10 and then to make plans for responding.

This Board will operate differently from the interim Board. We will not involve ourselves in day-to-day ministry decisions and communication. Our priorities are appointment and evaluation of the Leadership Team, broad evaluation and strategy for the ministry, advising the Leadership Team on key concerns, and providing accountability to the Leadership Team regarding doctrine, finances, and governance. Our primary interactions, therefore, will be with Leadership Team members and others who can inform us about the ministry and counsel us regarding decisions.

It is customary to end messages like this asking for prayer, but this request is more than customary. This new Board is aware of the significant responsibilities we carry for the future of SGM. Please pray for us and more importantly, please pray for this family of local churches and your own local church so that we can—individually and connected together—plant and build local churches that proclaim the gospel and bring praise to our Lord.

Detwiler Still Doggedly Pursuing the Fleeing Mahaney

Brent Detwiler

Brent Detwiler is offering more on the subject of Mahaney's shop of horrors.  The outside mediators, Ambassadors of Reconciliation, had a thankless task of reviewing SGM's track record and will issue a report--we're led to believe--by the end of March, 2012.  Thus far, Mahaney bolted from Elders and the Church he founded in Gaithersburg, MD.  He'll been headed west (high speed no doubt) to Kentucky, probably Louisville, to resume some sort of operations there.  Al Mohler, Mark Dever, and Ligon Duncan will be and have been enthusing at the T4G-operation in Louisville, KY, 10-12 April 2012.  Recently, Dave Harvey refused to be on the new SGM Board.  Time will tell, but Brent is still in pursuit of reform and responses.  Further responses to Brent by SGM simply will not happen.  At this point, "DC" ops--a Navy term for "damage control" for fires or combat ops afloat and aboard Naval vessels--have been underway.  Exculpate Mahaney, burnish the lucrative brandname, retain the image, get on with things, put the Detwiler-documents in the rear view mirror, weed out dissenters, and move on to "a new target audience without the past baggage."  Brent offers his update at:  http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/2012/2/28/an-appeal-for-ted-kober-to-expose-dave-harvey.html

Two days ago, I sent the correspondence that follows to Ted Kober, President of Ambassadors of Reconciliation. I asked him to provide answers to three questions by noon today. In so doing, I hoped for a private response but I’ve heard nothing. It is now 2:00 pm. I must share my appeal in public. It is also relevant to every leader and person in SGM.

Over the past 7 years, I asked C.J., the SGM Board, and others, hundreds of vital questions. Normally those inquiries were totally ignored. Over the past two years, I made scores of specific charges backed up by evidence and asked for a defense. No defense was given 98% of time except for vague denials. Over the last 7 months, I requested that any errors in my writings be corrected. More silence. C.J., Dave, the SGM Board and others remain unaccountable.

The SGM Board also put a muzzle on justice by forbidding her to speak openly and freely before neutral judges. The three panel approach was their crowning achievement. It gave the appearance of justice to the naïve; while securing a miscarriage of justice apparent to the discerning. No judge in American would allow such a bogus proceeding in their courtroom. Moreover a host of people would have gone to jail for criminal activity including perjury, jury tampering, the suppression of evidence, and the denial of due process. Every statutory standard for the hearing of evidence in a court proceeding was done violence.

This is due in large part to the craft and cunning of Dave Harvey. In the piece below, I ask Ted to boldly expose Dave for his ongoing lying, deceit and manipulation. Corruption has only increased over time. Thousands of people in SGM churches have been deceived. They’ve been told to trust their leaders, believe the best of C.J. and Dave, not read my materials and refrain from “divisive” discussions with others. All the while storm clouds keep gathering.

##

Introduction

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2012 4:03 PM
To: Ted Kober
Cc: Melissa Richholt
Subject: Response to Ted Kober
Importance: High

I don’t know Ted’s travel schedule or if you screen his email but would you please bring this to his immediate attention if necessary. I’d like his response by noon on Tuesday.
Thank you Melissa.
Brent

February 26, 2012
Dear Ted,
I need to share honestly with you. The hour is late. Your report is due soon. Please let me be direct without it being misinterpreted as a lack of love or gentleness.

First, I believe you have been taken advantage of and manipulated by the SGM Board. Second, I think you have been timid in addressing evil, ignored evidence, been unwise in what you’ve proposed and failed to oppose the three panel approach as unjust. I hope you acknowledge all of these in your March report.

I need to continue my appeal for boldness and share more of my concerns with you based upon our conversation and interactions the past month. In particular, I want to warn you again regarding Dave Harvey. He cannot and should not be trusted. He is a master manipulator and consistent liar.

Tragically, the SGM Board has followed his corrupt example and been duped by him. Just like C.J., he has not been held accountable by the SGM Board or his local elders.

Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” C.J. and Dave have been kissed many times by men who benefit from their favor. To date, none of their “friends” have been willing to rebuke them in the open. A true test of love is the willingness to reprove. They are surrounded by man pleasers who are afraid of the consequences that come with offending them.

Lady Wisdom is correct. Proverbs 9:7-8, “He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you.”

Recently I sent you and others “Mush-Minded Invertebrates” with the following note. It is the need of the moment.

For more of Brent's dogged pursuit, see:
http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/2012/2/28/an-appeal-for-ted-kober-to-expose-dave-harvey.html

SGM-Mahaneygate: Josh Harris, CLC, 22 May 2011

http://www.covlife.org/static/meeting_notes

It's not easy to evaluate areas where we've made mistakes, but God has been helping the pastors of Covenant Life through the constructive feedback of members to identify areas where we've gotten things wrong and where we need to grow. At our Members Meeting Sunday night Josh shared the following message on behalf of the pastors. We're posting it here—both an audio version along with a full transcript—for the benefit of those who couldn't attend as well as former members. We hope you'll be encouraged as you see God's faithfulness to refine us and grow us.

Listen to Josh's message

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May 22, 2011 | Joshua Harris

Welcome, everyone. Thank you so much for making this gathering a priority. If this is your first Members Meeting, we are so happy to have you with us. For those of you who have been to many of these, let me say at the outset that the format of tonight’s meeting is going to be different than past times. Normally we share a number of different announcements and updates, but tonight I’m going to share some important things God has been showing the pastors about where we’ve gotten things wrong and where we believe we need to grow as leaders and as a church.

At the last members meeting I told you that we’d been receiving feedback from members about changes they’d seen in the church that hadn’t been fully explained. This led to the decision to hold several meetings at my house to hear the concerns and questions of members.

I am so grateful for the men and women of this church who have sat down with me and other pastors to help us evaluate our leadership. We had three meetings at my house this winter with nearly 80 people total, and we’ve also met with different individuals and couples one-on-one. People have shared honestly and courageously and also lovingly. I’ve experienced first-hand the truth of Proverbs 27:6 that says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” God has used these honest conversations to help us.

It’s so important to me and all the pastors that this open dialogue continues. This can’t be a limited season; it must be an ongoing way of life at Covenant Life. It’s essential for the health of our church that you know you can talk to your pastors and share questions and concerns at any time. For many of you, coming to us with questions or concerns has been your consistent practice. And for years our Care Group leaders have helped to facilitate an awareness among the pastors of the needs, strengths, and weaknesses they or other members have perceived. I’m grateful for the way they’ve served. But we’ve never wanted any member to hesitate to approach us. Sadly, several people have told me that they haven’t felt like they could do this. It grieves me that anyone has felt this way. We want that to change. Please don’t hesitate to bring any concern or question. Please don’t wait for an invitation or a special occasion.

One of the things that has been most encouraging about this process is that many of the points we’ve heard from members have lined up with and clarified things that God was already helping us see.

I share this not to imply that we already had this figured out, but to highlight what I believe is a work of the Holy Spirit. This church belongs to God. 1 Peter 5:4 tells us that Jesus is the “chief Shepherd.” And I see him shepherding us, growing us and refining us. And that’s why, even though it’s not easy to talk about our mistakes, I have a tremendous sense of faith for how God is working in our church.

So please understand that what I’m sharing tonight is not a matter of one group of people coming to the pastors with their observations. It’s something bigger than that. I believe God is answering our prayer that he would revive us and refine us. Is there anything we need more than that?

I want to read something to you from Ray Ortlund’s book When God Comes to Church. This is a book on revival, and this particular quote has both challenged me and stirred my faith greatly over the past eight months...

Commenting on Isaiah 64:1 (“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down...”), Ray Ortlund writes:

When God rends the heavens and comes down on his people, a divine power achieves what human effort at its best fails to do. God's people thirst for the ministry of the Word and receive it with tender meltings of soul ... Reconciliation between believers is sought and granted. Spiritual things, rather than material things, capture people's hearts. A defensive, timid church is transformed into a confident army. Believers joyfully suffer for their Lord. They treasure usefulness to God over career advancement. Communion with God is avidly enjoyed. Churches and Christian organizations reform their policies and procedures. People who had always been indifferent to the gospel now inquire anxiously. And this type of spiritual movement draws in not just the isolated straggler here and there but large numbers of people. A wave of divine grace washes over the church and spills out into the world. That is what happens when God comes down. And that is how we should pray for the church today.

I’ve seen a desire for reconciliation, a willingness for self-evaluation, and a quickness to own mistakes; I believe all of these things reflect the work of the Spirit. And I see the Lord working to reform our church and grow us in ways that are needed.

As we learned in our study of Nehemiah, God is at work when his people rise up with faith to rebuild the walls.

When we started the Nehemiah series, I had no idea how much that study would challenge me personally and mirror what I believe God is doing in Covenant Life. Just like

Nehemiah and the people of Israel, I believe God has led us into a time of honest evaluation of the condition of the walls of our church.

Friends, by God’s grace, we have a strong, healthy, influential and growing church. There is so much to celebrate. I thank God that we love his Word and are seeking to center our lives on the gospel. I thank God that in so many ways we are united. I thank God that there is a real commitment to pursue holiness. I thank God for the depth of relationships and fellowship that we enjoy. I thank God that we’re pushing forward in gospel mission in our local community, and in partnership with Sovereign Grace, around the world. God has been so good to us. And we would dishonor him if we didn’t recognize that and give him all the glory! I’m so grateful for all the service, leadership and sacrifice that have brought us to this point.

But gratefulness for grace doesn’t mean we overlook areas of weakness. The Holy Spirit has also been helping us see places where the walls need repair. This shouldn’t surprise us or overly discourage us. We’re not in heaven yet. Covenant Life isn’t the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God! We’re flawed, sinful people whom God is changing. So we don’t need to be shocked when we realize that there are still places where God wants to apply grace to grow and transform us. There are areas we need to strengthen. There are places where we need to acknowledge we’ve gotten things wrong. I don’t think this process is negative or counter-productive. It’s certainly not an indictment of our rich history. It’s simply an acknowledgment of our ongoing need for gospel transformation and renewal. And I believe it is a vital part of ongoing growth and ongoing integrity for any local church.

This won’t be the last time we have to do this. I assure you this won’t be the last time we get things wrong. In future days, by God’s grace, we’ll no doubt see areas of our church that need realignment and refinement, and we’ll need to talk about them as a church family. This isn’t a bad thing. It’s a very healthy part of life together.

So let me share several key issues that I think God has been putting his finger on. I’m going to put these under three headlines that are an attempt to summarize the issues...

1. Reducing To One Practice

For several years now C.J. Mahaney, who was one of the founding pastors of Covenant Life and now serves as president of Sovereign Grace Ministries, has been leading the pastors of Sovereign Grace to recognize the difference between principle and practice. A principle is a clear teaching or imperative from God’s Word. A practice is a specific action or decision that seeks to apply a principle.

So for example, Scripture clearly teaches that husbands should love and cherish their wives (Eph. 5).

But how two Christian husbands put this same principle into practice can differ. One Christian can apply this principle by taking his wife out to dinner every Wednesday. But another husband might find time to communicate with and express affection for his wife with a walk around the neighborhood each night. They’re both honoring a biblical principle, but their practice is different.

One of the historic strengths of Covenant Life has been in putting principles into practice. We want to be, as James 1:22 says, not just hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word. May this never change! May we be a church community that takes God’s Word seriously and applies it to our lives.

Having said this, a strength in application can also be a weakness if we’re not careful. Here’s what I mean: if we elevate a single practice and invest it with the authority of biblical principle, we can place a rule or burden on people that isn’t actually commanded in God’s Word. For example, it wouldn’t be helpful if we said that the Bible teaches that couples need to go on a date every Wednesday. It’s a fine idea, but it’s not a scriptural command.

C.J. shared something with me recently that turned the light on for me. He quoted J.I. Packer who wrote that the Puritans were known for their ability to “reduce to practice”—in other words, they took biblical principles and reduced them to specific choices and decisions in their lives. This is a good thing. God’s Word, handled rightly, leads to humble and skillful application.

But C.J. pointed out that there can be a problem when we “reduce to only one practice”—and give the impression that there is only one godly way to honor a given principle.
Here are a few categories that members of the church have shared with us where they felt a single practice was over-emphasized in an unhelpful way:

• Dating and courtship
• Going away to college
• Girls and college
• Women’s Bible studies
• Women working outside the home

In each of these areas Christians can have differing practices and yet honor biblical principles. But in various ways I think we “reduced to only one practice,” and at times that brought the unintended consequence of people feeling the pressure that there was only one truly godly way to do things.

So for example, to honor biblical principles of purity, you had to practice courtship according to ideas in my books. Or to love the local church you shouldn’t go away to college but stay local. Or to value the leadership and teaching of the pastors, you shouldn’t attend outside Bible studies. Or to practice biblical femininity, you shouldn’t pursue higher education or work outside the home.

If you went back and listened to past messages, I don’t think you’d find us teaching, “There’s only one godly way to do this or that.” But we could have worked harder to highlight the differing viewpoints that still honored the principle.

So for example, there were occasions where we featured testimonies of people who passed up job opportunities or the chance to attend an out-of-state college for the sake of staying involved in this local church. These testimonies were designed to highlight sacrificial choices members made for the sake of participation in the church.

But we should have also featured testimonies of people who were glorifying God by excelling in their studies and in advancement in their careers even as they prioritized involvement in any other Bible-believing church. As pastors we allowed a culture to be created where the godly way was too narrowly defined.

All this is a disservice to you for several reasons. First, because it doesn’t teach you to grapple with God’s Word for yourself. We want you to study God’s Word yourself, see the biblical principles clearly, and put them into practice based on a clear conviction, not the conviction of someone else.

This is also a problem because it can lead to a legalistic environment where some people are more concerned with what other people practice than with the sufficiency of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Reducing to only one practice has also resulted in people feeling judged by others for not having the same practice.
One of the realizations we’re coming to as pastors is that we can do a better job in teaching the principle of Christian liberty taught in passages like Romans 14 and 1 Cor. 8-9. The principle of Christian liberty is that as followers of Christ we have freedom to make decisions about matters that are not revealed or mandated in Scripture without fear of sinning against God.



We can do a better job of teaching that one person’s or one pastor’s practice of wisdom is not God’s law and shouldn’t bind another person’s conscience.

We all need to wrestle with questions of wisdom. We all need to humbly seek to practice biblical principles and then discuss our differences with each other charitably and humbly. But we cannot as a church make everyone adopt the same practice. No matter how wise we think our practice might be, we can’t invest it with the authority of God’s Word.

We want to do a better job of teaching the principles of God’s Word and encouraging you as individuals and families to apply the Word as you see fit before the Lord. We still want to encourage each other to put God’s truth into practice. But we also want to emphasize the freedom we have as individuals and families to have different practices of the very same principle. We want to cultivate an even greater culture of grace even as we strive for holiness.

As a team of pastors we are committed to growing in this area. We’ve spoken with people who have shared where they were negatively affected by this, and we’ve asked their forgiveness.

If you’re someone who has any experience or circumstance that you’d like to talk about with us, we would love to sit down with you, listen to you, and wherever necessary ask your forgiveness as well.

2. Good Parents = Good Kids

This issue is closely tied to the issue of practice. In various ways, especially in the area of parenting, I think at times we have slid into the mistake of trusting practice more than God and his faithfulness.

And the basic lie we’ve been tempted to believe is that if you get all your practice right—if you parent right, discipline right and train right—then your kids will turn out right. In other words good parents = good kids.

Well, as most of us know, this just isn’t true. And it’s unhelpful on many levels. In fact even the label “good kids” is an unhelpful one that focuses more on outward behavior and image. Even many so-called “good kids” can be struggling with unseen spiritual struggles. The reality is that, like us, all of our kids are in process and need the power of God to save them and transform them day by day.

Now I don’t think the “good parents = good kids” idea has characterized our teaching on parenting, and I don’t think every pastor or leader has made this mistake. I’m grateful for the good fruit that’s been born over the years from the biblical teaching on parenting here.

But I know that I have made this mistake and often carried this wrong mentality. And there are many negative results to this wrong thinking:

• Fear-driven parenting
• Pride and self-righteousness when our kids are doing well
• Condemnation and shame when our kids struggle or stray
• Judgment toward those whose kids are struggling

Please don’t misunderstand. Parenting matters. God rewards faithfulness and diligence. I’m not suggesting we should minimize the importance of instructing, training and disciplining our kids—it’s clearly commanded in God’s Word.

But we need to do this trusting in the Lord and recognizing that we cannot control our children’s hearts or save them. We can do our best and be faithful, and our children can still choose to sin and rebel against God.

There are some of you who have felt judged by others when your kids struggled. Instead of feeling loved you felt critiqued. I’m sorry for this. I know my leadership has contributed to this.

Over the years, a number of the pastors have faced significant parenting challenges during the teenage years. In one of those cases, I can see now that I did a poor job caring for my brother.

In an attempt to care for him, I began to focus on trying to point out what he did wrong in his parenting. I was placing my hope in a parent’s obedience rather than the sovereign grace of God to save the child. This was a lack of love for him.

When I should have been caring for this brother, I was correcting him. I’ve asked for his forgiveness for my wrongly placed hope and my poor leadership, and he has graciously forgiven me. Reviewing this with him as a pastoral team has helped us to see ways that we trusted parental faithfulness more than we relied on the gospel of grace.

But I’m sure there are others of you who to differing degrees have experienced the same thing—whether from pastors or from other members of the church. Parents in the church have shared that when their child rebelled, they felt isolated and abandoned instead of cared for and surrounded. They felt labeled as “bad parents” and marginalized in their involvement. And when their child was labeled a “bad kid,” other parents withdrew from them and sought to protect their children from them.

Many times we emphasized Proverbs 13:20—“...the companion of fools will suffer harm”—but have not adequately emphasized the truth of passages like Luke 15:4 that show that Jesus goes looking for the lost sheep.

So at many times we’ve been more focused on protecting our so-called “good kids” from the so-called “bad kids” rather than expressing God’s great love and compassion for all of our children.

We want to acknowledge that we’ve often done a poor job of caring for and pursuing young adults in this church who were struggling spiritually or wandering. We are seeking, with God’s help, to change. We want to be like our Savior who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). We want to obey 1 Thessalonians 5:14 that tells us to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

Please forgive us for any time we failed to care for and comfort you as you watched your child struggle. Forgive us for ways we failed to more actively pursue children that were wayward. We want you to know we are praying with you for them and want to hear if there are any steps we can take to reach out to them. And again, if you’d like to meet with a pastor to talk about your specific experience, please contact us. Wherever we can we’d want to talk with you personally.

In our church, the past 10 years have seen the first generation of kids come into adulthood. We’ve all learned a lot in the process. As our children have passed through their teen years, I think we have all grown in our realization that good parental training doesn’t guarantee “good” kids. It’s an incredible mercy if our teens don’t wallow in the mire ... and even if they do, that’s not the end of the story. God is mighty to save! He delights in rescuing those who have strayed! Rather than expending all our energy seeking to keep our kids from straying (and judging those who do), may God help us all learn to parent with a persevering hope in the gospel to do what we can never do in our own strength.

3. Disciplinary Consequences at Covenant Life School

Many of the concerns shared by members in the meetings we’ve had stemmed from their experiences with Covenant Life School. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with our school, let me provide some brief background information.

Covenant Life School opened its doors in 1979 with the goal of providing a distinctly Christian education for families in our church. It has provided an outstanding education for hundreds of students, and we couldn’t be more proud of both our staff and the quality of students.

As the school grew in size and scope, it consistently expected and enforced high standards of behavior. In cases where students fell significantly short of these standards, disciplinary decisions were made by the School Board, which consisted of school administrators and pastors.

With the addition of a high school program in 1995 came bigger disciplinary issues and more serious disciplinary consequences. You probably aren’t surprised to know that teens raised in strong Christian homes still struggled with temptations to sin. It was common for the Board to expel one or more students during the course of a school year.

All of the administrators and pastors involved in these decisions at the time would have felt they were being faithful to uphold biblical standards of conduct. The School Board made its decisions with the knowledge and support of the pastoral team and sought to communicate genuine care and concern for the families involved.

But after evaluating the fruit of the school’s disciplinary practices over 15 years and receiving honest and gracious input from many members, we have come to see that in some cases our disciplinary consequences were unnecessarily strong, and the effects on those we disciplined were more painful and costly than we realized.

While rightly concerned about protecting the spiritual health of the school community, we as pastors could have done far more to demonstrate care for the individuals being disciplined, and for their families. Removing them and their negative influence from the school community was seen as an urgent priority; restoring them to the school and church community was not. Once they were gone, we as pastors had no clear strategy for pursuing them in love. The result is that they felt cut off from the school, and consequently from the church. As a result, very few of those students who were removed from the school ever returned. Very few are members of our church today. It sobers and saddens us deeply to know that our practices tempted students to feel cut off from the Lord and his grace.

By God’s grace, we have been able to speak with many of these students and their families directly. They have been amazingly quick to forgive. Each conversation has only strengthened our commitment to practice school discipline more wisely, more patiently, and more redemptively in the future.

A number of changes have already been implemented over the past several years. We have involved parents more consistently in the process of evaluating and correcting student behavior. We have modified disciplinary consequences that were excessive. We have added several parent members to our School Board to ensure that school policies and practices benefit from their vital perspective. And we have grown significantly in expressing God’s redeeming love for students before, during and after the disciplinary process. I think we are moving in the right direction.

If you’re a parent or a student who would like to sit down and discuss any past issue in the school, please contact one of the pastors. We would be happy to revisit any issue and hear your perspective.

Our prayer is that Covenant Life School would thrive as a community of grace where our sons and daughters – all sinners like us – are supported and encouraged as they grow up into Christ. When they stumble, we want to help them regain their footing and press on toward the prize. And if some are disqualified from attendance because of their sin, we will do all in our power to assure them of our love, our commitment, and our vision for their return.

Conclusion

Those are my three categories. But let me take a moment to express my regret to you on behalf of your pastors.



Where our leadership was characterized by these patterns—in ways that I’ve shared and in ways I haven’t fully seen— we want to ask you to forgive us. We’ve been wrong. Deficiencies in our leadership have been hurtful to some of you. We are very sorry. Please forgive us.

There are people who have left Covenant Life over the years in part because of the very areas we’re talking about. I know many people who have grown up here whose walk with God has been significantly hindered by these issues. I want to try and get this apology out to them. We’re going to have the audio of tonight’s message available online and hope you’ll pass it along to anyone who needs to hear it.

And if you’re one of these people, and you’re listening to this some time in the future, please hear this: we’re asking for your forgiveness, too. And we sincerely pray that our failures as pastors and our failures as a local church will not hinder you from trusting in the perfect Savior Jesus Christ. If you’re thriving in your faith in another church, we praise God. But if you’re not walking with Jesus, and in some way our practice and example has distorted your view of Jesus, please forgive us and please turn back to him.

I realize you may never love Covenant Life or come back to this church, but I hope that you will come back to Jesus if you’ve strayed. And I want you to know that we would love to have you join us again at Covenant Life as we seek to grow in grace together. By the power of the gospel of grace, we are committed to growing and changing with God’s help.

For everyone here tonight and anyone listening, if you want to sit down with any of the pastors and talk about any specific circumstances from the past, please contact any of the pastors. We would love to do that.

I recognize that this apology doesn’t fix anything if you’ve been hurt, but I pray that God will use it to bring healing and closure for you.

What This Doesn’t Mean

I realize that some of what I’ve shared may raise questions or even concerns for some. Maybe you’d say, “I never experienced what you’re describing.” I’m very glad if that’s the case. I think we all need to remember that in a church our size different people will have different experiences based on factors like the age of our children and the circumstances of our lives. What’s most important for me to state is that the basic values of our church are not changing at all.

Let me state as clearly as possible what all this “doesn’t mean.”

1. It doesn’t mean we’re saying everything we’ve done in the past has been wrong. There’s so much grace we can celebrate in our church!
2. It doesn’t mean we’re going to care less about holiness. We need to be challenged by the Word of God. But we also need to help each other cultivate conviction by studying God’s Word for ourselves.
3. It doesn’t mean that wisdom and godly practice don’t matter. But how we relate to each other when we disagree is an important area in which we can grow. So we’re going to study in the coming days what Scripture teaches about Christian freedom, how to relate to people with different standards, and how to avoid self-righteousness even as we hold up biblical standards for righteousness.
4. It doesn’t mean that everything is fixed, and now we have perfect church. I wish it did! But we will continue to need to mature. We will continue to need to be refined by God’s Word. We as your pastors will continue to need your input, feedback and questions. We will still make mistakes.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I’m glad to say that in many of these areas we have already been growing and changing. Part of the reason this statement tonight is important is because we need to publicly acknowledge where we’re seeking to change so that we can better press ahead. This is another area where I’ve realized my leadership needs to improve. At times we’ve changed our practices, but I’ve not clearly explained why.

I’ve not clearly stated where we realize we’ve gotten things wrong. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to see this and share this with you. But here we are ... better late than never!

It’s a funny thing. I’ve never been more aware of my deficiencies as a leader. And yet I’ve never had more faith for the future of Covenant Life Church. I am so honored to serve as one of your pastors. I feel God humbling me, and yet I am more aware of his presence and his grace than ever.
He is with us. He is doing good to us. He is disciplining us because he loves us. And I believe he is positioning us to be more faithful and effective in the mission of reaching lost people with the gospel. All the areas that I’ve shared with you tonight are areas in which changing and growing will help us better welcome and disciple unbelievers.

God is not helping us see our mistakes to rub our noses in our failure—he is moving us forward in our mission. He is refining us so that we can better reflect and display the glories of the gospel. He is refining us so that we can be a church where people encounter grace and love and compassion. He is at work for his glory and our good.

SGM-Mahaneygate: Petition for Involvement in AoR

We agree with Jim Moran at SGM Refuge.  Jim's counsel follows.  "Forgiveness" is not, however, co-extensive with trust.  That is, restitution and genuine fruits of repentence are in order, e.g. new leaders.  Years of abusive patterns happened on CJ's watch.  Having said that, we obscure the larger and better point made by Jim below.  Now is the time for SGMers to talk to AoR.

http://sgmrefuge.com/2011/11/18/ambassadors-of-reconciliation-timeframe/

Ambassadors of Reconciliation Timeframe

All of this has been said before, but I wanted to make a final appeal. I believe that we have a once in decades opportunity here to give our input to an outside party in regards to our opinions and experiences with Sovereign Grace Ministries. Although Ted Kober communicates in an extremely gracious manner, (which is too gracious for some, given the topic) he has pulled no punches with SGM thus far. There is no reason to believe that he will not give an honest evaluation in the future, especially after hearing from hundreds of us. I honestly think that without knowing it, this time and season is the reason I started this blog. Please. Please send your feedback regarding SGM to AoR. The window is closing.

You can use the online form here.

You can download to print and mail or email the hard copy here.

Phone interviews may be requested until November 30.
AoR hopes to complete phone interviews by Christmas, and will accept feedback forms (with no request for a phone interview) until the interviews are complete.

AoR hopes to deliver their evaluation report by March, and SGM has promised to publish it. They have kept their promise in this regard thus far, and I have no reason at all to believe that they will not publish the final report.

Please join me in this endeavor.

Feedback can be email to mail@hisaor.org or can be mailed to:

Ambassadors of Reconciliation
P.O. Box 81662
Billings, MT 59108-1662

SGM-Mahaneygate: Ted Kober at SGM 2011 Pastors Conference

Right click to download: Forget Not All His Benefits

SGM-CJgate: DPV's Letter to AoR and Lutheran Reconcilers

Mr. Kober:

The circle widens, on my limited end. As it must. I understand that the circle widens in other orbits as well. That is, there are floating emails. It also is an understanding that “insider SGM” Pastors have issues with the regime.

A man like Mahaney markets himself widely, nationally, and internationally through CDs, DVDs, the website, mp3s, books, conferences, a Pastors College, and nation-wide affiliations. As such, he is “open game” for analysis. “It is what it is.” I am must enriched by the provenance and background of the Detwiler documents and CJ’s work, “Humility: True Greatness.” (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005). CJ writes this while his top advisors, Harvey and Detwiler, commiserate over the phoniness and hypocrisy. The book by Mahaney is quite impoverished–biblically, historically, theologically, confessionally, and liturgically. Mahaney-insiders were mocking the phony-Mahaney-gig, including Harvey. Ted, open game for all analysts.

I sent a few posts into high level Reformed orbits.

My sense is this: “You better be thorough or you’ll face heavy north 60-foot Norwegian seas (quite bad near the Artic over towards Russia, been there).

I sent these into the Reformed Professorial world. “Viking” is my nickname and earned amongst Marines years ago. The forum knows me as “Viking.” Darryl is a Harvard-PhD and Reformed Churchman asking questions about Mahaney. Carl Trueman will “get the memo.” Carl screwed up, royally.

Sir, it is my intention to continue to expose the hypocrisy, duplicity, authoritarian abuses, autocracy, and lies of Mr. Mahaney. Mahaney must stand down, resign, and “man a broom” somewhere. Ted, manfully call it what is is: historic abuse. The continued support of him in the wider world must end.

Please advise Bryce of this communication.  We want "facts first and exclusively."

Regards,
Don

SGM-Mahaneygate: Cowardly Challies.com

Challies shuts down discussion of SGM-Mahaney-gate.  The absence of "any desire" for scholarly, sustained, tough-minded, historically oriented, and deliberative inquiry is stunning.  Cowardly Challies is suggested. 

http://www.challies.com/interviews/should-you-go-to-t4g

Based on recent events, do you anticipate that C.J. Mahaney will be present and a full-fledged participant?

Tim, I have had the privilege to observe CJ publicly and privately through this very public trial. I can report that CJ is taking the reconciliation process very seriously, fully cooperating and humbly submitting to everything asked of him. More importantly, I have been surprised by the grace that is so evident in his life even as he’s digitally fried through anonymous posts. I can assure you that I would not be nearly as gracious.

Yes, I expect CJ to be present and a full-fledged participant at T4G 2012. He is exactly the kind of man we want to stand with—together for the gospel.

David Kjos 1 comment collapsed CollapseExpand

Memo to those who want to bring up the Mahaney/SGM situation: We're not going there. Period.

Diane 2 comments collapsed                                   

David Kjos--

"Memo to those who want to bring up the Mahaney/SGM situation: We're not going there. Period."

What does that even mean? Why not?

David Kjos 1 comment collapsed CollapseExpand

If you don't know, you probably don't need to know.

Because this isn't the place for that.

And that's all I have to say about that.

SGM-Mahaney: Finances/Email to Investigator, Mr. Kober, Ambassadors of Reconciliation

A note sent to the Senior Investigator of Mahaney and SGM.  It is our developing view that Mr. Kober, a Lutheran Churchman, and Ambassadors of Reconciliation is unequipped, poorly staffed, and overwhelmed by the size, depth and extent of the investigation needed to "clear out the SGM stable."  Or, to switch metaphors, to find the 1000s of unmarked graves over a 20-year period.  AoR and Ted, heavily funded by SGM and advocating for their client and themselves, are in over their heads.
----------------
Mr. Kober:

1. As I continue to ponder the AoR process, the depth of inquiry, your severe lack of resources (across several disciplines), the “nature” of the investigation, and the “extent” of issues, it all exceeds your grasp. Am glad that Bryce is on staff, an attorney. Don’t forget the sex offense cases. Minimally, you are looking at 10 years of concerns. I’d suggest 20 years, that is, a thorough historical look. Also, you need an historian re: pietism, legalism, and non-confessionalism. You also need a sociologist re: “high maintencance” or “cultic” groups. But, to another matter.

2. Another very, very serious issue arises. Finances.

3. Ted, I grew up as the “son of a manse,” not a Lutheran but a Reformed one…where congregation’s voted on Dad’s salary annually. I could say alot about that too. I’ll give you a sense of a man of honour. See: http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2010/09/my.html Plus, I have graduate degrees, myself, from Presbyterian and Episcopal seminaries. I’m not outta the boonies.

4. I profoundly regret that you don’t have a professional or forensic accountant to review SGM books, including salaries and more. This issue continues to recur in relation to the monarchial, closed, and autocratic system. It arises over and over at SGM Survivors and Refuge blogs. Ted, you need to listen to these blog owners. They’ve been on the beat. I repeat, Ted, this financial issue recurs again and again amongst the concerned. The time for full disclosure is at hand. This is tied in with the polity issue. If you seek trust, SGM must come clean. The median income in MD is 70K while, according to Det docs, CJ pulls down $250K aside from royalites, honourariums, and other benefits. Let the records and let God’s people adjudicate these matters. Again, as a “son of manse,” I strongly suggest honour, openness, and transparency. Of course, you will meet with resistance from the SGM board on this. Want reconciliation? Honour, Ted, honour. Ted, you’ve got your hands full. In fact, investigating this outfit is far beyond your staff resources, insofar as this scribe can see.

5. Also, re: 8-10 Nov. How much can you really do? You need 3-4 more of these across geographical regions over a 1-year period. Further, the “short fuse” in terms of notification was suspected too. Mr. Harvey extended it 2 weeks, but with a tepid, divagatory, and lukewarm recommendation. In other words, the “rank and file” SGM member wasn’t getting the memo. Ted, your client has an agenda. If you advocate for your client, who advocates for the 1000s? The victims, particularly the ones dealing with child sex offense cases? Ted, this can’t be about money. It must be about facts first.

By the way, I have lunch weekly with a Federal Judge. I routinely discuss these matters. He’s 81, a fine gentleman, a retired JAG, USMC of 30 years. Tried 300 cases and never overturned. He raised serious issue with the Taylor case, but there are others too.

As an old school Anglican, I need to write a prayer for/about you. I haven’t, but shall. Also, for the 1000s who fell prey to authoritarian and abusive structures.

Again, back on point. Finances.

Most cordially and best regards,
Donald

SGM-Mahaneygate: Mahaney's Comments at CLC Dtd 11 Jul 2011

These remarks were given by Charles Mahaney at Covenant Life Church, SGM's flagship Church, Gaithersburg, MD, on 10 Jul 2011.  We're not sure we posted it initially.  Upon re-reading it, however, an 11-year period, 2000-2011, with Mahaney being aged 47-58 years old, the top leader, he acknowledges that he has arrogantly abused his closest leaders and sinned against them for years and years.  While writing a book about "Humility" has has engaged in historic arrogance.  One might cut slack for a younger man, but we're talking about ages 47 to 58. We repost it here lest SGM website pulls it down.  The question is more pointed today than when it was first read.  Under these circumstances, how does this man still feel he's fit for ministry?  Where's some common sense here?  Want Mahaney as your Pastor?

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/sgm/post/CJ-Mahaneys-comments-at-Covenant-Life-Church-yesterday.aspx

C.J. Mahaney's comments at Covenant Life Church yesterday

July 11, 2011 by Dave Harvey

After last week’s announcement about C.J. Mahaney’s leave of absence, the pastors at Covenant Life Church called a members meeting so that C.J. could address the congregation. Some of his comments are relevant to others in Sovereign Grace churches as well, so we’ve posted them below.

Larry Tomczak was also kind enough to write up his account of his and C.J.’s recent reconciliation. We’ve published those comments as a separate blog post.
##

Because of my history with this church and my love for this church, I am grateful for the opportunity to address you. I want to thank Josh and the pastoral team for giving me this time.

I am sure for the vast majority here, what you heard the past week about the charges made against me has come as a complete shock. I understand and I am so very sorry.

Let me clarify at the outset that your pastors are not the primary object of these accusations—the accusations are primarily directed at me in the context of Sovereign Grace Ministries. This is about me, not your pastors. It is my hope that your relationship with the pastoral team will be strengthened, not weakened, through this. Please provide them with your support at this time. And if you are angry, I understand. But please direct that anger toward me.

My intention tonight is to share with you a few of the ways I believe I have sinned and some of the failures in my leadership, and help you understand to some degree how we have arrived where we find ourselves this evening.

A few years ago I started to realize that there were a number of former SGM pastors who had offenses with SGM and/or me. So I began to pursue some of them for the purpose of reconciliation. In January of 2010 I sent Brent Detwiler an email asking if he had any offense with me, communicating my desire to meet with him and hear him out. In 2009 Brent had been pastoring a church in North Carolina and left SGM.

When Brent responded to my email, he informed me that he was not willing to meet with me but that he would interact with me through email and written documents. Two months later I received a 130-page document from him outlining his perspective about my sins and failures as a leader in SGM.
I need to tell you up front that after reading this document and ones that followed, I don’t agree with a number of Brent’s charges and conclusions, nor the manner with which he has presented his offenses. However, my purpose this evening is not to criticize Brent or defend myself, but to inform you about various ways I have sinned and failed at different points in my ministry.

The central focus of Brent’s initial document was how I processed, responded to, and led through a relational conflict we had in 2003-2004. This conflict began when Brent and Dave Harvey brought to me correction related to certain character deficiencies and deficiencies in my leadership of the team. Rather than humbly listening to their critique and examining my heart, I reacted sinfully to what I perceived as their deficient manner of presentation, and this began a season where I was resistant to their correction.

Here is what they experienced from me:

• I was difficult to entreat.
• I sinfully judged their motives.
• I was arrogantly confident in my perception.
• I compared myself favorably to them.
• I was offended by what I thought to be a lack of appreciation from them for all I had done for them, and a lack of care for me in a season of trials.

And though we continued to work together, I gradually withdrew from them in my soul. And added to this I arrogantly dismissed their critique and did not inform others of their critique even after I agreed to do so. So I was in effect confirming the accuracy of their correction by how I was behaving.


In 2004 at the end of a lengthy process of correcting me and with the help of my small group I began to perceive some of these sins and ask forgiveness for those sins, and those in my small group were able to affirm some evidences of conviction, repentance, and growth. But in looking back my perception of my sin, my confession of sin, and my follow up with those I sinned against was woefully inadequate. I never circled back around to Brent or Dave to convey to them where they were right or the changes I was pursuing. And I neglected to inform Josh [Harris], Grant [Layman], and Kenneth [Maresco] about the specifics of Dave and Brent’s concerns.

When I received Brent’s first document, I sent it to a group of men who could help me evaluate the content of the document and these offenses from 2004. God used Brent’s document and the correction of my friends to help me see the sins I already mentioned much more clearly; and not just the sins, but the effects of those sins upon those I was called to serve with.

Let me introduce you to another failure of my leadership. I have been poor at establishing a process for resolving conflict and I have at times sought to manage the process on my own. In light of Brent’s offenses I should have immediately asked the SGM leadership team to lead the evaluation process and not attempted to manage the process on my own.

Brent was unwilling to meet with me personally. He insisted that my response be in written form to his satisfaction before he would meet with me personally and for months I let the process drift. I was reluctant to comply with him and thought it best to pursue reconciliation in person. Months passed. I’m sure the time delay tempted Brent and I am sorry for this.

In the fall Brent sent a second document, this one 165 pages in length. In this document Brent further illustrated failures he had observed in my leadership. He pointed out how defensive I could become when my integrity was questioned—which was accurate—and added further illustrations of the sins I already noted. Brent also detailed how he believed my sinful patterns ultimately contributed to his dismissal as a pastor from his church in 2009.

After receiving the second document, I sent it to the SGM leadership team, eight Covenant Life Church elders, and some friends who have known me and worked with me for many years. I asked them to read the documents and provide me with their honest evaluation of me not only in relation to the documents but any sins or leadership failures they would have observed apart from these documents in their own experience with me.

I spent a day together with these men in November of 2010 where I could hear evaluation from each of them. It was a sad and painful day for me to recognize that Brent was not the only one to experience the effects of my sin, but to various degrees many of the other men in the room had as well. At the end of the day I asked the men to forgive me. I then circled back around to a number of them privately to ask forgiveness more specifically. I then proceeded to write Brent a letter of confession for the sins I was perceiving and appealed for mediation so that we could receive help in being reconciled through an impartial third party. Brent wrote back and informed me my confession was not specific enough and asked that I review the documents again.

At this time, the SGM board assumed full responsibility for the process and I recused myself from any discussion or decisions regarding Brent’s complaint. They asked me to respond to Brent with a more detailed confession, so I asked my friend John Loftness to catalogue all of Brent’s charges and to spend a day going over each one with me so I could respond to Brent with a greater degree of specificity. With the help of John and the board, I then crafted a second confession of about ten pages. It saddens me to report to you that Brent did not find this confession adequate.

Throughout this time I was also benefitting from the counsel of Ken Sande of Peacemaker Ministries. Ken reached out to Brent and proposed a process of mediation that Brent declined. We then began to discuss involving an outside panel to evaluate Brent’s charges even if Brent declined to participate.

Last month Brent sent a third document, this one 200 pages in length. In this document Brent pointed out my leadership failures in 1997 when Larry Tomczak left SGM after relocating to Atlanta to plant a church. During this time Larry and I had a conflict over how we would describe his leaving SGM. It grieves me to report to you that in a particular phone conversation I sought to coerce Larry to present his leaving as I thought was right. (And by the way none of your current pastors would have known this. It involved SGM not CLC.) And when Larry did leave, my public announcement of his departure was self-righteous in attitude and critical of Larry at a very vulnerable time in his life. I highlighted his sin alone, and I was blind to my own. I’m deeply grieved by this.

But I am happy to report that seven months before Brent’s third document arrived, a letter arrived on my desk from Larry Tomczak asking if we could be reconciled. By the grace of God I agreed and this led to a series of meetings we had in Nashville. I am humbled and delighted to report to you that when I confessed my sins to Larry and Doris they freely, immediately, and graciously forgave me. If memory serves me that was in December last year.

Larry and I stood side by side and cofounded CLC. We stood side by side and cofounded SGM. Sin separated us, but I will have the sweet joy to stand side by side with him again in November when he joins us as a special guest at our Pastors Conference. I hope to do the same at CLC to welcome him back. Actually when we do this I think it would be appropriate if I stand off to the side. Larry has been a wonderful example of extending forgiveness.

There are certainly other examples I could give of these sin categories: examples that have hurt others, hindered my leadership, gone against what I’ve taught, and—most significantly—dishonored God. But the past year and a half has helped me see these things and forced me to confront these things in a much more thorough way than I ever have before. And so, in a way typical of our gracious God, these difficult months have quite obviously been for my good. I believe through these things God is disciplining me for my sin and leadership failures and I am very grateful for this discipline. Hebrews 12 tells how I should respond to this discipline: don’t be indifferent to it, and don’t be overwhelmed by it.

I bear a unique and primary responsibility for all that took place in 1997, 2004, and on other occasions as well. I am grateful to God that I am perceiving my sins and leadership failures. I’m aware that I am a sinner in need of grace and I am grateful for the forgiveness that Jesus purchased for my sins.


There is however an element in Brent’s storyline that I do not agree with. He asserts that my sins and leadership failures contributed directly to his removal from his church and SGM. I don’t believe I have the final word on this, nor should I, and I have welcomed the recommendation of the SGM board that we establish a panel of respected leaders outside SGM to study these charges and give us their evaluation of me and the ministry as a whole.

I asked the board for a leave of absence from my position as President so I can have no position of influence in this process or its outcome, and so that every charge can be thoroughly evaluated. The evaluation of the panel will be made public and communicated to you.

But this evening I want to communicate my sorrow for my sin and leadership failures and their effects on others; in particular you, the church I love the most. I want to ask for your forgiveness for these sins and their effects on you.

Please pray for me, but let me give you my greater burden: please pray for SGM. I want to do all I can do to spread the gospel. I want to protect your relationship with your pastors. I want to protect the pastors and churches of SGM. And above all I want to please and glorify God whatever this requires of me. Not surprisingly there are matters of policy and practice that need correction. I bear primary responsibility for this since these deficiencies have been revealed on my watch. Please don’t misunderstand, this is not a blanket assessment of SGM churches or pastors. But we need to make some changes in:

• Our polity and structures of accountability for pastors. We have been hard at work on this one for two years and that needs to continue.
• How we evaluate pastors. In some instances, the way we have evaluated pastors in the past has been inconsistent and, some cases, flawed.
• How pastors correct one another. Again, this is not applicable to every pastor or pastoral team, but where appropriate we want to grow here.
• How we resolve conflict.

Please also pray that Brent and I would be reconciled. We were once good friends. I pray that because of the gospel that friendship would be restored.

Most importantly, pray that God would be glorified through all of this by reconciling broken relationships wherever they may exist in our churches, and by bringing about the fruit and effect of the gospel that has so graciously saved each of us.

SGM-Mahaneygate: "One of Many Such Letters"

http://www.brentdetwiler.com/brentdetwilercom/2011/10/15/one-of-many-such-letters.html

One of Many Such Letters...

Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 2:22PM

 

Bruce’s story is not uncommon and I have his permission to post it. It is typical. Nor is he a lone voice. Scores of former SGM leaders agree with him. And he is correct when he says “the accusations against Sovereign Grace are longstanding and true” and have only worsen.

C.J. and Dave are hearing nothing new these days. That’s why it drives those of us, who have been around for a long while, crazy when Dave says, “I’m growing more excited about how God is going to use it to help us see areas where we need to change.” For the last two decades men have been addressing areas of concern that needed to change. All those men ended up removed from ministry or chose to leave SGM.

That is one of the reasons, I resigned from the Board of Directors in 2007. I gave up trying to adjust C.J., Dave, Steve Shank, Bob Kauflin, et al. Every effort to provide input was turned back upon me as an expression of pride and arrogance. In 2000, I began a 3½ year process whereby we tried to help C.J. That culminated in our meeting with C.J. and the CLC pastors in 2004. But C.J. took control of that process, lost sight of his sin, began confronting me and turned Josh, Kenneth, Bob and Grant against me. After years of trying, I lost too much respect for C.J. (and others) and I no longer trusted his (or their) integrity. I had to leave. The hypocrisy and abuse were just too much.

That is why people throughout SGM need to realize my story is far from the only story! Men from around the country are writing C.J., Dave, and Steve saying the same things as Bruce and me. And unfortunately, they are getting meaningless responses. We call it “Dave speak.” That’s why the SGM Board has not acknowledge the widespread and serious correction they are receiving from many quarters.

If C.J., Dave and Steve are ever truthful, if AoR ever releases the evidence, they will have to resign from the SGM Board. That is one of the reasons they rejected my counter proposal for adjudication. I wanted an open hearing and a public report. Let the church judge. If we are going to be biblical, all the churches should hear the evidence. These claims of slander are rediculous. I had biblical warrant to go public many years ago. In fact, I should have gone public in 2004 when C.J. cover everything up and silenced men.

The churches of SGM should be presented with the evidence. I am happy for C.J. to defend himself. I've asked him to do so repeatedly. But instead he hides behind the SGM Board and the SGM Board hides behind AoR and AoR hides behind confidentialiy agreements and confidentially agreements fail to recognize the role of the church in trying a case. I have no hope people in the churhces will ever hear the truth from SGM. That is why other venues have been raised up by God to reveal what SGM conceals.

When you view the panorama of the evidence, you immediately realize there is no middle ground. It will frighten you if the CLC pastors tell you fully of their dealings with C.J. in recent days. C.J., Dave, Steve, et al, either cover up and stay or they open up and resign! If they choose the former it is only a matter of time before scores of letters like this one are posted on the internet and rightly so.

From: Bruce Farley
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2011 4:37 PM
To: C. J. Mahaney; Brent Detwiler; Dave Harvey
Subject: Would appreciate your comments

I sent this out a few days ago—and hadn’t heard back from anyone in terms of thoughts, etc.—so I’m resending it. Thanks for reading:

Gentleman,

I’ll make this as brief as possible. I’ll probably be accused of being simplistic—so be it. Simplicity may bring clarity with it.

To see all the energy and effort going into this reconciliation and Brent’s blog and the Sovereign Grace Refuge and related websites—really all of it from all parties concerned—is grievous at best.

The accusations against Sovereign Grace are longstanding and true—of that there’s no doubt. You’ve really, really hurt some people and really, really messed up some people’s lives and walks with God. So Dave, CJ—admit you’ve totally messed up in some areas. No more Christian doublespeak—guys all around the country were grieved to see you go that route again. There are so many of us—and this is specifically to you CJ—that love and respect you—and know that you can do better than the nonsense you put out in your stepping away statement. We all feel like this is simply another round of something like manipulation when God wants to cut out the root. I remember so many years ago a teaching you did on repentance and what it meant to just let God go for the root of the issue. You guys love to control—admit it—repent—be reconciled—and then move on into all God has for Sovereign Grace. We want to see CJ Mahaney finish this race well, not just keep covering his back and not dealing with the root.

Brent—you’ve probably been hurt more than any of us—but is it really worth writing a full length book about? Are the grievances really worth websites dedicated to people being offended and losing sight of being Christlike and simply moving on and forgiving even if the other person never sees their wrong?

All of you men have lives in God that he wants to use.
All this to say that it feels like you’ve all lost sight of something infinitely bigger—a crucified Savior and proclaiming him to a world that is dying. Churches that are discipling with the Word, Spirit and grace.

It breaks my heart to see this movement where it is—but there’s a day gentlemen where you have to just decide to get a life and move on in God.

My thoughts.
In Christ,

Bruce Farley

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 11:37 AM
To: Bruce Farley; C. J. Mahaney; Dave Harvey
Subject: RE: Would appreciate your comments

Hey Bruce…

Sorry this has taken so long. Of late, I’ve not been able to read all my email let alone answer them. But I am glad you wrote and happy to share a little of my perspective.

What we are dealing with has a long history as you are aware. During the last decade we were unsuccessful in helping C.J. to deal with some serious patterns of sin in his life. Our input was met with constant resistance. I left SGM in August 2009. Starting in March 2010, I began writing C.J. I produced three major documents. These produced some fruit in C.J.’s life but my most serious concerns went unaddressed. I appealed to the SGM Board. They defended C.J. I appealed to the CLC pastors. They failed to act decisively. Then Dave and C.J. began to spin to the pastors and movement what really was going on. I was forced to send out the documents on July 6, 2011 (available at BrentDetwiler.com).

Additionally, C.J, Dave and the Board promised me the opportunity to present my concerns before an objective panel of evaluators in an open and thorough going fashion. They broke their word and came up with a proposal the was partial, closed, limited and unjust. I could not accept.

Since 2004, old and serious sins patterns have only grown in SGM. More churches have been destroyed. More people harmed. More pastors ruined. The problems in SGM are systemic. Yet, C.J. and Dave have yet to acknowledge any substantial sin or make any meaningful public confessions and restitution. They have covered up so much.

Therefore, it came time to remove the garbage can lid so people could see and smell the trash. I didn’t want to do this but I had no choice. The issues are very serious. C.J. and Dave have been unrepentant. People needed to be informed for their own safety. Though grievous, it was necessary to do, after all other options were exhausted. As a result, hundreds are telling their stories. Former leaders who were afraid are finally telling their stories of being abused.

I hope C.J. and Dave resign from the SGM Board. That would be a good start in rebuilding SGM.

Brent

From: Bruce Farley
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 12:29 PM
To: Brent Detwiler; C. J. Mahaney; Dave Harvey
Subject: Dave and CJ and especially CJ--PLEASE READ

Dave and CJ,

As you can see below—Brent has laid out a pretty obvious case—and one that I would unfortunately have to agree with.

My experience was with XXXXX. The manipulation, condemnation, and spiritual control he exercised left me a broken man that was at one point almost suicidal. It’s my fault I let him do the sinful insanity he did—it was XXXXX however—operating in an environment woven and constructed by SGM under your leadership, that created that environment and spiritual manipulation that empowered him to do and be what he was.

I’ve forgiven you men and the movement years ago—but must confess even when we talked last year Dave, I felt your “interest” in what I had gone through and your desire to “hear” and embrace for the movement what you did was to a degree more of the “same old same old.” As I stated in the original email below— “We want to see CJ Mahaney finish this race well, not just keep covering his back and not dealing with the root.”

Your cover-up and avoidance of the voices of hundreds has wrecked lives, caused spiritual disillusionment, caused children to give up on the church, etc.

Please guys—deal with this—stop the games. PLEASE.

I remember a sermon years ago CJ when you talked about the challenge of finishing well. You’ve put so much into my life—and I and so many others want to see you finish well.

In Christ,
Bruce Farley


From: Dave Harvey
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 5:03 PM
To: Bruce Farley
Subject: FW: Dave and CJ and especially CJ – PLEASE READ

Hey Bruce,

Thanks for sending in your thoughts. I’m out of town right now but I wanted to get back to you and let you know that I did, in fact, receive your email.

While we may disagree on your some of your observations, I’ll certainly agree that there are a number of areas that we need to change. However, we want to do a thorough evaluation of our practices which includes inviting feedback from people inside and out of SGM, and also includes inviting you and others to the Group Reconciliation process that I emailed you about. So I hope you will reconsider being part of that to help us arrive at a place that truly honors God, serves people, and allows us to get back to the bigger things that you mention in your first e-mail.

Thanks for considering this. I’m growing more excited about how God is going to use it to help us see areas where we need to change.

Dave

From: Bruce Farley
Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2011 7:57 AM
To: Dave Harvey; Brent Detwiler; C. J. Mahaney; Steve Shank
Cc: Brian Wasko; Eric Hughes
Subject: My response to Dave and CJ

Dave (and CJ),

I’ve copied CJ on this, as well as Brent and several others. I’m also asking Brent to forward this to his list—and especially to Ken Sande or whoever is currently involved in your reconciliation team.

I remain thankful (I truly am) for the years of teaching I’ve received from you two and from the movement as a whole, and how it has shaped my walk with God and my appreciation of solid doctrine. I’ve never posted on and only read for brief minutes the Sovereign Grace Refuge or other blogs. I never wanted to be involved in bashing SGM. I only became involved in responding to any of this when I received the invite to the “group reconciliation”—but having briefly interacted again with you Dave—I’m giving for the time being at least my response. I won’t be coming to any group reconciliation at this point for one reason—I no longer trust you as men who will honestly care for my heart or respect my thoughts or input.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read your response to my thoughts Dave.

The way you led out in how you responded revealed the whole of what has been a pattern for at least 15 years—and I fear (as do many, many others) the reality of what your response will continue to be as you dance around the reality of what SGM has become.

Your immediate response is one of disagreeing with some “observations”—and then stating that there are areas that you need to change and that you want to hear. I would think someone who really wanted to hear might realize that it’s in the areas where you “disagree” that your biggest blind spots and self-deception lie.

It appears that God, as an act of his mercy, is bringing you guys to a point where many don’t really believe in any way, shape or form anymore that you truly “want to hear”—and that it’s not going to work anymore to try and convince us otherwise. It’s a ploy that’s been used too long—and in and of itself it’s one more sign of your manipulation, control and spiritual abuse. Having run out of ways to manipulate—God might bring you to a point where you have to look the issues of control, spiritual abuse and spiritual manipulation in the eye and hopefully deal with it once for all.

It’s not “practices” that need to change Dave and CJ—it’s your hearts. Hearing you talk about “practices” in contrast to being genuinely and deeply grieved and broken about how your blindness and control and manipulation has hurt and wiped out so many is terrifying. We’re tired of hearing how you’ve “seen errors,” supposedly repent, and then spend another few years destroying lives and people’s walks of faith.

Until you men really, really want to hear and allow your hearts to be changed—I and many others would be both fools and bad stewards of time to be involved in some type of group reconciliation. I honestly hope that very few men if any come to your group reconciliation—for two reasons. First—in not coming you’ll realize that you’ve run out of spiritual word games to avoid the real issues, and secondly we’ll serve you in the hopeful long run by not play into your ongoing self-deception.

I remain one who loves and respects the CJ and Dave I used to know—but who doesn’t recognize the men hiding behind the spiritual doublespeak that you’ve become. I want to be able to love and respect those men again.

Once again, I’m asking Brent to forward this to his list and to Ken Sande or whoever is currently involved in this “process of reconciliation.”

Sad to say—but my closing thought is a lyric from a song by the Who—“…won’t get fooled again.”

With hope in Christ’s power to redeem—

Bruce Farley

From: Brent Detwiler
Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2011 8:37 AM
To: Ted Kober; Edgar Keinath; Ken Sande; Aron Osborne; C. J. Mahaney; Craig Cabaniss; Dave Harvey; Jeff Purswell; John Loftness; Mark Prater; Mickey Connolly; Pete Greasley; Rick Gamache; Steve Shank; Adam Malcolm; Ben Wikner; Bob Schickler; Braden Greer; Corby Megorden; Dave Brewer; Don DeVries; Eric Sheffer; Eric Simmons; Grant Layman; Greg Somerville; Issac Hydoski; Jamie Leach; Joe Lee; Jon Smith; Joshua Harris; Kenneth Maresco; Mark Mitchell; Matt Maka; Robin Boisvert
Subject: FW: My response to Dave and CJ

To Former SGM Leaders [blind copy]

Bruce asked me to forward this to you. He makes some really good points. You may not take part in the Group Reconciliation but I’d strongly encourage you to write the SGM Board, the AoR representatives (e.g. Ted Kober) and copy the Covenant Life Pastors. You are also welcome to copy me. All their addresses are included above.

It is critical that all of us tell our story and provide SGM an honest critique [even though our critiques have not borne fruit in the past]. You can read my perspective at BrentDetwiler.com and access “The Documents” on the right side of the page.

Thanks
Brent