Mahaney/ SGM – Louisville, KY SBCers? Mohler/SBTS to the Rescue?

Deb at "The Wartburg Watch" is offering the following interpretation of Mahaney's convenient and hasty westward retreat from his home church--whence he fled--, Covenant Life, Gaithersburg, MD, towards Kentucky.  Mahaney had a temporary layover at Dever's community and then Solid Rock (SGM), MD.  We suspect that Mahaney got a preliminary whiff of possible fallout and debris from an impending report from the Ambassadors of Reconciliation (due end of Mar 2012).  The new school Baptyerian, Lig Duncan, once suprised RA, but his stock has dropped to about $0.25 from the old school standpoint.  As to the forthcoming T4G, 10-12 Apr 2012, we did a preliminary analysis last year:  one can expect a few cool $$ million in profits for the event.  Where the $$s go is anyone's guess.  On another note, for those advancing in years, we offer this.  Three benefits accrue in watching and researching Mahaney's history.  (1)  Ocular exercises, especially.  That is, "rolling the eyes."  (2) "Shaking the head."  It works the neck muscles to get those kinks out.  (3) "Laughter."  It works the cheek, face and throat muscles.  "Ya just gotta laugh a little." Nothing like watching a skilled enthusiast "enthuse." A modern mountebank of the first order.  However, there is one contra-indication:  do not watch or research Mahaney/SGM if one has blood pressure issues.  But back on point.  Deb says:  "For those of you who are sports enthusiasts, here is what Mohler and Dever have done on behalf of pastor-athlete Mahaney. They have RUN INTERFERENCE, meaning they have protected Mahaney from the criticism and correction he is rightly due from those whom he has hurt in Sovereign Grace Ministries. To put it another way, Mohler and Dever have done an end run around SGMers and prevented that from occurring. Now Mahaney is hiding out at Solid Rock Church until he makes the BIG MOVE" [emphasis in the original].

http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/02/29/mahaney-sgm-unprecedented-rescue-by-the-sbc/

"I think preaching and pastoral ministry are where grace is most evident in my life and where my leadership is most effectively expressed. Others seem to agree."

C.J. Mahaney

We believe history is being made as high profile leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention MEDDLE in the affairs of another denomination, which self-identifies as a "family of churches".


Yes, I'm talking about Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM). In case you haven't heard, C.J. Mahaney, who was recently reinstated as President of SGM, is assisting with the appointment of his successor and laying the foundation to PLANT a new church in another state.


As the saying goes, "bloom where you're planted", and the word on the street is that Mahaney is planning to relocate to Kentucky and set down roots there. There is also speculation that the offices of Sovereign Grace Ministries will be moved from Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland to Kentucky — most likely Louisville.


We have written extensively on C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries, so if you are new to TWW, you might want to browse through our archives. Why is Mahaney leaving the state where he grew up and the church he pastored for 27 years? It appears the accusations of hyper-authoritarianism and spiritual abuse (among other things) by hundreds and hundreds of current and former SGMers (including many pastors) have reached a fevered pitch, and Mahaney believes his best option is to get out of Gaithersburg! The Ambassadors of Reconciliation have been called in to investigate the accusations, and they will be issuing their findings very soon. We will be sure to pass along any information that is made public.


What was the straw that broke the camel's back in SGM? From our vantage point, it appears the 600+ pages of documentation that Brent Detwiler compiled (which an anonymous individual posted on the internet) put all of this in motion. As soon as Mahaney suspected Detwiler was going public in some way with his incriminating information, Mahaney voluntarily stepped down. That was in early July 2011. Seven months later Mahaney was reinstated as president of SGM.


Perhaps the most damning information that was revealed in Detwiler's documentation was Mahaney's attempt to blackmail his mentor Larry Tomczak if he did not leave the organization quietly back in 1998. Tomczak had a big problem with the shift toward Calvinistic theology, and, Mahaney threatened to go public with the confidentially confessed sins of Tomczak's son if Larry did not go away quietly into the night… Fifteen years passed, and Mahaney finally made an attempt to patch things up with Tomczak, who had been urging a reconciliation for years.

Why would Mahaney relocate to another state — Kentucky — as some are speculating? If the Bluegrass State is the Mahaneys' destination, there is a very good reason… Dee and I first began investigating C.J. Mahaney and SGM in the fall of 2008 — seven months before we began blogging. Exactly two months after we launched The Wartburg Watch, we wrote about CJ's significant monetary contributions to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in a post called The Mahaney Money Machine. We were so new to blogging that not many people read the following "observation" included in that post:

"How did C.J. Mahaney become so popular among reformed Christians? As far as we can determine, C.J.’s secret to success is that he has friends in high places. We believe his recognition among the “Reformed Big Dogs” began when he befriended Mark Dever, Senior Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, in Washington, D.C. (a church not far from Gaithersburg where CLC is located)."

For more, see:
http://thewartburgwatch.com/2012/02/29/mahaney-sgm-unprecedented-rescue-by-the-sbc/

Also, Deb concludes with this bit of humour.  We leave you with a tune the Mahaneys may be singing.

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

CJ Mahaney Ditches Covenant Life (Gaithersburg, MD) and Heading West

SGM Survivors offers the following letter from Covenant Life (SGM) Church, Gaithersburg, MD.  Mahaney bolted months ago and has remained over at Dever's Anabaptist Church.  Now, that the dust-off and reburnishment of the image has occurred with a few in-house SGM panels offering an analysis, Mahaney is headed west.  One wonders if Mahaney will ever return to CLC.  What will NOT be happening, is that Sir Charles won't be writing or offering anything of significance or depth, as usual. 

Meanwhile, the old Southern Baptyerian, Ligon Duncan, a man whom Dever wouldn't give Holy Communion, gives an attaboy to Mahaney with this FB post.  Here's Lig, to wit: 

"Standard registration for T4G 2012 ends at midnight tomorrow (2/29). Then the price goes up by $80! Register in the next 24 hours or so. Hotels are filling up. Registration is well ahead of 2010. Some break out sessions are near max. Join us! In this video, CJ explains why we've upgraded our approach to panels." 

Watch old Mahaney the Enthusiast do his mountebanking gig on Together For the Gospel.  Mahaney's got another home now and a new crowd to feed his inner supply-needs for admiration.  Watch him here: http://t4g.org/media/2012/02/panels-the-new-t4g-format/#.T02gsL8AzAA.facebook

Anyways, here's CLC's letter to Mahaney's orphans.  http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=3369#comments

Dear Members of Covenant Life,

We are writing to update you regarding another important moment in the events of the last eight months.

Last month when his leave of absence as President of Sovereign Grace Ministries ended, C.J. Mahaney wrote the elders of Covenant Life informing us of his decision to transfer his membership to Solid Rock Church. At that time we told C.J. that the elders would like to meet with him and discuss several concerns that we had for him, as well as hear his questions and concerns for us.

This past Friday, Grant, Josh and Robin met with C.J. along with two members of the Sovereign Grace Board and had an honest conversation. We began by asking C.J. to share his concerns and disagreements with our leadership over the past eight months, and then we shared our concerns and questions for some of his actions and statements during that same time. We felt the Lord gave grace for everyone to speak forthrightly and listen to each other. We believe this meeting was an important step, though it confirmed that we have different perspectives on what has unfolded since last July.
Having had the opportunity to meet with C.J., we have agreed, with sadness, to accept and support his membership transfer. C.J. has communicated to us that he no longer thinks the formal mediation he requested last fall is needed (this mediation was going to be led by Ted Kober and was to address differences C.J. had with the pastors’ public leadership in response to the release of Brent Detwiler’s documents). We are grateful that we’ve been able to talk together, and we expect there will be further dialogue.

Because we understand there will be questions on these matters, we have scheduled another “Coffee and Questions” night for [Time & Date Edited]. We’ve created a simple form to allow you to submit your questions in advance of the meeting.

C.J. has communicated his love and appreciation for Covenant Life and that he believes God is leading him into a new season of pastoral ministry. C.J. has told us that his time at Solid Rock will be brief as he plans to plant a new church in another state later this year. Details of those plans will be announced by Sovereign Grace in the coming months.

We pray God’s blessing on C.J. and his family. We will always be grateful for his service to this church.

If you want to talk further about this, we hope you can come to the “Coffee and Questions” night on [Date], and as always, feel free to contact your pastor.

Sincerely,
The pastors of Covenant Life

SGM-Gate: Covenant Life's Letter Re: Mahaney & In-house Panels

http://www.covlife.org/newsletters/2012_02_23/

Dear Members of Covenant Life Church,

We’re writing to share our thoughts concerning the recent panels’ findings released by the Board of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Thank you for your patience and encouragement during this unique season in our church. Many of you have shared your questions and concerns with us for which we are grateful. We value your ongoing partnership in the gospel.

As a pastoral team, we’ve spent significant time considering the difficult issues addressed by the panels. As you will recall, last summer hundreds of pages of documents were released by Brent Detwiler. We sought to care for our members through the initial shock caused by this release. Given the charges he made against our friend and former Senior Pastor, C.J. Mahaney, we asked the church to allow a thorough process of evaluation to unfold.

The hope of having a completely independent, outside organization review and adjudicate Brent’s charges against C.J. never materialized, but based on the counsel of Ambassadors of Reconciliation, the Sovereign Grace Board did establish an internal process to evaluate the charges and have now released findings from three panels. Each was made up of two Sovereign Grace pastors and one SGM Board member along with a facilitator, Bryce Thomas. While we wish the questions assigned the panels had been broader in scope and would have preferred a selection process for the panel members that avoided any appearance of partiality (e.g., a blind draw instead of ones chosen by the Board), we view these panel reports as a good step toward more openly addressing questions raised by the documents.

We believe the men selected for these panels acted with integrity to address the questions assigned them by the SGM Board, and we thank these men for their sacrificial efforts.

In regard to the first panel, those of us who were directly involved with these events (Kenneth, Grant and Joshua) each communicated to the panel when they interviewed us that we felt C.J.’s written confession to Brent in the fall of 2010 (referenced in the first panel report) was a specific, humble acknowledgement of his sins. We also agree with the panel’s recommendations and trust they will be followed. (We’ve appended all the recommendations from the three panels to this letter.)

In regard to the second panel, Covenant Life had no personal involvement with Brent’s dismissal, and we are not in a position to question the panel's findings. But we hope that improvements in polity and procedures may help prevent future occurrences of the types of problems the report describes. And it is our prayer that reconciliation among offended brothers will be pursued.

The third panel’s findings regarding Larry Tomczak were arguably the most important of the three panels because of the seriousness of the charges leveled against C.J., Steve Shank and Dave Harvey, and because Larry was a founding pastor of Covenant Life. Reading this report left us deeply grieved by the sin committed against the Tomczak family. We regard the panel’s report to be a rebuke of the men involved in this action. We are grateful that the panel did not gloss over the sin but acknowledged the damage created by the coercive threat and lack of pursuing reconciliation. We agree that honoring the Tomczaks would be appropriate. We also agree that this panel’s recommendations for further reconciliation between C.J., Steve, Dave and Larry should be pursued as a good faith effort in assuring member churches that this type of sin will not be tolerated in the future.

While the Board was functioning within its purview to reinstate C.J. as President, we believe that it would have been better for the Board to have carried out the panel’s recommendations prior to reinstating C.J. and forming a new Board.

We share these points of disagreement out of desire to participate in a constructive dialogue about the future of our movement. We love all the men involved and count them as brothers and gospel partners.

It’s important for us to state that the ways that we disagree about the Board’s handling of this process are distinct from issues of personal forgiveness. God’s forgiveness has been purchased for us by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Whether or not we agree on all the details of these matters, may we all remember that our God has shown each of us undeserved mercy and grace in pardoning our sins.

Extending personal forgiveness toward our brothers is vital as followers of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:13). But it does not mean that we can’t respectfully disagree with the decisions of an organization or express concerns about how leaders are appointed and positioned or ask questions about what authority they hold. Right now for example, the SGM Board is working on a new membership agreement for the churches. They are also appointing a new permanent Board. Both of these issues are very important to us as a church. While we strongly desire to maintain our connection and relationship with other Sovereign Grace churches, we won’t feel comfortable signing a new membership agreement with SGM until the Board has clearly defined how it is accountable to member churches and the nature of its authority and relationship to them. The Board has stated its commitment to clarifying these issues, and we are grateful.

Some additional factors are also in play:

1. We expect the report from Ambassadors of Reconciliation scheduled to be released in March will give further opportunity to clarify how God is calling for reform in our movement.
2. We have asked the SGM Board to publish benchmarks for follow-through on the panel’s recommendations.

We want to close this letter with a call to pray for your pastors in Covenant Life and all of the leaders of SGM, asking the Lord to continue to bring conviction and reform any sinful patterns of leadership in the past or present, while also praising God for the good fruit in our church and across the movement as we partner together in days ahead. We believe God wants to do a reviving work among us and position us for greater fruitfulness for his glory.

We appreciate you taking the time to read through this and welcome your thoughts. Feel free to contact your pastor if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

The Pastors of Covenant Life Church

---

What follows are the recommendations issued by the three Sovereign Grace panels (see the full panel reports here):

Review Panel Recommendations on C.J. Mahaney's Fellowship

1. This Panel recommends that C.J. reconnect with those whom he has served with (particularly the members of the former SGM Leadership Team and CLC Accountability Group) to discover how they may have been impacted by these sin patterns—what they experienced, how it affected them, and what thoughts they would have for him going forward. We recommend this because in some cases we think reconciliation may still need to take place, and this is a necessary step to that end. But also this input would be invaluable to help C.J. as he continues to make progress in sanctification in these areas. Though his sins are common, their effect on others can be magnified because he has been the leader, teacher, and model of the values that these sin patterns violate (e.g., humility, approachability, etc.). We recommend that the comments of those C.J. meets with be shared with the current SGM Board and discussed as to how they should inform his leadership going forward.

2. This Panel recommends that C.J. view his December 16, 2010 confession as a template for pursuing personal growth in these areas. This confession resonated deeply with those of our participants who have been directly affected by these issues; it confirmed what some of them had seen in the past and they were greatly helped that C.J. had owned these sin patterns with specificity. We see this as an indication that continuing to pursue growth and accountability in these specific areas (which C.J. is eager to do) would address some of the fundamental issues that have led to the relational struggles some have experienced with C.J.

3. Finally, this Panel recommends that consideration be given by the SGM Board regarding how to provide accountability, input, and leadership structures that guard against and reduce the potential impact of the inevitable sin patterns that tempt leaders. For example, if a leader is resistant to correction, believes his own perspective to be superior to others, and withdraws from those who correct him, his leadership can become unchallengeable and unchangeable, unless there are avenues for recourse. We recognize that the SGM Board’s currently reviewing how to restructure the leadership of the ministry, and considering these issues in the reconfiguration will be most helpful.

Review Panel Recommendations on Brent Detwiler's Dismissal from Grace Community Church, Mooresville, NC

1. We recommend that the process of approving a church plant assure the relational unity, trust, and the partnership between SGM, the church planter, and the elders of the sending church and that they not proceed without this being well established.

2. We recommend that the SGM board look for any contribution, and accept responsibility for any flaws, errors or sins in the decision to plant GCC (see additional findings #2) and consider what an appropriate response should be to the former members of Grace Community Church.

3. We recommend that SGM help church planters to establish their early leadership teams in a way that ensures a healthy plurality, explains their relationship with SGM, and establishes clear expectations between the church planter and the leadership team and between the leadership team and SGM.

4. We understand that SGM is in the midst of defining its polity. In light of this we recommend they include the following:

• Define and establish clearly SGM's relationship with its local churches
• Define and establish SGM's role in helping to resolve and reconcile disputes among local elders’ leadership teams and when a crisis develops in a church.
• We recommend that SGM provide trained regional teams to help conciliate/mediate disputes among elders or leadership teams that cannot be resolved and/or reconciled locally.
• We recommend a process where the local church can affirm the extra-local leadership involved in serving that church.
• We recommend that SGM develop a process for when a dispute, a loss of confidence, or a serious concern arises between the local eldership/leadership team and the leader so that the issue can be addressed or another extra-local leader is assigned to serve that church.
• We recommend that SGM develop a grievance policy that local churches can adopt so that all parties know what steps to take when relational difficulties arise at a local or extra-local level. This grievance policy should also be used to address any relational difficulties SGM has at its leadership levels.

5. We recommend that SGM develop a policy for when a charge is brought against an elder that clearly articulates a 1 Timothy 5 process so that members and leaders of our churches know what recourse they have in bringing a charge and the elder is either protected should the charge be false or granted a fair, biblical and impartial process to examine and adjudicate the charge.

6. If in the future an extra-local assessment team is deployed to serve one of our churches. We recommend that the person being assessed participate in choosing the members of the assessment team and participate in defining the assessment process so that trust is engendered by all involved.


Review Panel Recommendations on Larry Tomczak's Departure from Sovereign Grace Ministries

1. We recommend that everyone involved in the events of this report soberly examine their hearts before the Lord seeking the Holy Spirit's conviction and responding with repentance before God where appropriate. Any changes that we recommend for any individual or for the SGM Board corporately will be worthless apart from the work of the Spirit bringing conviction, forgiveness, renewal and reconciliation. This recommendation is offered with a genuine confidence in the power of the gospel to affect change in our lives as we humble ourselves before the Lord.


2. We recommend that the current SGM board members (C.J. Mahaney, Dave Harvey, Steve Shank) and the key local elder (Larry Malament) who served during the time of Larry Tomczak's departure pursue a mediation process with him. We appreciate that each of these men have recently and in some cases repeatedly returned to Tomczak and confessed their sins and sought reconciliation. We are not questioning their efforts or their sincerity. However, based on the testimony we heard, we do not have confidence that these relationships are reconciled.

We don't know the content of the private meetings between individual leaders and the Tomczaks, but from what we heard, it seems that neither side believes the other has taken full responsibility for their own faults. Similarly, both sides lack a high degree of trust for those on the other side. In this environment of weakened trust, we believe mediation is essential to bring a God-glorifying reconciliation that will satisfy each party.

Mahaney and the Tomczaks publicly reported in 2011 that they had been reconciled. We think their announcement was sincere, but we believe there is more work to be done to secure a bilateral and enduring reconciliation.
In the past, Mahaney and Tomczak couldn't agree on a mediator, so we would like to recommend one. We suggest Ted Kober (or his delegate) from Ambassadors of Reconciliation serve in this process and that SGM cover all the expenses for the mediation.

Finally, we recommend that SGM avoid joint statements and appearances announcing reconciliation with the Tomczaks until a neutral third party mediator supports that statement. Communicating progress is welcomed. Communicating reconciliation should be withheld until it is encouraged by the mediator, in our opinion. Following mediation, the board should consider if any further public communication is warranted.

3. We recommend that the board prioritize the writing of some form of a “book of church order.” We know that the board has already announced its intentions to draft such a work. But our immersion in the details of Larry Tomczak's departure from SGM leads us to recognize the serious need for this and recommend that the board expedite this project.

We are not fully informed of the intended scope of the "book of church order," and we aren't certain which issues SGM will leave for the local churches to decide upon. Even so, we recommend that the SGM Board address the prominent deficiencies highlighted in the Tomczaks' case. Both the board and the Tomczaks would have benefitted from well-defined guidelines on the following issues:

• Evaluating a pastor's qualifications for ministry
• The legitimacy and purpose of a disciplinary or non-disciplinary leave of absence for a pastor or board member
• A defined grace centered restoration process for a disqualified pastor
• Standards for public communication regarding the discipline of a pastor
• Standards for public communication regarding the departure of a disqualified pastor
• A grievance policy providing recourse for an offended pastor or board member
• An explanation of the selection and dismissal procedure for SGM Board members
• Clarity on the relationship between the SGM Board and the local church
• A defined accountability for a SGM Board member with his local eldership
• A policy for mediation between board members or local pastors in conflict

If these issues are outside the parameters of a "book of church order," then we recommend that they be addressed through another more appropriate means.

4. We recommend that Larry Tomczak be honored for his years of service in Sovereign Grace Ministries. As his departure has been revisited through this review, we have an opportunity to graciously express our gratitude to him. With one exception, we won't recommend specifics because honor expressed in response to the recommendation of others can ring hollow for the recipient. As a panel, we were privileged to sit with the Tomczaks and briefly express our gratitude for their years of investment in this family of churches. We are sure others, including board members, have done the same. But a more formal SGM response would be meaningful and appropriate in our estimation.

We specifically recommend that the board give a financial gift to the Tomczaks as an expression of gratitude for their years of sacrificial service in SGM. We understand that severance pay is not customary for someone who resigns his employment as Tomczak chose to do. We understand that a financial gift is not customary when someone departs in the midst of a dispute. We also understand that the gospel of grace calls us to a generosity and gratitude that is not customary.

If SGM has already given a financial gift to the Tomczaks, then we welcome the board to make that known, as unbecoming as it might seem to publicize such an act.

5. We recommend the SGM Board take steps to improve communication with its pastors. Specifically, we believe the board can grow in the way it updates pastors concerning changes in our policies and practices. During our recent period of difficulty, the board has served pastors well in communication, and we recommend they maintain this present value even when the difficulty subsides and frequent interactions are no longer necessary.

This recommendation isn't so much a response to specific deficiencies in the handling of Tomczak's departure, but reviewing documents from the time of his departure has made us aware of many changes within SGM. As we read documents from 15 years ago, we found ourselves thinking, “We don't do things that way anymore.” As we asked current leaders about decisions and actions from the past, many testified, “We would do it differently today.” They weren't only addressing mistakes or regrets. They were acknowledging that SGM culture has changed.

To us, it seems like changes in personnel, policy and practice have occurred without much public explanation. This is an observation not an accusation. We recommend the board continue to pursue a leadership approach that readily identifies and explains change where possible.

Joel Martin on CJ Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries

http://livingtext.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/thoughts-on-c-j-mahaney-and-sovereign-grace-ministries/#comment-4359

Thoughts on C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries

by joelmartin

For once in my life, my wife trumped me in the news department. She mentioned casually to me a few nights ago that C.J. Mahaney was stepping down from his position at Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM). “What?” I was floored and had to immediately navigate over to the SGM Survivors and SGM Refuge blogs to figure out what was happening.When I read C.J.’s statement, my first impression was that he is doing the right thing and his head seems to be in the right place. I don’t like the model of getting a group of celebrity advisers to minister to me as part of my eventual return to ministry (see Jim Baker, Ted Haggard and Todd Bentley among others); however, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. In my opinion, guys who have serious issues would be better served to completely die to self and disappear into anonymity for the rest of their lives. It would be nice to try to figure out “whatever happened to that Mahaney guy” ten years from now – then you would really know that change occurred. But I am getting sidetracked…

So I clicked back to the SGM Survivors blog and saw a link to this document drop on Scribd. I started reading “The Untold Story” and my whole view of the situation changed. These files exhaustively document many of the inner struggles of the leadership of SGM. There is not financial impropriety, adultery or other sensational sin, but there is what I would call cunning, flattery, anger, bitterness, disengenousness or dishonesty and a pattern (that I have heard of before) of people being moved out or cut off when they don’t toe the party line. There is more than that, but that’s my high-level view of things. I would also say that there is excessive introspection to an amazing degree, but that is to be expected given the “cross-centered” theology that SGM has wrapped itself around the axle on over this past decade or so.

So why does it matter? Do these kinds of character faults, grievances and betrayals disqualify anyone from leadership or constitute serious sin? I haven’t waded through all of the documents yet, but I think they do. We are told that overseers are to be “sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable…not quarrelsome..He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered…” The emails suggest a level of over-sensitivity and soft revenge that are not in keeping with a pastor (or bishop, as CJ really is).

My observation of SGM over the years and what I’ve heard from insiders have raised the following concerns:

* Acting like clones. From shaved heads to speech inflections and cadence, the pastors at various SGM churches sound very much like CJ. Folks in the movement tend to use the same terms like affection, passion, serve and appropriate. One example of this is from the document “A Final Appeal” that quotes CJ in an October, 2005 email to Brent Detwiler saying, “From the first e-mail I have informed Pat about my support but in his desire to serve me he has continued to pursue this” and “I will be glad to explain my perspective on this if that would serve you.” The verb “serve” is something that you hear constantly from SGM folks and if you pay attention, it becomes like an in-group code word.

Christians need to be real, living in the real world with the transforming grace of the gospel, but also without falling into systems of jargon, denial, happy talk and sectarianism. When talking to another Christian, I want to be able to honestly discuss life without having to use phrases that end up meaning nothing because they are so overused.

* The gradual removal or “un-friending” of people who don’t toe the line theologically. Someone described this to me as “a hang-over from the charismatic shepherding movement, though in a less overtly authoritarian modality, a sort of soft-despotism” and I think that is an accurate description of what you read in Detwiler’s documents.

I’ve heard stories over the years including a guy who was on the inside at Covenant Life and whose WIFE had a theological view that was considered aberrant. This was enough to begin the gradual removal of the man from the inner circle and he eventually resigned his position. I grant that it can be hard to maintain friendships with people who have theological convictions different from our own, but a real love towards them should make it possible to continue in relationship, and not ice them out due to a Stepford wives type of conformity.

Further, if we believe in the catholicity of the Church at all, it demands that we learn how to accept some degree of doctrinal variance within local churches. Someone I know was essentially asked to leave the church due to hesitation over the excessive demands for self-disclosure at small group. Add to this the many “de-giftings” where pastors are suddenly removed from their position with little or no explanation given to the congregation.

* Institutional arrogance / lack of Catholicity. Jesus said in John 17, “that I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” The exact implication of what this verse demands are of course debated, but the failure to listen to warnings to change on the part of SGM sets a bad precedent. The SGM practice of rebaptism for people baptized as infants is a grievous affront to the catholicity of the Church.

I question why SGM cannot merge or cross-pollinate with groups like Acts 29, the Grace Network, and others. Does it really require a SGM church in every city, even if there is already a strong Calvinist and/or Reformed Baptist presence? (I’m looking at you Fredericksburg).

* A flawed polity. As I mentioned several months ago, SGM’s structure of church governance is skewed. It is similar to Calvary Chapel, where the pastor is Moses to his congregation and Chuck Smith is the Pope. The emails do show that CJ is treated akin to the Pope of SGM. He functions as an Archbishop, but without the time-honored constraints of a true Episcopalian system (vestry, church courts, and so forth). In the emails, leadership group members don’t want to be the one to confront him or deliver bad tidings to him. Local pastors are removed from on-high with no explanation. Systems of government do not solve problems, bad people can be in any system, but they can make it easier to correct problems.

* Morbid introspection and an incorrect understanding of “the Gospel.” Someone I know put it better than I can: “SGM deemphasizes the resurrection and overemphasizes introspection and “the cross”, which becomes morbid; they also decidedly deemphasize bible study; their view of culture is truncated as is their view of the Gospel: “Jesus died for my sins” v. “The good news is that the King has come in the person and work of Jesus Christ.”

This introspection is constant in these documents and in the lives of SGM churches. Every motive must be scrutinized at absurd lengths and a neo-Puritan desire to constantly work into emotional distress over being the chief of sinners and returning to the cross is modeled from on high. A view of glorification and Christian maturity give way to probing motives for pride, no matter what we do. SGM does not see the Gospel as the proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus and union with Him (a more Calvinist approach), rather, it is simply imputation, which seems to be the hill that SGM always wants to die on.

With all of this said, these men are brothers in Christ. They have produced good fruit in many lives (as well as bad fruit in others). Sometimes we can wonder how it is possible to read a book on humility and be changed for the better by it when the book is written by a guy struggling with just that issue? But God seems to work like this (we aren’t Donatists). We can receive good things even through flawed vehicles because Christ is at work in all. This cannot, however, become an excuse to allow these men to continue in their sins, be leaders for life, or be above the law somehow.

One possible response from SGM leaders is that people shouldn’t read these documents or they are gossiping. They may blame the internet for their problems. Susan Sontag wrote an essay about Abu Ghraib in which she talked about blaming the *pictures* rather than blaming the *actions*. It is similar to an abusive husband being angry because his behavior has been exposed rather than the fact that he sinned. In this case, C.J. Mahaney is an extraordinarily public figure who has brought attention on himself due to his increasingly high profile over the past decades. He writes books, speaks at conferences and leads a denomination. His activities can be scrutinized and public records (such as Detwiler’s) can be read. We don’t have to ignore the elephant in the room and play a pietistic game of pretend. I believe SGM needs deep reform in many areas, but it will be hard to change what has become an institutionalized culture of conformity to patterns of thought, speech, appearance, and behavior that most of the pastors have been steeped in for their entire professional lives.

SGM-Mahaneygate: Sales Letter to SGM Customer by Dave Harvey

Sovereign Grace “Hold the Fort” Ministries

7501 Muncaster Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20877

Phone (800) Bla-Blahh
http://www.baloneynomatterhowthinyasliceit.org/

November 10, 2011

Ms. Diligent Inqurer
100 Research Avenue
Beautiful Views, Virginia 20000

Dear. Ms. Inquirer:

Thank you for your recent involvement this last year with Sovereign Grace “Hold the Fort” Ministries. We were pleased that you were able to use your tithes as an IRS tax deduction; we got the tithe and you got the deduction.  A win-win situation!  Further, we are glad you were so well served by the ministry of our senior leader, a high school graduate, C.J. Mahaney. We are thankful you have benefitted from our community college level graduates from the 9-month Pastors College. Our goal is to keep our customers, like you, satisfied and growing.

We are looking forward to serving you again next year. Our theological consultants know what is best for Americans. We're "one of a kind."  We set high benchmarks. These consultants are ready all year long to answer your continuing inquiries.

You will be glad to know we've made some changes.  Especially,  we have written our church guidelines on dealing with sexual molestation cases. That's a first for us. We know several children and families who were ruined by our past negligences. We have also dealt with all the divisive folks we could find, so you’ll find a renewed and prevailing peace amongst us.  We've hired a few tested enforcers, Steve Shank, Gene Emerson, and Garry Ricucci, to name a few.  We are thankful for the recommendations from the QUIK-FIX legal firm and our rapid responses to them.  We've also marginalized the nasty blogs and other gossipy sources of feedback.  Some changes were made in polity.  Further, we believe you will feel safe to enroll your children in our church ministries while you absorb the scholarly expositions of scriptures, theology, the confessions and history from our pastors. While we cannot change the past, we are prepared to face the future with brightness and joy.

 Please let us know how we can assist you in the future. We wish you a very successful and profitable 2012. If you have any questions, please call or visit my office. Or, feel free to call us anytime, M-Fri, that's right, five days a week, 3 AM-6 AM (EST), or Midnight-3 AM (PST), at 1-800-Bal-Oney.

We're here to serve you in this season.

Cordially and on behalf of the SGM Board,



Dave Harvey
Interim President
mailto:PresidentOhOhBoy@repression.com