Pillars are Just Crutches

I talked about leaders being accountable for the people they disciple before just as the Mike Guglielmucci story was breaking and so as time has past and the leaders have been given there time to speak it’s become clear that what is happening with Mike is the same thing that continues to happen in Christendom, leaders are not being accountable for what their disciples say and do.
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I want to talk about ‘church’ in the next couple of months.  Both my wife and I have a desire and passion to church plant in the next couple years and I think blogging about ideas, concepts, community, theology and methodology (amongst other things) will help solidify what I think about church, what I think a healthy church looks like, where church is headed in the next 5, 10, 25, 50 years, and more importantly, what church is for.  A question, I think, that hasn’t been asked enough while making church decisions and that has been lost in the crowd of loud preachers and loud music (don’t get me wrong, I LOVE loud music!).

So I hope you stay tuned, and give your input in the next couple of months because this is one of those topics that thrives on discussions, debates and differing points of view.

I just finished a rather powerful book called, In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen.  He shares his insights on leadership that he gained through his move from being a Harvard professor to ministering to mentally handicapped people in Ontario, Canada.  I previously wrote on his section about relevance and now I’ll continue with a look at the next section about popularity.

The second temptation that Nouwen talks about is the temptation to be popular or spectacular.  He talks about how being at Daybreak stripped him of his individuality.  He used to do things alone and could go on his own route, but when he made his transition there was always someone there with him or wondering where he was.  Nouwen comments that we have this feeling that we have to do things solo and that we need to have recognition for the things that we have done.  However, fhis is just the temptation to be popular

.As a remedy to this Nouwen switches tracks to talk about Jesus send his disciples out, not alone, but in pairs.  This works to keep people accountable, as Nouwen notes, “I have found over and over again how hard it is to be truly faithful to Jesus when I am alone” (p.58).  The partner is a vital part of ministry for guidance, accountability and encouragement.

Just earlier I posted about pastors who are using video so they can preach in more than one venue at a time.  I think this is a classic example of not having people in ministry that you can work with.

Nouwen also remarks that confession and forgiveness are the keys to help from falling for the popularity temptation.  I know first hand that confession and forgiveness have had a huge hand in helping curb any temptation and let me know that I will always be in need, not only of the grace and mercy of God, but also of the people around me who are an encouragement and support.

We are left with the realization that ministry cannot be about popularity and any such goal only serves to make a fall that much greater.

The leader of the Lakeland ‘revival’, Todd Bentley, announced a couple days ago that he is separating from his wife.  He will not be leading the Lakeland ‘revival’ and in fact the ‘revival’ has gone through some turmoil because of the news.

Todd is one of the recent batch of controversial charismatic preachers who thinks very little about (or: of) theology (side note: he has no formal biblical education), is often quoted saying something silly (read: heretical), and has been noted as a ‘violent’ prayer – kicking people and knocking teeth out.

He has made favorable comments about William Branham – a charismatic preacher who (among other weird doctrine, like serpent seed) denied the Trinity and in the end of his ministry claimed to be the reincarnated Elijah! – saying (on stage) that the same angel (read: not God) that brought healing in Branham’s meetings was going to bring healing to his.

To make matters worse, GodTV, the outfit who was broadcasting his meetings from Lakeland said, “any criticism of Todd Bentley is demonic”.

WOW.

I really wonder how the charismatic community puts up with this??  Earlier this year some of the top charismatic leaders laid hands on him and commissioned him out.  And yet they let them run amok with what seems like no accountability!  Why didn’t someone say ‘STOP’ before things like this happen?  Where were those leaders who commissioned him?

We should be holding the charismatic leaders responsible!  It’s obvious that these leaders are too near-sighted to see the damaging effects of putting someone like Todd in that place.  Whatever happened to mentoring?  Slowing future leaders down, getting them understanding the Word and most importantly, making sure that they’re putting family first.  Was anyone talking to him about his doctrine?  Was anybody telling him to go home and get his family life straight?  Why would anybody let him go to Florida if they knew that his marriage was falling apart?

And ‘we didn’t know’ is not a valid answer.  Not for the leaders who commissioned him.

The Charismatic Movement needs to take a close look at itself and ask themselves some serious questions, and go through some serious reforms before they disqualify themselves because of their lack of diligence and accountability.