Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! I dont know the answer but rampant clergy abuse just took my discontentment to a whole new level. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe And yet here we see a church thats ostensibly about serving God, and its about proclaiming the gospel and yet this is happening within the church. And Willow just, they got killed because they wouldnt respond and say the truth. But if you have a pastor with a glaring character flaw youre fooling yourself if you think youre gonna keep that character flaw in line with a pastor who doesnt put Jesus Christ first in his life, am I right? And I think Christian leaders need to start stepping up. Thank you for joining us in seeing to it that no one misses the grace of God. So Im very much looking forward to our time together today. Youre absolutely right. For that we are forever grateful. 1 talking about this. Understanding & Overcoming Spiritual Abuse, Part II, Understanding & Overcoming Spiritual Abuse, Escaping & Healing from Abusive Churches, Part 2, https://world.wng.org/sites/default/files/issues/pdf/world_sep012018.pdf, https://www.billionbibles.com/voice-of-the-martyrs.html. I will let you know as soon as I figure it all out. Julie, you may want to review this pointwasnt a problem? But at 22, I completely bought it. Okay, how it didnt bring accountability. And if you dont have a character to lead, no manual is going to help you. But now my faith in the whole institution is shattered. You know, Hybels daughter had her own book on Oprahs book club. Amen. Thank God I have Jesus. But as you say its Gods grace that despite all that hes used these men to bless many, despite everything. Stuart Briscoe died on August 3 "of natural causes unexpectedly" according to a tweet from his son, Pete Briscoe. But before we begin, I just want to take a minute to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Judson University, and Marquardt of Barrington. And so when these things happen, they cant just stay silent. He, Becky and their kids have been part of the fabric of BT for so long, it is Well, to answer your question, very bad. He was like one of these, I think until Scot decided to speak up, it was, Willow had credulity to say, These are people outside our tribe who are criticizing us. A man who "dedicated his life to sharing Gods Word with the world" has died at the age of 91. Its something like Child Protection Policies. Correct? Can I talk about Scot McKnight for a second? Inside their system, they need to be guarded, governed, guided. I was blown away. We are egalitarian and sophisticated, and we are Gods chosen church to show how ministry is supposed to be done. To us, he was Stu, Dad and Poppa and we already miss him achingly." These are people that are in your country club. WebSince that time he has ministered on every continent, written more than 40 books, pastored a church for 30 years, and founded a media ministry called Telling the Truth which now broadcasts daily worldwide. Think about the people whove done it historically, you know, the Chuck Swindolls that I mean, we can we can run off a list of names, we can also run off a list of failures. Was there any evidence found that he actually had an affair? And some of it also involved a culture that was willing to cover for wrongdoing. He is with us today to talk about growing communication skills to improve preaching as well as how we can find deeper fulfillment in our work and lives. Growing up in a ministry family, Pete watched and learned from his parents and witnessed the reach and power of Telling the Truth 's media outreach. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. WebHi friend, I'm Pete Briscoe. Its so HARD today to know who to donate to. God showed him through that sermon how his trip was actually isolating and began a process of transformation. Can you imagine how many books that sold her? My husband and I actually bought our last car from our court and we had a great experience. However, there should be a bubble level of character in Christ that we return to. They had so many churches, thousands of churches coming on board and being a part of those. For more information just go to JudsonU.edu. That is not a matter of policy. I think there was a culture of pride at Willow that basically said, We are the elite of the Christian world. You know, people like Dee Parsons, Julie Anne Smith, Julia Dahl, and people who I knew would not stop talking about it and would not stop talking about it for months. Please know you are not alone. I understand that the desire to have elders dealing with what Ill call Echelon or tier level, theological topics: What does the church think about, you know, for example, racial reconciliation? And its so important, I think, for any of us who are doing any kind of ministry at all, if we get our identity wrapped up in what were doing, then what were doing is no longer ministry, its no longer service to the Lord. I know from hearing from men, that that Bill abused men emotionally, spiritually while they were working there. A man who "dedicated his life to sharing Gods Word with the world" has died at the age of 91. Okay. It is a collection of people. Im wary of the theatrical, evangelical stars that are so prevalent now. I appreciate your feedback. JULIE ROYS 23:38, What I meant by that comment is that unanimity didnt create any problems for the board and senior pastor because everyone agreed with James MacDonald. He has been married to Jill for more than 59 years and has three children and 13 grandchildren. God uses the weak things of this world to confound the strong, right? Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. The other woman that Mitch represented will remain confidential but both these cases enabled Mitch to peek behind the curtain at Willow Creek and view upclose some of the dysfunctions that led to that scandal. You have to have a strong culture of accountability. Pete is the son of Jill and Stuart Briscoe. Julie, thats whats so interesting about this story to me as I got deeper into it, I started to understand That, you know, when you go to the movies, and you see a story, you expect, okay, that guys the villain. They were almost sacred and benevolent and unable to do wrong. Pete has offered to Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. And I was sitting in my office one day and Vonda picked up the phone and gave me a call and kind of told me what was coming down the pike in terms of the Chicago Tribune article that basically lit the fuse on that entire situation at Willow. The radio program began to attract listeners and supporters, enabling the ministry to expand its broadcasting to a growing number of stations throughout the United States and abroad. Well, early on in the process after the Tribune article, we had to make a decision, How are we going to fight a machine of this size that is basically promulgating lies about these women and their families and their supporters? And I reached out to people that I already knew within, you know, the watch blogging community. I have been a child of God since I was four and in ministry most of my life. Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. However, whenever he would do that quavering voice, etc., I would wonder how he could do that for all three identical services? The church is nondenominational and has woman pastors and elders. But youre right. They had these Global Leadership Summits. Well, one thing I did want to cover, and our time is getting to an end, but I know that you have dealt with having a sexual predator within your church. I think that was a move of God, a move of the Holy Spirit. When the when the mans lying on the side of the road, naked and bleeding, theyre the priests who cross the street. And it had all of these allies not just in the media, but among the angelical industrial complex, other megachurch pastors, everything. And if youd like to find me online, just go to JulieRoys.com. It manifested even at the IT level at the church. They know there would be swift and sure discipline, if not firing, even with one mistakedepending on the severity of the misbehavior. Dear anonymous. He is with us today to talk about growing communication skills to improve preaching as well as how we can find deeper fulfillment in our work and lives. And thats what, thats what you end up protecting right? After a failed attempt to travel alone in his truck out west, he came to church with us that very day. A man who "dedicated his life to sharing Gods Word with the world" has died at the age of 91. So a young person in our high school ministry. But other than that, you know, there just werent a lot of people in the larger church speaking and there had to have been a lot of church leaders who knew about what was going on and knew that there were problems with Bill Hybels. He, Becky and their kids have been part of the fabric of BT for so long, it is Character always has to come first in hiring, then competence, and then chemistry. Well, since you brought it up, youre gonna youre gonna have to address the Vanilla Bean. Funny, whenever I would watch Bill Hybels preach online or speak at the GLS, and he would go into that quavering voice, tears-in-his-eyes, emotional mode, Id stop listening. It is what manifests. Growing up in a ministry family, Pete watched and learned from his parents and witnessed the reach and power of Telling the Truth 's media outreach. Well, and I hope there are Christian leaders listening to this who take note because is the time of just being silent and thinking that because youre silent, nothing will come back on you, thats past. Petes leadership at Bent Tree casts a long shadow with a legacy that will endure. He even cites a conversation with Darrell Bock, a member who disagrees with the elders but who also says it is not an issue worth dividing over. This is a person who is pushing a boundary because they want to do something bad. Briscoe Is that correct? Posted by Jonathan Deatherage on Apr 02, 2019. If youre looking for a car I encourage you to visit my friends at Marquardt of Barrington. Hes one of the good guys. And basically, my understanding is his cavalier attitude was, Well, Ill just pick up and Ill open a new church down the street [if] you dont you dont like me the way I am.. To us, he was Stu, Dad and Poppa and we already miss him achingly." And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? David Jankowski. He represented two women involved in the sex abuse scandal involving Bill Hybels. I mean, that is just huge. But it just has not really looked like true repentance in so many ways. Theyve got a little bit of the guide part. I would probably have been among those who defended Bill saying, He couldnt have done these things; Hes too strong of a Christian leader. I see this culture as similar to the Corinthian church with the man who was involved with his fathers wife. At one point, the elder board at Willow became what people call a policy governance board. Ive asked that question many times. Hes a complex character. To me, Bill did not come across as a predator, flirty or suggestive with women. I think they can do it effectively. WebPete Briscoe, Stuart and Jills youngest son, was a key contributor to the ministrys teaching team from 2003 to 2021. Then, I did what all good Christian college students did at that time I acquired a boot-leg copy of the drama and listened to it several times on my own. Theres, theres an advocacy piece to lawyering that needs to be there a little bit, but it doesnt need to be pervasive. And I do think theres a spiritual stronghold, I hope and pray that it will be broken in our area. But then its my understanding too, that when these women met with the elders, the level of bullying and abuse that they were subjected to, was such that I know Vonda told me there were elders in tears at the end of this, of how pervasive the abuse was, I dont know how specific you can be but can you give people an idea of, of what actually happened to these women that were abused? He even cites a conversation with Darrell Bock, a member who disagrees with the elders but who also says it is not an issue worth dividing over. I think its incredibly dangerous. Hi Julie, my name is Teresa and I was wondering if Voice of the Martyr was a good place to donate. We have an open listing for a lead teaching pastor in a what I believe is a healthy church environment. Its about serving God. and I found these people in those imperfect churches! That has been documented and proven through therapy notes. And I think there was, but I think that theres a spiritual stronghold around celebrity culture within evangelicalism writ large. Guest Bios Show Transcript Spiritual abuse has become an increasingly hot topic, as more and more stories of bully pastors and hyper-controlling, Guest Bios Show Transcript After years spent in an abusive church, how do you heal? Theyre not holding anybody accountable then. WebHi friend, I'm Pete Briscoe. And this is whats so difficult. I think these women would still like to know the answer to that. Pete Briscoe, our pastor at our church came out in support of the Dyers, which was bold, and it was brave. And I had a wonderful experience. Well, Mitch, this has been read. It took me a long time to agree that he had done the things of which he had been accused. Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2000 but remained involved in the church and active in overseas missions. And that that was something that taught you an awful lot about how elder board should deal with sexual impropriety or sexual abuse within their own walls. When you say the IT department, its my understanding you came into some information about emails getting destroyed. What makes you stick with that model and believe it can still be used despite how badly that model has been abused? And I can only imagine what the economic forces are behind the scenes for that, but it really disappoints me, that that hasnt happened. Bent Tree is a multi site mega church in the Dallas Fort Worth area thats had its own share of crises over the past several years. And I could explain why I think thats funny, but you have to have extreme accountability, the larger your platform gets. I think that he lost that. And I feel that way with these pastors. Like so many of you, I love Pete. I think he lost it. I will always have my faith in Jesus but church especially WCCC has been a huge disappointment. So whos supposed to hold whos supposed to hold the leaders accountable in that structure? So its more than flirty words or suggestions. Pete Briscoe, our pastor at our church came out in support of the Dyers, which was bold, and it was brave. WebIt is with heavy hearts that the Elders of Bent Tree announce that Pete Briscoe has submitted his resignation as Senior Pastor. God uses the faithful and generous support of people like you to continue to change lives through the ministry of Telling the Truth. Churches sometimes need advocates outside their system. Friends are important! Hmm. WebPete Briscoe is a podcaster and evangelical pastor. I think the load needs to be shared. There are therapy notes to support her story. WebPete Briscoe answers that question by pointing us to Paul as the perfect example of one who speaks with tender boldness. Please contact us or click here to learn more about how to enable JavaScript on your browser. I was the senior pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for nearly 30 years. At the urging of a friend working in the radio industry, the Briscoes followed God's leading and used the tape sales proceeds to purchase local radio time, which launched Telling the Truth's radio outreach. And theres a lot of people asking, Is that just too great a burden to ever put on one person? How do you respond to that? We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. You can read about them at their website Teaching the Truth. I dont think that theres anything at a mega church that innoculates it from being good. But they spoke. With that purpose in mind, they launched theTelling the Truth ministry. Yeah, I think youre gonna be waiting a while. For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema. I was blown away. It was like trying to fit a battleship through a set of French doors. One of those is that you had your senior pastor resign kind of suddenly. That goes to the guarding role that Attorney Mitch shared. And to do that, we must avoid falling into the trap of our Christian beliefs being pitted against culture in the public sphere of debate. And sadly, I think they have still. I think the larger the platform, the more rigorous the accountability needs to be. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Its How do we protect the entity and the entity as expressed through the person of Bill Hybels? Once you make that decision that youre willing to protect the entity or the person in charge of the entity to the detriment of members of the body or members of the staff, youve made some poor choices that are going to have consequences. Honestly, without being a part of the Willow family at any time, I saw Bill as the best Christian leader I had encountered, by far. So he said something about so and sos clothing. This was an excellent interview and elders need to read this interview. Vanilla orchids are actually pollinated by hand in most places. The Journal Sentinel reported: Elmbrook resignations are the latest to rock evangelical Christian churches. Now youre a lawyer. And you you actually refer to it as multi-level marketing. Today were talking with Pete Briscoe, who served as the senior pastor for nearly three decades at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, Texas, and now consults with and coaches pastors. And you have to, there must be assiduous accountability going on in the life of someone who has the big radio show has the big platform, his platform at conferences and large organizations, because the temptations are greater. They didnt have the ability to respond to new issues as they arose. If you want to know what grooming looks like in the context of church, every elder at a church of any size should read this book. Whats our theology? (etc. And so I do think its a healthy thing when youre afraid of doing wrong, because it will be brought up and you will be held accountable. Theres a lot of church boards that operate that way. And the Nancy Ortberg situation, a hug that lasted too long. Its designed to be fought asymmetrically. I know about the deleted emails. Yes, in the course of representing these women, it became obvious that this was not what Ill call an echelon or tier leadership problem, just at Bill Hybels level. But heres what happened when Scot criticized them publicly. Pete is the son of Jill and Stuart Briscoe. Hes also the chairman of the elder board at a multisite megachurch in Dallas, Texas. Mike is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come. You formed a nonprofit corporation. I think its Pat Baranowskis story that ran in the New York Times that actually caused that. which Hybels assented to including you know, repenting for his behavior and not talking about politics and some other things as well. For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema.. Theyre involved in their own issue right now. So I was quite taken aback when this scandal came out. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray He has been married to Jill for more than 59 years and has three children and 13 grandchildren. The Elder Board has accepted Petes decision, and his resignation is effective March 31, 2019. This is Chicago Tribune. This is people who are dissillusioned, who wanted big jobs at Willow and didnt get them. But when Scot, the the intra tribal dissenter steps up and says, This is wrong, things shifted. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. It is also the church in which Pete Briscoe, my former wonderful pastor, grew up in. Pete Briscoe was Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, TX for nearly 30 years. Innoculates it from being good many books that sold her thank you for us! If you dont have a strong culture of accountability chairman of the elder board has accepted decision! Dad and Poppa and we had a great experience new issues as arose... Into some information about emails getting destroyed wanted big jobs at Willow became what people a. Not come across as a predator, flirty or suggestive with women na youre gon na be a! The side of the Dyers, which was bold, and it was like trying to fit a battleship a! 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