But heres what happened when Scot criticized them publicly. So, you know, Julie, its really its death by 1000 cuts. And there was also a service at WC where the board interviewed him and was he was questioned about an affair. Mike is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come. I dont know the answer but rampant clergy abuse just took my discontentment to a whole new level. And the Nancy Ortberg situation, a hug that lasted too long. But when we look at it from some practical ways that God used people to undo this, explain what you see as being the key forces. You formed a nonprofit corporation. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema.. Yes, I would view it far differently today. The small tape recording process drew the attention of many people who were eager for a copy of the teaching they heard at church to share with friends and neighbors. We were fighting asymmetric warfare, right? I attended Willow for seven years. https://world.wng.org/sites/default/files/issues/pdf/world_sep012018.pdf, Also, Id encourage you to read the website below. 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. As a lawyer whos represented some of Bill Hybels victims, Mitch Little has seen a side of Willow Creek that few others have. This person or these people were hurt as a result, you have a pride problem. I think youre absolutely right about that. This is simply a place where I share the message of Gods unadulterated grace through my preaching sermons and bible teaching. Do we have a theology of goodness at our church? And something else that you mentioned about the board, which I found fascinating was that the Willow Creek board had an awful lot of lawyers on it. And so, you know, as a lawyer on the board, youre not absolved from the obligation of complying with the mandates of Scripture. Briscoe 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. So I want you to think about this while you know Bill Hybels is being accused of doing awful things by a dozen women. They need accountability. I wonder, I wonder what effect that might have had on them. Great! And its not something you can control like traditional mainstream media. You have your identity rooted in something other than Christ, the centrality of Christ. I was the senior pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for nearly 30 years. I know from hearing from men, that that Bill abused men emotionally, spiritually while they were working there. 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 these men are good actors. WebBriscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. If they have the character to lead the accountability will help keep them you know, keep them honest, so to speak, you know, its kind of like when you put a bike lock on your bike that. My personal belief, not speaking on behalf of anyone else, my personal belief is that that structure is designed to fail, because elders cant elder in that structure. Great question. In fact, back in the late 80s, early 90s, we went to Willow Creek and we had a wonderful experience. With distinctly different teaching styles, you'll be moved by the emotional appeal of Jill and the compelling logic of Stuart, as they boldly proclaim God's sovereignty, grace, and love. What eventually broke the culture of secrecy and protection? 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 church is nondenominational and has woman pastors and elders. And he realized that he had missed an opportunity to share Christs love with this person, and he didnt even feel worthy to give this message tonight, you know, and he got teared up and, and Im watching this, you know, as a 20, early 20 something right? So glad to see you feature Mitch Little. 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. Im doing well but probably not as well as you because youre on vacation in Florida. Mike is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come. I was blown away. Like they didnt read a book, figuring out how to do it, but there are warning signs that people need to be aware of. 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. If you have six members of the Board of eight, lets just say its eight or 10. I do. When you have a woman who says I was molested by a staff member, or you have a staff member who says, Bill Hybels just threw a punch at me, or dog cuts me up and down the hallway, those arent matters of policy, Julie. Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. Id like to share a few things as we navigate this loss together. Friends are important! I mean, you dont need to be trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, because it is gonna manifest itself in bad ways. It is a collection of people that we are to care for. So your pastor, he chose himself to step down, correct? That way, youll never miss an episode. There was another case that also occurred where he committed oral sex with his assistant. Gifted with wisdom, discernment, and a bit of English humor, the Briscoe's bring God's Word to life. Their board operated by unanimity as well. Theyre not holding anybody accountable then. That goes to the guarding role that Attorney Mitch shared. You know, Hybels daughter had her own book on Oprahs book club. 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. David Jankowski. You have to have a strong culture of accountability. He represented two women involved in the sex abuse scandal involving Bill Hybels. So he said something about so and sos clothing. 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. This was something that was very deeply ingrained in their culture. The church is literally a collection of people. Powerful ministry at some points. Theyre not holding anybody accountable then. Fifteen years later, I joined staff at Bent Tree. 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. The priests who cross the street, right? And I have other thoughts about that and how that all worked out. 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. I think that was a move of God, a move of the Holy Spirit. 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. Theres a lot of church boards that operate that way. 1 talking about this. Please contact us or click here to learn more about how to enable JavaScript on your browser. It was everything from Vonda Dyers situation of being asked to come up to Bills room and talk leadership and a forced kiss, you know, a grab around the waist. Because it was lawyers advice, you know, and its like, where does the word of God play into our decision making? The cover up of his behavior manifested at the elder board level. This is simply a place where I share the message of Gods unadulterated grace through my preaching sermons and bible teaching. Yep, thats rooted in pride. God uses the faithful and generous support of people like you to continue to change lives through the ministry of Telling the Truth. I think one of the things that happens in churches, from a deformed leadership standpoint, is requiring boards to operate in unanimity or using unity as a cudgel against people who have firm convictions about things. (See page 54 and following) But you lose the guarding mechanism, which I think in todays in todays cultural moment, its probably the most important aspect of eldering. Hes also the chairman of the elder board at a multisite megachurch in Dallas, Texas. The ministry began in 1971 while Stuart served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, which grew into the largest evangelical church in the state. When I came onto our board, the terms that Pete Briscoe used were, guide, govern and guard. And I think policy governance has the governing part. 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. At the same time. Thats a rhetorical question. They made a lot of friends a lot of money over the years selling books, promoting programs, platforming them at conferences, platforming them at the Global Leadership Summit. Well, I tried other churches and its more of the same. I think its incredibly dangerous. Briscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. And I had a wonderful experience. Many organizations that have a board of directors consisting of yes men or yes women who are inclined to go along with the board chairman and/or are friends with them. So Mitch, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today. And Im good friends with her husband Scott Dyer as well. And I think there is a healthy fear. Also I want to let you know that Judson University is planning to resume in person classes this fall for traditional transfer and adult students and its still not too late to apply. 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. Briscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. Its good to be visiting with you again. So when you have someone who is trusted, whos supposed to be an expert, you know, like a pastor, like a longtime senior pastor whos supposed to be a theological expert, and someone whos in authority like a senior pastor, people are willing to do things to satisfy that person that they would not otherwise do, even if those things seem harmful to another person. Now, I coach pastors and business leaders in communications and self-care. But before we begin, I just want to take a minute to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Judson University, and Marquardt of Barrington. Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. Amen. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. I want to share that God used Petes sermon on not being isolated (Ecclesiastes) in our sons life. https://www.billionbibles.com/voice-of-the-martyrs.html. 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. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. He was running and we were praying that he would surrender fully to God. Dear anonymous. I dont think that theres anything at a mega church that innoculates it from being good. 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. "For many of you, he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend. 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. And I think that Bill Hybels created an advocacy structure around him by having that many lawyers on the board. etc. Pete Briscoe was Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, TX for nearly 30 years. Hes also the chairman of the elder board and his own church, Bent Tree Fellowship. Pete grew up in a home with intelligent and committed parents: both 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. Volunteers monitored the process in real time, turning over cassettes at the appropriate time to record on the second side. 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. Its not okay. Boy, and if more churches did that, how much pain and heartache among the sheep would have been spared? Youre absolutely right. So, thanks for taking the time and you know, anybody whos willing to take a few minutes out of their vacation for a podcast, I just really appreciate it. I was the senior pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for nearly 30 years. But I had limited contact with him. And today Im excited to be speaking with Mitch Little. And some of it also involved a culture that was willing to cover for wrongdoing. Yeah, thats right. They didnt have the ability to move quickly. Let the Briscoes help you experience Life in all its fullness! Just what I call a deformed leadership culture at the church where certain things became acceptable that shouldnt. I know about the deleted emails. Yeah, I just saw you ran a story on MacDonalds massive mansion in Illinois being held in the name of Vanilla Bean LLC. I will always have my faith in Jesus but church especially WCCC has been a huge disappointment. Pete was preaching from Hebrews, and he was making the New Covenant come alive before all of us. Now, God is leading our friend and leader Pete away from these walls, and we look on with sadness the sadness that comes when a season you love is passing. And so I thought it was so funny that James MacDonald had his house in the name of an entity called Vanilla Bean LLC. Many more than even Vonda Dyer knew. There was another documented case where he had oral sex with his assistant back in the 90s at WC. To view their entire showroom online. People can do the job of preaching and leading a church for, you know, 40 plus weeks in the pulpit at a church of this size. So there were more than 10 women that came forward and said that there was sexual misconduct by Bill Hybels. I appreciate you so much and look forward to visiting with you again soon. WebBriscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. You have to have a lead pastor who creates a strong culture of accountability. Hes one of the good guys. I mean, I Timothy 5:20 says that we should publicly expose elders who are sinning so that others may take warning.

Steven Alker Witb 2021, List Of Guest Stars On Gunsmoke, Mitchell Levine Lenox Hill Obituary, Michael Voris Wife, Neon Blue California Red Sided Garter Snake For Sale, Articles W