One motion concerned the Racial Harmony Task Force, a group formed in early 2019 to address the lack of minority representation on BBCs Elder Council. After more than 30 years as senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, the fiery preacher of hardline biblical values is retooling his priorities. https://julieroys.com/bethlehem-baptist-church-culture-fear-abuse God is everywhereeven in the news. Couldnt agree more, Rebecca. (BBC has about 40 elders, but the congregation is considered the final authority and meets quarterly to vote on church matters.). Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. We have room to grow, yet I know that my fellow North elders have sought to shepherd not under compulsion but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, and not domineering over others but serving as examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:23), Lee wrote by email. In a letter that Pickering presented to Naselli in February, and the churchs Elder Council in March, Pickering accused Naselli of displaying a pattern of controlling and egregious sin against God and people., I do not think you are presently qualified for the office of elder, Pickering wrote, and urged Naselli to resign to spare the church, and the elder council, grief upon grief.. According to Pickering, Naselli had been the focus of an internal investigation at BCS due to allegations of bullying and spiritual abuse brought by about 12 former and current BCS students. January 31, 2021 Pastor : Jason Wallingsford, Pastor Paul Meyer. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation So far this year, about 200 peoplenearly 10% of the megachurchs total membershiphave resigned as members from Bethlehems Downtown campus, according to statistics provided to The Roys Report by former BBC members. Looking back, Pickering, as a counselor, wishes the church had established an understanding of systemic abuse prior to its focus on domestic abuse back in 2015. Jason Meyer has resigned from his position as the lead pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, amid allegations of toxic and abusive behavior among the church's leadership. Meyers exit last month followed two others at Bethlehems downtown campus. Wilson tells you very plainly what his show is about: his own male self aggrandizement. Im not convinced that I sinned against you. Thats part of our entire educational approach. (He declined to comment on Naselli or any specific faculty members. Rev Ernie Dorrell. What a thorough article. If the church would take seriously the scriptural qualifications for elders, it would protect the sheep from these narcissistic leaders. Halls was one of two official grievances filed against Naselli last year. Then they got themselves in trouble (ultimately with God) when they opened their mouths and spoke words without knowledge in their attempt to fix Job. Thank you for this comment, Pastor Lamb. Meyer had stepped down from the BCS board of trustees as well. [ This article is also available in (The Roys Report was not able to obtain statistics for member resignations at Bethlehems two other campusesNorth and South.). He may have a point about detached wisdom in making hard decisions. Pastor Jason Meyer, Bethlehem Baptist Church Almost 1-1/2 years ago, I wrote an article about John Pipers former church, Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) Are the Pastor(s) abusive? I enjoyed your article. Bethlehem Baptist Church, Pastor Jason Meyer, Domestic Violence, Emotional Abuse, Spiritual Abuse Almost 1-1/2 years ago, I wrote an article about John Piper's former church, Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) regarding domestic violence, Encouraging Shift from Bethlehem Baptist Church Regarding Domestic Abuse and Care Zuleger also asked church members to pray for their leaders. The motion passed on a voice vote and Takata told The Roys Report that three of the task forces five reports were eventually released to church members with redactions. All three had conflicted at times with Bethlehems 40-plus-member elder council, and they eventually saw their own ministries and the focus of the church going in different directions. According to the website, Meyer's resignation was announced last week in an email to the congregation by Elder Council Chairman Dr. Kurt Elting-Ballard and Bethlehem Pastor for Strategic Implementation Ken Currie. D. degrees. July 19, 2021 Source: Facebook In whats being called a major shake-up, four pastors have resigned from Bethlehem Baptist Church (BBC) in Minneapolis in the past Tong preaches to the downtown campus in March. Part of whats happened, in the last five years plus especially, is emerging fault lines among people with sensibly shared theological commitments, Rigney said in an interview with CT. At the same time, Theres been an escalation of language and inflation of language such that when a certain issue rises to where it becomes the litmus test, where it becomes, Youre either with us or against usas opposed to simply a different instinct or tendency within a same shared theological commitmentthats when theres real problems, and its hard to work together.. Frankly, its because I graduated from our undergrad program that I have concerns. By now, you have received notification of the resignation of Pastor Jason Meyer. a unity culture that breeds fear and seeks to protect the institution Jason Meyer A Taiwanese American, Tong also wore traditional Chinese attire as he preached on the Sunday following the Atlanta massage parlor shootings. 720 13th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55415 Meyer told his congregation to expect that race would continue to be addressed from the pulpit. But it wasnt just the situation around Naselli. Many at BCS, including Bowers himself, were influenced by Pipers 2011 book Bloodlines, his confession of his own racism, and his desire for diversity. Piper has hosted and defended pastor and author Doug Wilson over the years, even as hes become an increasingly contentious figure in evangelicalism for his teachings on slavery, women, and other issues. I feel terribly that I hurt you, and I own that and I regret it, and Im so sorry, he said. Steve and Janette Takata told The Roys Report they were shocked by Nasellis ultimatum. Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church Transform Minnesota brings workshops, connection points and teaching across the state of Minnesota. This is another painful and confusing moment for us," Zuleger wrote. In Meyers letter of resignation, which The Roys Report obtained, Meyer writes, Despite the charge that Bethlehem is drifting toward liberalism, I actually think we have lost some of our elasticity as the wind blows more in the direction of neo-fundamentalism., Meyer also wrote, I personally fear we are in danger of veering too much towards a unity culture. "It's confusing and painful corporately because Jason took the mantle from Pastor John Piper and helped lead us to this point of campus-specific preaching. 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In other words, you lose contact with truth.. Rev Juan Dominguez. We should not be surprised then that this is the house that disregards the voices of the abused and protects the abuser. Rev Patricia Downes. Ming-Jinn Tong, pastor for neighborhood outreach, announced his resignation in May; and Bryan Pickering, pastor for care and counseling, in June. Former Elder, and BBC professor of Biblical Counseling Pickering, however, said he was not surprised by Nasellis response at the meeting. Concerning threats within the church, they have deep worries with the churchs drift towards liberalism and the ways secular ideologies are finding homes in the church. At the same time, worries around secular thinking overriding biblical approaches to race have spiked, particularly over critical race theory. I found it very helpful. 3. ,and The issue of abuse also has particular resonance at Bethlehem. examples (from Wilsons church). (An investigation by Wilsons denomination found several serious errors in Wilsons handling of sex abuse cases in his church, including shifting blame for sexual abuse from the perpetrator to the father of the victim. Christian Rocker Posts Stunning Response to Recent Apostasy of Christian Leaders, Chicago Radio Host & a Former Bodyguard Say James MacDonald Asked Them to Arrange Murders, James MacDonald Took Millions from Harvest & Now Demands Broadcast Ministry, Mancow Airs Shocking Comments By James MacDonald: My Response. 276. Overall, her professors and pastors modeled a way to engage the world not from fear and suspicion, but with openness and critical thinking., Theres much I love about Bethlehem. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1. And in such a case, the school will rightly wither and die. Our friendship is not up for grabs even a little, yet I'm personally heartbroken. Particularly since Donald Trumps presidency, theres been a deepening of divisions among American evangelicals, exposing disagreements not in theology per se but in how they as Christians see their greatest priorities and fears in society. WebPastor Jason Meyer. And let us pray for Gods rescue and healing of those victimized by these wicked hired-men posing as undershepherds. One point of tension was a months-long process evaluating grievances made against a Bethlehem elder and a BCS professor, Andy Naselli, who was accused of failing to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, and thereby unfit for his positions, after his remarks at a church meeting. But his take has also resonated. Pastor Ralph Donohue. Up until this point, I thought he was a pretty cool guy and authoritative in his teaching.. But I am glad Fod called Jason to be a preacher instead of an air-traffic controller. He kept saying dont get sucked in which is quite a different thing than having empathy. Mekala, who says she was emotionally and spiritually abused for eight years while serving in a campus ministry overseen by Bethlehem, told The Roys Report that listening to the podcast was traumatizing. Hes brilliant, which is what makes him dangerous. It transitioned to a formal degree program that eventually became accredited in 2015. Man Rampant? Rev Greg Doss. Jason has been a dear friend and mentor since we met in his tiny closet of an office during my first year of seminary back in 2010. The episode was titled The Sin of Empathy, and featured guest Joe Rigney, who at the time of the January meeting had been appointed president of Bethlehem College and Seminary (BCS) but had not yet assumed office. WebOur Legacy. The leader of the narcissistic family system is always, always ALWAYS a narcissist themselves, and they are adept at manipulation and emotional coercion to maintain the status quo and silence any naysayers (Nasellis ultimatum in public, no less is a classic example). Unlike other high-profile evangelical scandals and shakeups in the headlines, the story at Bethlehem is not so clear-cut. We will continue to entrust ourselves to him in every circumstance., Churches and evangelical institutions across the country are trying to navigate their own divisions, but the process can be painful. ), Boyum said it was because of her training at Bethlehem that she felt like she should raise concerns. From our humble beginnings in 1975, Faith Assembly of God began as a church serving 95 people from a small steel building. Web1-31-2021 Worship Service Pastor Meyers retirement. The downtown campus was the most diverse of the three, with people of color making up 21 percent of attendees. Hi. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. So, lets call this what it is, address it as the foul, malevolent, pernicious evil that it is, and stand against the manifold oppression and abuse that are not only forbidden by God, but condemned by Christ Himself. I dont see how there can be any interpretation other than empathy for the Romans 12:15 instruction to Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Jason refers to an article in his letter, which describes neo-fundamentalism as one of six groups into which evangelicals are fracturing. Heres a short definition offered there, but youd have to read the entire article for the more complete definition: Neo-Fundamentalist Evangelical Neo-fundamentalists are those who have deep concerns about both political and theological liberalism. Lee at the North Campus told CT that his congregation, the largest Bethlehem location, has been encouraged by the frankness of the discussion and is ready to move forward. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. In their minds, claims of inappropriate behavior or abuse wont always be justified. Some of the faces that appear in the compilation video of 150 Gods Grace at Bethlehem no longer belong to the multisite Twin Cities churchmost prominently Jason Meyer, Pipers successor and Bethlehems pastor for preaching and vision. Janette Takata also wrote emails to BBC elders in 2019 with concerns about the episode. Members who spent 10, 20, or even 30 years worshiping and serving there, who expected they would be part of Bethlehem for the rest of their lives, said goodbye to their spiritual home. WebRev David Dodge. The group faced pushback from elders and pastors, who were worried that their approach focused only on where Bethlehem was not doing enough on matters of race. Then, its findings werent released to the church as a whole until a year and a half after issuing a report to elders. Wilson can easily be intellectually challenged, but he uses verbal and physical intimidation as a shield to avoid it. "This news is fresh to the leadership at Bethlehem, and we are still processing the reasons for the departure, as well as next steps," the statement continued. They insisted he sinned against them by explaining and denying instead of seeking to understand. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. And when the truth and the truth-tellers are minimized, marginalized, and demonized, this is a narcissistic family systems. Theyre trying to toughen you up. A better way to describe this is rigid and controlling. With Rigney slated to lead the college and seminary, some worried that his theological views and his affiliations would become conflated with Bethlehemsspecifically his concerns on empathy discussed in the hour-long Wilson interview (which is now on YouTube). But empathy that is true does not result in that. 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