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. He has been married to Jill for more than 59 years and has three children and 13 grandchildren. And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? I think that was a move of God, a move of the Holy Spirit. And he came back and said, I cant do this anymore.. They need accountability. As I look back on my own four years on staff, Im thankful for the teaching and leadership that Pete Briscoe has brought to Bent Tree, and I know that so many of us have been impacted by his attention to the Lord and quick obedience to however God leads him. 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. Like if you go back and you actually read his books line-on-line, there are some things in there in those books where you go, For a pastor, that should be unacceptable. But he was attenuating his church culture and culture at large to him in his behavior. In another area, it might be used to groom someone and use vulnerability as a mechanism to draw people into something that is corrupt. Through Petes teaching on Sundays and through various conversations with other staff members during the week, God shifted my perspective on what it means to live life in Christ one from my own efforts to please God to one of Christs efforts on my behalf to love me deeply, extravagantly, and permanently. 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? Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. There are therapy notes to support her story. And thats one of the things that I just come back to is that the word hypocrisy in the Greek the word that comes from that means actor. Now, I coach pastors and business leaders in communications and self-care. Thankyou in advance. And Willow just, they got killed because they wouldnt respond and say the truth. We were fighting asymmetric warfare, right? Fortunately, we have not had so much as one complaint about any one of our pastors or staff members. At the same time, hes writing a book and writing articles for Christianity Today about marriage purity. Yeah, right. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe That goes to the guarding role that Attorney Mitch shared. I know the owners Dan and Kurt Marquart personally, and I can say without reservation that they truly run their business with honesty, integrity and transparency. It was stunning to me. But I had limited contact with him. 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. He said, Pete, you should have one lawyer on your board but not more than one. And I believe that there is some really sound wisdom in that. 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. and so I almost feel like the elder boards are there to keep the honest person honest. Later Telling the Truth began airing in several countries in southeast Asia and across 10 countries in southern Africa. I think he lost it. None at all. Likewise. Hes one of the good guys. Subscribe Sign up for my daily email devotionals and to stay in touch! I think its incredibly dangerous. Heres my belief, Julie, I think the church at large, the big leaders in evangelicalism, we can name names if we want to, and Im sure that people have names on their mind when theyre hearing this, Why were they silent? Yeah, my understanding of that of the history has come from interviewing witnesses, talking to people who have served in those roles and hearing their stories at Willow. I was kind of thrust into the middle of it out of love for wanting to help my friends and man, that thing escalated pretty quickly. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray That way, youll never miss an episode. How does our elder board navigate things differently with that Pastor? And you mentioned to me that there were some stop signs along the way. 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. But youre right. Glad that Jesus is still our anchor! About Stuart and Jill Briscoe Its scripturally rooted. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. I followed the Harvest situation, which I think is its own it, you know, separate facts. 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 then everyone could say, Oh, how sad that that one person did that one thing. Amen. 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 you you actually refer to it as multi-level marketing. A person whos not walking in the Spirit is susceptible to that type of behavior, even a senior pastor. 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. Im doing well but probably not as well as you because youre on vacation in Florida. I will let you know as soon as I figure it all out. And I think Christian leaders need to start stepping up. God is doing a new work both in the lives of the Briscoe's and in the life of Bent Tree. But theres something wrong in the whole business of Church. The Elder Board has accepted Petes decision, and his resignation is effective March 31, 2019. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! Yes, probably a number of your listeners are aware of the situation where the Ortbergs and Mellados had tried to report to the board an alleged long term affair that Bill Hybels was engaged in and the church hired an outside investigator to investigate the situation. 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. 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.. Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2000 but remained involved in the church and active in overseas missions. Briscoe And its pervasive, and people are, theyre using it. Hes just an affectionate kind of guy. Thats a rhetorical question. 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. A man who "dedicated his life to sharing Gods Word with the world" has died at the age of 91. 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. Oh Well, and I appreciate your service to the church. As a lawyer whos represented some of Bill Hybels victims Mitch Little has seen a side of Willow Creek that few others have. Talk to me about how you saw this playing out at Willow Creek. I have plenty of authentic friends just not at church. And if you think its not, you know, go and look in your church building right now, if youre quarantined under COVID, or youre not gathering. It manifested even at the IT level at the church. WebPete Briscoe answers that question by pointing us to Paul as the perfect example of one who speaks with tender boldness. I encourage you to start praying again and trust God to open doors for you in godly and meaningful fellowship. And if youd like to find me online, just go to JulieRoys.com. Thank you for joining us in seeing to it that no one misses the grace of God. Friends are important! Interestingly enough, during the interview, he seemed extremely angry and resentful. I think, as believers, we should be standing for truth, we should not look the other way. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. 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. When you say the IT department, its my understanding you came into some information about emails getting destroyed. 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 Im very much looking forward to our time together today. Please know you are not alone. So many people are looking the other way. The cover up of his behavior manifested at the elder board level. This is just the way things are in Corinth. Why did so many look the other way for so long? Theres a lot of church boards that operate that way. In the early 2000s, as Stuart and Jill transitioned into minister-at-large roles and spent more time traveling to serve the global church, an additional voice was added in order to bless the supporters ofTelling the Truth. John and Nancy Ortberg had been at Willow Creek as pastors. And Harvest was the same thing. Yet Mitch isnt just the lawyer whos seen megachurches as an outsider bringing accountability. That to me, is a corruption of the role. It is not a building. Yes, I totally agree. What makes you stick with that model and believe it can still be used despite how badly that model has been abused? Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. I dont think that he caused the elder board to resign. But essentially, it was the board being asked to deal with matters of policy and then all matters of implementation really get left to the vocational staff in the church. It started as a simple tape duplication ministry in a home basement, using a reel-to-reel tape recorder linked to a dozen smaller recorders to duplicate the Briscoes' teaching. Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. I did live it. Hi. 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. I mean, I Timothy 5:20 says that we should publicly expose elders who are sinning so that others may take warning. Jesus said, I call you My friend. 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. And gratitude is where we must go in this time, as Kurt Baxter reminded us on Sunday. 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