Well, I want to turn our discussion to what youve experienced at your own church, which is a multi-site mega church there in the Dallas Fort Worth area, because those are things where youve been able to apply some of these lessons that youve learned from watching the negative example maybe of Willow Creek, youve learned an awful lot from going through crisis at your own church. So I was quite taken aback when this scandal came out. I was blown away. And I do think theres a spiritual stronghold, I hope and pray that it will be broken in our area. And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? Jill and Stuart came to the States from England. And now lets put that in the past. Willow did not want to reckon with the deformed culture that had manifested underneath Bills leadership. At the end of the day the aftermath of destruction is felt on so many levels by so many people and we all react differently in our humanness. If you have six members of the Board of eight, lets just say its eight or 10. So if you think of Willow as being a living thing, we are willing to put other things to death on the altar of preserving that organism. You can read about them at their website Teaching the Truth. The fact that, I dont know. I mean, I Timothy 5:20 says that we should publicly expose elders who are sinning so that others may take warning. I have been a child of God since I was four and in ministry most of my life. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe Well Mitch, one of the things Ive never discussed is that we used to attend Willow Creek. I appreciate you so much and look forward to visiting with you again soon. In the late 1990s, Telling the Truth was blessed with opportunities to expand the broadcasts overseas with a newly formed Christian radio station in London, Premier Christian Radio, which today remains the only Christian station across the entire United Kingdom, with 1.2 million weekly listeners. 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. 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. I was just following following lawyers advice. So its okay. 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. Because it was lawyers advice, you know, and its like, where does the word of God play into our decision making? Below is a link to a PDF of the article World Magazine did on a sex abuse scandal involving VOM. (See page 54 and following) :), I would strongly urge you to research Voice of the Martyrs. Very few. Mike is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come. He currently leads a multi-faceted media ministry called Telling the Truth which he shares with his parents Stuart and Jill Briscoe. WebLearn More About Pete Today - Pete Briscoe God loves you to distraction, There is nothing you can do to make Him love them more or less, And, that Life with this Lover God is rich beyond description, regardless of your performance. Judson is located just 36 miles outside Chicago on a beautiful 90 acre campus. So appreciate. I totally agree with you Julie on how I viewed the Clergy and Church growing up. Its the biblical admonition, you know, to hold a knife to your throat lest you desire the Kings delicacies. Thats one of the things that attracted me to it is that he would admit something that he had failed, like, I remember one Wednesday night at a midweek service, and he got up and he said how that day he had seen somebody who was, you know, he could tell that they were upset and in need, and he just walked right by the person and totally blew them off. Youve youve created a fiction when you organize church, what is a church organization but a legal fiction, right? But youre right. Theres another circumstance that I became aware of where The board had a 360 Review done on Hybels and his leadership and some problems they were experiencing with his management style from, you know, bullying, abusive style. 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 attended Willow for seven years. Pete grew up in a home with intelligent and committed parents: both Fortunately, we have not had so much as one complaint about any one of our pastors or staff members. I dont think that theres anything at a mega church that innoculates it from being good. We were fighting asymmetric warfare, right? it is. 1 talking about this. 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. I think thats dangerous. 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. I dont think I could survive the corruption I see today had I not seen so much thats good and beautiful in the church growing up. I was just trying to build a relationship, or whatever you just go, But I see you for what you are and youre gonna have to go.. He represented two women involved in the sex abuse scandal involving Bill Hybels. "For many of you, he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend. For more information just go to JudsonU.edu. Character always has to come first in hiring, then competence, and then chemistry. And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? Pete is the son of Jill and Stuart Briscoe. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! In this Milgram experiment, they found that people are willing to do things under collar of authority and that they would not probably otherwise do. So to some extent, we all have a measure of hypocrisy. So disappointed in ECFA. Because we represent their interests. You have your identity rooted in something other than Christ, the centrality of Christ. 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. 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. Well, Mitch, this has been read. It was a huge fixture in evangelicalism. To us, he was Stu, Dad and Poppa and we already miss him achingly." Who hasnt given a friend a friendly kiss once in awhile? which Hybels assented to including you know, repenting for his behavior and not talking about politics and some other things as well. 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. Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. Yeah, totally agree. Multiple services, being able to do it on cue, proves Hybels theatrical abilitiesI look back and feel sick, given all the details we now know from behind the scenes. Why did so many look the other way for so long? I think they can do it effectively. https://world.wng.org/sites/default/files/issues/pdf/world_sep012018.pdf, Also, Id encourage you to read the website below. WebPete Briscoe answers that question by pointing us to Paul as the perfect example of one who speaks with tender boldness. So a young person in our high school ministry. You know, Willow creeks pastors family members benefit from the Penumbra of Willow Creek and its just sheer size within evangelicalism. Why didnt others support them? And so when you know from the pulpit, that might be a strength. Hes a complex character. And I feel that way with these pastors. Yet, Scripture and to how to teach it became new and deep and exciting every week as I listened to Pete in the short three years I have been at Bent Tree. 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. He, Becky and their kids have been part of the fabric of BT for so long, it is I am with you in this sad place of justified disappointment in the church. Im so grateful now for that heritage. 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? And Willow lost the battle of PR on social media. But before we begin, I just want to take a minute to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Judson University, and Marquardt of Barrington. At the same time. It is a collection of people that we are to care for. 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. Pete Briscoes father, Stuart Briscoe, who I loved dearly, hes not in good health, I wish he was, I wish he could hear this and Id wish him well. Amen. And if you dont have a character to lead, no manual is going to help you. Put a skin tag on it or a flesh tag. David Jankowski. Theres a lot of church boards that operate that way. The priests who cross the street, right? (etc. Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2000 but remained involved in the church and active in overseas missions. Yeah, without using any names. Its designed to be fought asymmetrically. https://www.billionbibles.com/voice-of-the-martyrs.html. That was my upbringing. And another womans situation, theyre in an elder board meeting, and Bill Hybels, you know, has his hand on a womans leg, and no one else can see. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. 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. 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. Board members selected in such a way are unlikely to honor their fiduciary duty ahead of their desire to please the board chairman or senior pastor. So whos supposed to hold whos supposed to hold the leaders accountable in that structure? I dont know. 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. All the times something didnt seem right. WebLearn More About Pete Today - Pete Briscoe God loves you to distraction, There is nothing you can do to make Him love them more or less, And, that Life with this Lover God is rich beyond description, regardless of your performance. And while youre at it, wed really appreciate it if you help us spread the word about the podcast by leaving a review and then please share the podcast on social media so more people can hear about this great content. They had so many churches, thousands of churches coming on board and being a part of those. Hes just an affectionate kind of guy. Again, thanks so much for joining me today. Stuart Briscoe died on August 3 "of natural causes unexpectedly" according to a tweet from his son, Pete Briscoe. Its a calling of God. Today, Telling the Truthis heard anytime and anywhere, thanks to international radio programming, the internet, and our mobile app. That nonprofit corporation and its bank accounts, thats not what the biblical church is. Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. Gifted with wisdom, discernment, and a bit of English humor, the Briscoe's bring God's Word to life. WebPete Briscoe, Stuart and Jills youngest son, was a key contributor to the ministrys teaching team from 2003 to 2021. Thank you so much. So grateful for those who did and Scot McKnight who came out with a just a powerful, I remember when his blog hit and he said, Every elder has to resign. And within what, wasnt it a week, all of them resigned. WebBriscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. Now, I coach pastors and business leaders in communications and self-care. 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. I have plenty of authentic friends just not at church. I just want to say this was not someone who acted on any behavior at our church, but had someone who was in the process of grooming someone else. 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