Because we represent their interests. I think it took courage. On this episode of The Roys Report, Julie explores these important questions with Mitch Little, whos not just an attorney for victims. If anything has a whiff of impropriety, we would jump on it immediately. Briscoe Briscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. Let me give you some examples. And there was also a service at WC where the board interviewed him and was he was questioned about an affair. I hope you have a great day and God bless. 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. Pete is the son of Jill and Stuart Briscoe. I think youre absolutely right about that. 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? We are egalitarian and sophisticated, and we are Gods chosen church to show how ministry is supposed to be done. What I need most is what I dont have. Yeah, without using any names. And if youd like to find me online, just go to JulieRoys.com. And the thing about predators, Bill Hybels included, okay, is they start to do more things in public to condition you to behavior that is inappropriate, and they test their boundaries, to see what they can get away with. 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. 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. etc. The thief knows how to how to get through that lock, right? You have to have unity among your vocational staff at the church about, you know, key issues like how do we treat other people? I cant do this authentically anymore. And as hard as the last year and a half has been, I applaud him for that. But heres what happened when Scot criticized them publicly. I think they can do it effectively. It manifested even at the IT level at the church. At least, thats how I saw it. Like they didnt read a book, figuring out how to do it, but there are warning signs that people need to be aware of. But he had the emotional and spiritual fortitude to say, You know what? So since youve seen a lot of this kind of up close and personal through talking to witnesses and elders and staff people, how bad was the abuse at Willow Creek? I was blown away. But we dont have time on this podcast. 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. And I think Christian leaders need to start stepping up. I think there was a culture of pride at Willow that basically said, We are the elite of the Christian world. That night we had a guest speaker come in for a special presentation. I had no idea what to expect as this lone man stood on the stage. It took me a long time to agree that he had done the things of which he had been accused. Im good friends with Vonda Dyer, who worked at Willow and was one of the women who bravely came forward with her story about her interactions with Bill Hybels. Theres, theres an advocacy piece to lawyering that needs to be there a little bit, but it doesnt need to be pervasive. And I think that Bill Hybels created an advocacy structure around him by having that many lawyers on the board. Please know you are not alone. WebIt is with heavy hearts that the Elders of Bent Tree announce that Pete Briscoe has submitted his resignation as Senior Pastor. Think about the psychology of someone who could be doing what was alleged by Pat Baranowski to have been done to her. Posted by Jonathan Deatherage on Apr 02, 2019. He gave me a few new friends here and there, people to pray with, to share with, to be coworkers in some small ministry, etc. And its pervasive, and people are, theyre using it. To us, he was Stu, Dad and Poppa and we already miss him achingly." I was the senior pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for nearly 30 years. Well, I tried other churches and its more of the same. Hes also a strong believer and advocate for abuse victims. And Willow lost the battle of PR on social media. To me, this was one of the beautiful God moves about the entire situation. Heres to better days and better church health. It is a collection of people. I hear you say that and I believe in accountability really strongly. For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema.. I attended Willow for seven years. 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. At one point, the elder board at Willow became what people call a policy governance board. Pete Briscoe was Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, TX for nearly 30 years. 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. They made a lot of friends. And I remember you saying. I mean, I Timothy 5:20 says that we should publicly expose elders who are sinning so that others may take warning. So to some extent, we all have a measure of hypocrisy. What I saw happen at Willow is, the board as a unit was willing to dissemble in the amount necessary to preserve the organization. But I guess this is the question so many are asking is, Can anybody be in those kind of jobs with the kind of responsibility that is put on one human, one person to lead thousands of people? And so many looking to him for vision for leadership for everything. 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. 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. There are therapy notes to support her story. 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. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray Its one of the beauties and the deformities of social media is social media is agile. And this is a huge problem in the Evangelical Church in the southern baptist church, I mean, just absolutely massive problem where so often the predators covered up instead of brought to justice. After a failed attempt to travel alone in his truck out west, he came to church with us that very day. They had these Global Leadership Summits. https://www.billionbibles.com/voice-of-the-martyrs.html. WebHi friend, I'm Pete Briscoe. And its like, now someone inside the tribe has said, Something is wrong here and it must be dealt with. And it took someone of Scot McKnights gravitas to be able to shift the discussion at Willow. This was something that was very deeply ingrained in their culture. 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. For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema.. Although theres been some. They didnt have the ability to move quickly. And sadly, I think they have still. 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. He currently leads a multi-faceted media ministry called Telling the Truth which he shares with his parents Stuart and Jill 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. And some of it also involved a culture that was willing to cover for wrongdoing. How do spot a safe pastorand can. And I thought, I think I knew what he was doing when he named it that, but heres why I think its so ironic. I have been a child of God since I was four and in ministry most of my life. 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 dont know the answer but rampant clergy abuse just took my discontentment to a whole new level. 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. I was a member of WCCC for many years. These are people that are in your country club. And unless theyre pollinated by hand, on the one day that the bloom opens, they wont make anything. Pete Briscoe, our pastor at our church came out in support of the Dyers, which was bold, and it was brave. And so when I looked at that in the context of James MacDonald going, you know what, thats the type of accountability that man needed and was denied. Like so many of you, I love Pete. That nonprofit corporation and its bank accounts, thats not what the biblical church is. As a lawyer whos represented some of Bill Hybels victims, Mitch Little has seen a side of Willow Creek that few others have. How do you recommend searching worth while places to donate too? Why is it that nobody outside a very small group of women who had no power, really no position, why didnt others come to their rescue? I know for a fact that his article was circulated among the staff at Willow, and they crossed the Rubicon of credulity. I mean, that is just huge. But youre right. Yes, I have be disillusioned many times by churches and some leaders. And where does whats legally expedient for our organization? It is not a building. He currently leads a multi-faceted media ministry called Telling the Truth which he shares with his parents Stuart and Jill Briscoe. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. 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. John and Nancy Ortberg had been at Willow Creek as pastors. Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. WebIt is with heavy hearts that the Elders of Bent Tree announce that Pete Briscoe has submitted his resignation as Senior Pastor. So when you have a culture thats willing to, you know, exfoliate spoiliate, destroy documents in order to preserve a narrative, theres really very little that the culture will not accomplish at the cost of innocent people. And heres what we have to do as people leading churches, okay, you have to understand what the signs of grooming are so one of the things that I did that really helps me, my good friend, Boz Tchividjian, put out a book through his organization G.R.A.C.E. Yeah. They didnt have the ability to respond to new issues as they arose. And I still havent been able to get her to visit with me. 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. Yeah, they eventually did. Likewise. Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2000 but remained involved in the church and active in overseas missions. that keeps the honest person honest. Im wary of the theatrical, evangelical stars that are so prevalent now. 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? Can you imagine what that does for book sales to be on stage at the Global Leadership Summit among people all over the world and touted as an expert in something? I totally agree with you Julie on how I viewed the Clergy and Church growing up. Judson is located just 36 miles outside Chicago on a beautiful 90 acre campus. 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. Im Julie Roys. One of those women is Vonda Dyer. And its designed to be acretive, right that they gain strength over time. Scott Dyer was the worship pastor at Bent Tree Bible fellowship. 1 talking about this. 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. Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2000 but remained involved in the church and active in overseas missions. So I was really struggling with my faith. And if you are not willing to as an organism, or as an organization say, We messed up. And you made the statement that if you have the character to lead, you dont need a manual. That is not a matter of policy. 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 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. The woman had come forwarded, but then later recanted her story. When you think about the economic reach of an organization that was that size within evangelicalism, my goodness, even Christianity Today was scared to run articles about it. He, Becky and their kids have been part of the fabric of BT for so long, it is "For many of you, he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend. 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? Hes one of the good guys. And I do think theres a spiritual stronghold, I hope and pray that it will be broken in our area. So thank you. Its designed to be fought asymmetrically. And I feel that way with these pastors. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray In another area, it might be used to groom someone and use vulnerability as a mechanism to draw people into something that is corrupt. Its the biblical admonition, you know, to hold a knife to your throat lest you desire the Kings delicacies. It is also the church in which Pete Briscoe, my former wonderful pastor, grew up in. 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. I wasnt throughout the representation. And Im like, Ive never seen a spiritual leader ever, ever have that sort of self disclosure in front of the church before he preaches. "For many of you, he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend. 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. Youve youve created a fiction when you organize church, what is a church organization but a legal fiction, right? WebBriscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. I think that was a move of God, a move of the Holy Spirit. Pete has offered to And I had a wonderful experience. Theyve got a little bit of the guide part. Yeah, right. I want to thank Pete too for advocating for women participating fully in leadership and for Libby modeling what it means to be a true helper (ezer kenegdo). It was like trying to fit a battleship through a set of French doors. I was the senior pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for nearly 30 years. Hmm. You know, I think, Julie, the other thing that was really whacked out about Willows elder board, and I didnt find this out until very late in the representation was they operated by design out of unanimity. He currently leads a multi-faceted media ministry called Telling the Truth which he shares with his parents Stuart and Jill Briscoe. 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. That to me, is a corruption of the role. To me, Bill did not come across as a predator, flirty or suggestive with women. And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? Friends are important! And I could explain why I think thats funny, but you have to have extreme accountability, the larger your platform gets. I appreciate your taking time again away from your vacation to spend time with us. Ive asked that question many times. With that purpose in mind, they launched theTelling the Truth ministry. 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. Pete served as the senior pastor at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas for nearly 30 years, and he now ministers to pastors and organizational executives through personalized, professional coaching. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray 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. So, Mitch, how is it that a lawyer from Texas ended up representing victims of sexual harassment at a mega church in Chicago? But it really had the tone has to be set by leadership for a culture of goodness. 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. So your pastor, he chose himself to step down, correct? As a lawyer whos represented some of Bill Hybels victims Mitch Little has seen a side of Willow Creek that few others have. Put a skin tag on it or a flesh tag. Glad that Jesus is still our anchor! Jill and Stuart came to the States from England. Welcome to the Roys report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. They have a responsibility to the larger church to speak. 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. Happened so often, I quit altogether. 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. That is a very fair question. Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! WebHi friend, I'm Pete Briscoe. Thats not to say there arent authentic people there. 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. 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. 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. and I found these people in those imperfect churches! They wont produce any vanilla beans. WebIt is with heavy hearts that the Elders of Bent Tree announce that Pete Briscoe has submitted his resignation as Senior Pastor. Can I talk about Scot McKnight for a second? Or what is the church think about Calvinism? something along those lines. God is doing a new work both in the lives of the Briscoe's and in the life of Bent Tree. 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