A beautiful thing happened at the SGC in San Diego yesterday.
Mark Lauterbach, the senior pastor who was de-gifted and then re-gifted, shared his heart with the congregation after his Sunday morning sermon. There was another meeting last night, but I haven’t received any details yet.
I’m told that after his sermon, Mark asked the congregation to forgive him. He publicly confessed to the sins of pride and control, specifically, that he had refused input from the congregation, and confessed that was wrong for the pastors to decide in major issues themselves, and then inform the congregation.
Mark also stated that he had confused control for good leadership, and had sought to run things himself, instead of seeing others gifts and letting them walk in their gifting. He said that he had assumed too much authority.
The other pastor on staff confessed to ignoring input from the congregation regarding his responsibilities.
As an aside, here’s Mark’s latest blog post:
“In my readings today, a wonderful word from Tozer on introspection and joylessness:
While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves — blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the Perfect One. (Pursuit of God)
Now that, in a few words, is what I have been trying to say in many.”
AMEN!
There are pastors in every denomination, including SGM, who are very concerned with job security. I know pastors who need SGM, as they would be unemployable if their relationship with SGM ended.
I also know pastors within SGM who don’t need them. Some would have larger congregations if they were unencumbered with SGM’s baggage.
I’ve thought for years that Mark was in the latter category, and for what it’s worth, believe that Mark was speaking from his heart, and was under no compulsion from SGM HQ to address the congregation.
Bless you Mark! May your tribe increase.
If anyone from San Diego would like to weigh in, I’d be grateful if you would flesh out my sketchy details.
This is a repost from Feb of last year. Some links are dead, because I’m nicer than I used to be. Hard to believe, I know…
I feel that this is timely because MCL’s issues are polity issues. The members are waiting to see what actions the leaders will take. It doesn’t seem very “joint heir-like” to me. MCL is not their church. You are not their people. It is clear that pastors in SGM have more authority than is granted by Scripture. This extra Biblical view of pastoral authority informs their polity. “Don’t talk to each other, talk to us”. When did Paul ever make such a statement? To whom were the epistles written to? The churches. Elders are rarely mentioned in the letters to the churches.
In the the next “we have decided” statement statement delivered to MLC, the “we” should refer to all of you. You are not children.
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We have a lot of new readers. It’s obviously impossible to read every post written since June of 08, so many new guests might form an opinion of this blog based on the topic at hand.
I left SGM in June of 06 because of their polity. I started this blog in June of 08 because of their polity.
POLITY IS IMPORTANT. ALL of SGM’s problems flow from their unorthodox, unique-to-SGM polity. It informs their Eccesiology, Missiology, and is the reason for their truncated Gospel, as their polity only allows them to hear their own voice. Their polity has placed them on the outer fringe of orthodoxy, forcing them to use out of context or partial quotes to give the impression that Biblical scholars support their fringe view.
In the recent SGC Chesapeake fiasco, both Keith and Gene appealed to SGM’s polity statement, rather than to Scripture. Very Roman, if you ask me.
By all means, read the SGM polity statement. Then, with the statement in hand, please read what we’ve had to say about SGM’s polity, and our lengthy review of their polity statement.
I’ve tried to find everything we’ve said about SGM polity and link to it in this post.
This gets a little tricky. Click on the words in green below to read a post, then click on the home tab to return here to click on the next post.
Enjoy!
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/06/14/jerry-bridges-on-the-controller/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/06/20/responding-to-leadership-in-sgm/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/06/28/trust-your-leaders/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/06/26/they-stand-in-the-very-stead-of-god/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/07/01/more-responsibilities-of-the-sheep/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/07/10/jesus-on-leadership/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/07/15/sgm-polity/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/07/19/mick-jagger-and-cj-mahaney-on-leadership/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/07/21/under-their-thumb/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/08/06/the-fruit-of-good-pastoring/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/08/24/advice-to-the-lone-ranger/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/08/26/more-recommendations-for-cj/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/08/28/bible-doctrine-tastes-great-less-filling-burp/
The good stuff starts here….
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/09/02/polity-episode-1-an-introduction-to-dave-harveys-phantom-menace/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/09/04/sovereign-grace-ministries-on-elders/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/09/08/sovereign-grace-ministries-on-elders-2/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/09/10/polity-episode-2-dave-harveys-quote-in-the-cloned-quote-wars/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/09/19/more-grudem-on-polity-and-apostles/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/10/01/missiology-part-1-entering-the-minefield-of-the-world/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/10/08/missiology-part-2-apostles-epistles-and-missions-oh-my/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2008/12/12/uh-oh-steve-shank-is-here/
http://sgmrefuge.com/2009/01/11/what-to-expect/Polity Scholity Revisited
You’ve received Danny’s email. Read points 5 and 6 very carefully. Notice what the evaluation team will and will not address.
“There are several issues in the list above that the rest of the leadership team would agree needs to be pursued…”
“However, there is significant disagreement with the other points listed…”
If the members I’ve communicated with are in any way indicative of the general feeling among the membership, it seems that “there is significant disagreement” between the leadership team and the members of MLC.
With the recent events at Metro in Orlando, which is the Florida flagship SGM church, and the home of the apostle of the SE, I wanted to start a new thread. SGM knows exactly how I feel about the apostle Jones, and this is an area of discussion where I find it impossible to be objective. I’ll use the first informational comment as the main post, and will move comments already posted into this thread.
Post by Dorothy is Leaving Oz on Jan 7:
Yes, Sigelman. I can. Just need a few days to process. Here is what I can get out.
Legalism of Virginia Beach Repeats Itself in Orlando.
Pastor leaves staff, as in resigns and quits after 7 plus years. No immorality, nothing inappropriate. He not only leaves Metro but SGM as well. Church is in tremendous pain. This man is more than loved here.
On one hand Danny Jones and Dave Harvey praised Todd and wanted to support him hearing from God to leave Metro and SGM, and with the other hand - backhandedly -condemned him for not wanting to stay and go through an examination process with the rest of the pastoral staff. < Staff infighting over the past year demanded big guns from SGM to step in to help bring stabilization back in November, so we were told in nicer terms.> Guess Todd said no. Why go through one more kangaroo court? Why go through any more pain? It certainly didn’t work with Brent until enough people got hurt. Something no one will talk about.
I am sorry Dave H, but the lame excuse that we are all sinners and people in a church can expect to get hurt is a POOR EXCUSE FOR POOR MANIPULATIVE LEADERSHIP. < you know, when you walk in to the office and meet with Benny over anything ,you are told what you have to say is full of pride and or sin? > We get lambasted when we sin and are declared unusable vessels but that’s YOUR excuse when LEADERSHIP sins against the church? We can EXPECT it? P.S. they continue leading in spite of the pain they inflict.
Danny made like it was a big surprise that Bob K and Dave H were there tonight. SOMEBODY CALLED THEM HERE! Like they really just showed up without letting anyone know they were coming? PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Danny made like they did not see Todd’s leaving was coming.I don’t buy that either. He got tired of beating a dead horse like the rest of us on the way out the door. Maybe because they are all yes men protecting their jobs, homes, and lifestyles. Maybe Todd has an eternal prospective and is more concerned about following God than being a yes man, having a new house and job that he loved. Integrity! Todd still has his intact. He looses it all by resigning. Professionally and personally. God will honor that!
There is only so much you can say until you just give up. Guess Todd did. I am sure for the sake of his family and own mental and spiritual health it was time. Personally,I am still waiting for answers from meetings I had with Benny and then with Danny over 12 weeks ago. I am done waiting. I am leaving Oz. I am not the only one.
Todd was the only pastor on the staff with any integrity or guts to call a spade a spade and confront this group of blind men, as well as go with the wounded sheep to Danny Jones and be a third ear. Todd was the only one with any real joy and real grace. Todd handed in his letter of resignation on Sunday, hence emergency meeting three days later, Wednesday night Jan 6 th. Unfortunately, the wrong one pastor left. The score? Jocks- 100/ Worship ministry-0. Flock left bloody in the aisles. Film at 11.
Dave H and Bob K in the house. A bit too late guys! Dave attempts to walk us through with a mini sermon ” Don’t Waste Your Departing”. Don’t even ask.
He even tried to inject some humor. There was nothing funny about it or this hurtful situation. Then he tried to re-envision the church with recommitment and reflect on why you came to Metro to begin with. It was a poor attempt of damage control. The whole night was.
Now watch more people bail out. Last straw for many, myself included. I am a emotional mess. I have been a part PDI/SGM most of my adult life ….a lifetime. I can not remember the last time I cried like this. The thought of starting someplace else is devastating, but I can no longer stay. Details later, if I can even deal with repeating them.
Virgina Beach repeats itself in Orlando. Legalism has destroyed another church. Satan has another hay day. Blinders still remain on Metro’s remaining staff under the guise of being faithful, loyal, accountable and teachable. It is time for the remaining pastoral staff to face the truth. Self seeking divisiveness is in your midst. What is so funny is Benny thinks no one notices. Benny, we all notice. You have an agenda and it is being the ruling reigning King at Metro Life Church by whatever means. You’ve played this game before. You know what not to do. You obviously are playing better ball. This whole thing stinks. I am asking you all not to reveal. Please please pray. Dorothy.