Let’s Start at the Beginning-Part 1

I don’t think you could call us church-hoppers. God saved Carole and I in August, 1982. It’s a long, amazing story of God’s Grace that we’ll share at another time.

We attended our first church for 2 years. We then attended Calvary Chapel of Merritt Island for 7 years. We loved it, and learned a lot there. My oldest was 12, and the youth group was so large, it scared me. We looked around, attended another church for 1 year, and then landed at Cathedral Pines Assembly of God in 1992. We really weren’t looking for an AOG, but had some great friends from Calvary that were attending there, and gave it a try. Remember, we were looking for a youth group.

The pastor was Wayne, who we really liked, and the youth pastor was Tim, who we REALLY liked. At the time, if I could have created a youth pastor in my mad scientist lab, I would have created Tim. I’m so very grateful to God that He created Tim. We became friends quickly, although I am 10 years older than him. We will be forever grateful for his influence on our oldest, and particularly on her future husband. Tim was his mentor, and helped him become the man he is today-the only guy on the planet who I would let marry my daughter. Or even think about it.

A year or 2 later, I get a call from Wayne, telling me that I had been nominated for the deacon board. I know little of AOG as a denom, but this church had a congregational form of polity. The members nominated and voted members onto the board, was actually a board of ruling elders. Wayne told me that there was just one little problem-I was not a member. I asked what I had to do to become a member, and he told me to come to the office and sign a card. I was voted onto the deacon board, and experienced the wonderful world of church politics for the first time. We made every financial decision for the church. We actually voted, and passed a resolution to return the American flag to the stage, which Wayne had removed. It was my first meeting, and I wanted to support my pastor, but I was asked to vote for or against the American flag in my very first meeting. I abstained. Coward. During this time, my wife became Wayne’s secretary. Another first time inside view of the church.

In early 1996, Wayne announced to the church that he was resigning. He had somehow hooked up with Sovereign Grace Ministries, and was moving to Orlando to attend Metro Life Church, the Florida SGM mothership, home of the apostle Jones. He was quickly brought on staff, was eventually made the executive pastor, and is now the sr pastor of the SGM church plant in West Orlando.

Tim decided that he wanted to be a candidate for sr pastor. He was 27 at the time, and this was a church that if I remember correctly, was around 60/40 seniors and younger folks. I was 37. It felt young, at the time.

Tim didn’t have a chance. The board was 7 guys-4 seniors and 3 younger guys. They grilled the poor guy. He then had to address the church as a part of the candidate process.

Tim made a very memorable statement at that meeting. When asked what he would do if he lost the election, he said that he would stay on as youth pastor.

He lost the election. He remained youth pastor (for a short time), and Carole was still the church secretary. Then a funny thing happened. Tim called me one day and asked my what I thought about him starting a church. I without hesitation said-go for it-I’m in. I had had my fill of CPAG, and was going to leave anyway. I felt that the vote on Tim taking the sr pastor role got a little dirty, and I was done. I also really love the guy.

I didn’t even consider that what Tim was doing was wrong at the time, but he began building his new church, while on the CPAG payroll, using their resources (even meeting with people in his CPAG office to recruit them to his new church). Consider this carefully-while a church is paying Tim, he is recruiting their members to leave and start a new church.

The guy is so darned lovable-I don’t know of too many people who even considered what he was doing was wrong.

We then had a meeting in a member’s house, I guess that Tim was happy with the attendance, and we all left the church, to form Frontlines Church in 1996. Even a few of the seniors came with us.

Tim formed a leadership team, and Carole and I were on it. I signed the original articles of incorporation. I have no idea what I signed-maybe a director, maybe a witness-I don’t recall.

We met for 9 months in a rented hotel conference room, and then Tim’s dad bought a building and rented it to the church. Around this time (1997), Tim was invited by Danny (then “apostle” of Florida, current “apostle” of the Southern US) to a SGM (then PDI) pastors conference.

From the SGC T-Ville website:

“In 1997 Danny Jones, senior pastor of Metro Life Church in Orlando invited Tim (our pastor) to Sovereign Grace’s Leadership Conference. After attending, Tim was amazed by the genuine relationships, the passion for doctrine and the clear humility of its leaders. All this and more affected him deeply. He continued to pursue a relationship with Danny and for the next three years, Danny and many men in Sovereign Grace Ministries served our Titusville church. Our church began changing in many God glorifying ways and in 1999 we were adopted and became a part of the Sovereign Grace family of churches. Tim realized that he was in need of more training to serve the church more effectively and in August 1999 moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland to attend the Sovereign Grace Pastor’s College. During this time Jim Britt, then a pastor of a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in St. Petersburg, FL and a very humble and gracious man, came to Titusville to pastor and serve the church in Tim’s absence. Upon Tim’s return in May of 2000 the church was healthy and ready to move forward. Jim and Corri had served the church in amazing ways. Preaching and teaching us the Doctrines of Grace and “living out” what a family living for God’s glory looks like.”

1996-1999 was a rough period for Tim and I. I thought that I was there to help him, and confronted him often. When he brought on a hyper-charismatic couple to lead the youth group, I confronted Tim. A major issue for me, besides the weirdness of what youth group had become, is that they were called “pastors Pete and Olga”. I’m not going to argue this point, but I’ve never believed in women pastors. I eventually pulled my kids out of youth group. Around 1998, I resigned from the leadership team, as I thought that my family was moving to another city for work related issues. I decided not to move, and think that neither Tim nor I wanted me on that team. We never talked about it again.

In 1999, the leadership team was dissolved, “pastors” Pete and Olga disappeared (never to be mentioned again), we were adopted by SGM, and Tim was sent to the PC.

In an odd side note, while Tim was being evaluated by SGM, no one asked me about what he did to CPAG. I assume that Wayne knows, so maybe the question didn’t need to be asked. Jim B grilled me about the state of the church, and later declared at a care group leaders meeting: “Jim is the most discerning person in this room, and gave me the most accurate evaluation of the state of this church”. I wonder why he didn’t ask about my evaluation of Tim? I guess that’s “pastor work”.

While Tim was at the PC, Jim B (see SGC history above) grabbed 5 guys-3 former frontlines small group leaders and myself and another guy, and started meeting with us on Tuesday nights for care group leader training. The 3 former small group leaders would start the first care groups, and myself and the other guy were “on deck”. I was chosen to revamp and lead children’s ministry. The other guy started a group before me, and in 2001 (?) I started a group. Darn! Last again! In 2002, after marrying “apostle” Jones’ daughter, Chris, nephew of the pastor of the Daytona Beach church, came on staff as an intern. I think he was 22. His work experience consisted of cutting lawns and working at a storage facility. He was quickly sent to the PC. When he returned from the PC, he was slated to be the next care group leader. This was six months away. I selfishly asked Tim to split my group and start Chris’. No can do. I then invited Chris to one of our care group picnics, and asked him to do a head count. 43 people. That helped my cause, and in early 2003 Chris stared a group, taking around half of mine. This was a totally selfish move on my part, as I was burned out, and I don’t think the folks who left my group exactly flourished under Chris’ “leadership”. He was a pretty clueless, but very lovable kid.

In October of 2003, Tim asked me to work for the church as an employee. This is referenced in our “about us” post. Working at the church was the beginning of the end for us, and I’ll pick up from this point in my next post.

I’m boring myself and my fingers hurt.

May I head off an anticipated question/comment at this time? Someone is going to say, Jim, you sound bitter. If I was still bitter, I wouldn’t be doing this blog-you’re just going to have to take my word on this. Those who know me know that I’ve always sounded this way. I’m “just a bit” of a smart aleck.

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