The following was sent to me by a friend of Chesapeake. I echo the author’s request to “please fill in details or make changes as you see fit”, as everything I know about Chesapeake is new to me, as the flood of emails regarded Chesapeake began just before Christmas. The post below is not a definitive statement of fact from your host, but seems to verify much of what I’ve been told. Again, I invite you to fill in the blanks.
- – - – - – - – - -
A very interesting picture begins to emerge as we take a closer look at the history of Sovereign Grace Church, Chesapeake, VA. For some, it may seem like a picture of change, chaos, and confusion. For others, it’s just part of the well known verbiage, “change is here to stay”. The church has met in many locations including a home, a motel, several schools and now sits at the corner of Centerville Turnpike and Elbow Road. It has been known by several different names including The Harbor, Southside, and currently, Sovereign Grace Church. Taking a closer look, one would have no idea that this church began as a more charismatic church because the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit are hardly noticeable today. In fact the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was changed in 2002 by SGM and the congregation in Chesapeake was never told. Many other changes in doctrine have taken place since SGM turned in a reformed direction and away from the charismatic.
Several questions emerge as we take a closer look. Is it possible that SGCC is a microcosm; a representative of SGM? Are we actually looking through an open window into the inner workings of SGM? Who was responsible for and actually made the decisions that have so impacted this church? Who determined that pastors were gifted and called by God for ministry and then determined that these pastors really weren’t? For some of you reading this, you have more information and maybe corrections to this closer look. Please fill in details or make changes as you see fit…..
*The Beginning: Steve Shank plants the church in VA. Beach/Chesapeake in 1987 and brings a team from the Ohio church including David Bendenilli and Pete Payne who become pastors.
*1997: Steve Shank, Dave Bendenilli, and Pete Payne leave VA. Beach/Chesapeake to plant a church in Denver leaving only 1 pastor, John Butler behind. Chris DeLogos goes to the Pastors’ College (PC) and becomes a pastor in Denver. A very large part of the Chesapeake church population go on this church plant leaving behind a grieving congregation.
*A decision is made by SGM that they have made a mistake and will never again take so many of the pastors from 1 church to plant another church.
* Eric Hughes, Brian Wasko, Tim Hulme, and Brett Campbell are brought on as pastors and join John Butler in Chesapeake.
* After several years, Brian Wasko is forced to step down as it is determined that he is really not gifted to be a pastor after all. This happens even though Wasko has a pastor’s heart of love and compassion, is loved by the people, and has an effective, vibrant and Spirit led youth ministry. The congregation grieves over this loss.
* Keith Breault is sent to the PC and becomes a Chesapeake pastor.
* Aaron Anderson and Ray Cagle are sent from Chesapeake to the PC and brought back as pastors on staff.
* John Butler leaves SGC Chesapeake and becomes sr. pastor of the struggling Atlanta church. Aaron Anderson goes to Atlanta with Butler.
*Ray Cagle was forced to step down for lack of pastoral giftings. This man who holds a counseling degree and has a pastor’s heart of love and compassion would have been an excellent addition and very needed man for this church.
*Keith Breault is named sr. pastor of Chesapeake church and takes over from Butler.
*Trevor Haynes who had previously pastored in 2 SGM churches and who had been a friend of Breault’s in the PC, leaves PA church to pastor in Chesapeake.
* Chad Rogers is sent to PC from Chesapeake then becomes a pastor in the Atlanta church.
*Eric Hughes basically runs the church for 1 ½ years due to Keith Breault’s illness, family illness, and Father’s death.
*Eric Hughes becomes Executive Pastor.
*John Butler steps down as sr. pastor of the Atlanta church and Aaron Anderson becomes sr. pastor.
* Chris Mangold is sent to PC and then added to Chesapeake pastoral staff.
*Tim Hulme who had been an effective and loved pastor for 10 years was forced to step down after it was decided that he was not called and did not have pastoral giftings. Hulme was the pastor most gifted in evangelism and responsible for evangelism outreaches such as Alpha. This was a total surprise to the congregation and totally unexpected.
*After going to the PC, Kirk Alexander joins the Chesapeake pastoral staff with an emphasis on evangelism.
*After pastoring for over 11 years, Eric Hughes is sent to the PC on short notice with definite plans to plant a church, possibly in Charlottesville, VA.
*Keith Breault and pastors in Chesapeake plan to announce new doctrine on separation to the congregation after imposing this doctrine on 3 women in the church and teaching it in the New Members’ class. Two of the women had quietly left the church under the threat of church discipline in the summer of ‘08.
*”Esther” asks for help from Gene Emerson and other apostolic leaders including CJ to no avail.
*The “3” couples become more actively involved in “Esther’s” case.
* “Esther” is threatened with church discipline. Esther leaves the church and sends her withdrawal letter to the Chesapeake pastors as well as CJ and other apostles.
*November 9, 2008 The 3 couples meet with Keith Breault and Brett Campbell. All pastors were asked to come.
*Keith Breault, Brett Campbell, Trevor Haynes, and Chris Mangold apologize to “Esther” at a meeting of approximately 50 people (not the entire membership) for abusive counseling and neglect.
*December 16, 2008 The 3 couples meet with pastors again after hearing nothing from the pastors regarding the issues previously brought forth. The 3 couples recommend that Keith Breault, Brett Campbell and Trevor Haynes step down as pastors. Gene Emerson and finance team attend this meeting.
* December 20, 2008 A hastily-organized meeting was called by Gene Emerson and the SGCC pastors with approximately 60 members of the church. At this meeting the three couples were admonished and had pseudo-church discipline administered to them (even though they were not in attendance). Two of those admonished were fired from care group leadership.
*January 21, 2009 Keith Breault and his team apologize to the “3 couples” for some of the issues that they brought forward in the previous meetings.
*January 25, 2009 Family Meeting called. Keith Breault reads a letter of apology to the congregation for some of the issues brought forward by the “3 couples”. Keith Breault announces that Eric Hughes is at the meeting because Breault asked him to come down from the PC to lead worship for the meeting.
*Folks begin leaving Sovereign Grace Church in Chesapeake.
*January 25, 2009 in Denver during the Sunday morning meeting, Steve Shank surprisingly announces that David Bendenelli is retiring. (During the fall of 08, Chris DeLogos suddenly and totally unexpected stepped down as pastor in Denver and headed to Richmond and Kingsway Community Church under Gene Emerson.)
*January 25, 2009 in Gilbert, Arizona, the young sr. pastor apologizes to the congregation.
*March 29, 2009 in Chesapeake, Keith Breault and Eric Hughes announce that Hughes will become sr. pastor of Chesapeake and Breault will go to Kingsway Community Church under Gene Emerson for a church planting internship. Breault states that this change has nothing to do with the trials and issues of the last months.
** The term “forced to step down” has been used in this chronological history but the word fired is probably a more accurate word to describe the situations. There was never any prior warning or discussion within the church body before these decisions were made, announced, and the men removed from pastoral leadership. The question again: who was making these decisions that led to confusion, chaos and destruction within this church?
Maybe, just maybe, now is the time for healing and restoration and the time for God to be glorified through His Body. A new sr. pastor who is a very godly and extremely gifted pastor, is not enough to “fix” this church, however. Restoration will not happen unless much badly needed reform takes place within SGM as a whole. There must be a total overhaul in the polity of SGM and let’s face the truth: SGM needs a new heart, a heart of love for Jesus Christ and for His people. Sovereign Grace Church of Chesapeake belongs to God and no man or movement. God will not be mocked!
Fred:
I do not think that the details need to be shared here. This sounds like a serious legal matter. If it is true than it is not different than what the Roman Catholic church did with its own sexual abuse scandals and I would really encourge PFR to take this to the right people.
PFR, thanks for the history and compilation.
So it wasn’t the reformed theology that drove the name change?
Fred, formersgmer, go to ‘Set Free’s Story’ on sgmsurvivors.com and do the math. A guy named Larry T was the sr. pastor assigned to the church plant in Atlanta. We were at the sendoff at FCC (VA), sitting with a friend who worked for him in G’burg; several families from Ffx went with Larry to GA. Makes me sick. I was clueless, even at the official letter we received from CJ 6 mos. later. Remember that letter?
Mike said:
“What I want to say is that it is VERY POSSIBLE to be at a SGM church and NEVER run in to many of the issues that are talked about here on this site. I would venture to say that 60-75% of the people just follow along and never have an issue. ”
I would guess that you are right on this.
As people have indicated before, it is when you start to question things and don’t “tow” the company line that SGM Members see the darker side.
It’s along the lines of seeing the clothes on the emperor or at least not saying he doesn’t have clothes on keeps you “safe.” In other words, drink the “kool aid” and you are safe. Question or ask even using scripture in your questioning and you aren’t safe.
From all that I have read here and and SGM Survivors many of the SGM leaders are uncomfortable and even are threatened by those who question. Start to ask questions and you become a target for their abuse. This can include their “asking” you to leave w/o any type of Mathew 18 procedure. So much for the trying to work things out that “Peacemakers” pushes.
I am sure that this doesn’t explain why all abuse occurs but certainly explains a lot of it.
SGM since their existence has taught a extreme definition of what they consider “gossip” and “slander” and has served them well to keep a lot of their members in the dark about what abuse is going on to the “select” few that are abused.
I am sure that some of the abuse is leadership resorting to trying “protect” their business organization denomination association of churches. Since it would be hard for most of these men to make the same kind of living they make as SGM pastors/leaders either consciously or subconciously they get “desperate.”
Defended said:
“I was clueless, even at the official letter we received from CJ 6 mos. later. Remember that letter?”
Do you recall what the letter said or still have a copy? I am curious as to what is said.
Do you recall what the letter said or still have a copy? I am curious as to what is said.
oh for goodness’ sake, NO we don’t have a copy! lol.
But from my memory it said that Larry was in a 6-month reform program after leaving MD and that at the end of 6 months he thought he was finished with the current course of correction and the other leaders (CJ) disagreed. So they had to part company, or something like that.
We were in Ffx at the time; I assumed every member everywhere got one. (??)
The interesting and clueless part was that I thought I heard that it was from the experience with Larry that when Benny needed correction and had to step down they said that they wouldn’t put a 6-mos. timeframe on the correction process ever again. But if Benny or his kids were directly involved in any sexual abuse that’s a whole new shocker to me.
Anyone remember something similar or different?
As it keeps coming up on the blog, may I gently observe that the phrase is rendered “toe the line”, not “tow the line” ?
PFR, you state above:
“Read up on Set Free’s Story, and Noels Story on the survivors site. The perp in both accounts is the same person.”
I read both of these stories (Set Free’s story is at http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=843; Noel’s Story is at http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/?p=276), and it doesn’t seem to me that the perp is the same person. Set Free says the molestor was the sr. pastor’s son, whereas Noel says the molestor in her story was the son of a friend of her’s; the friend was separated from her husband and was not identified as a pastor’s wife.
Am I missing something? What in the two stories leads you to say the molestor was the same person?
keepinstep said:
“As it keeps coming up on the blog, may I gently observe that the phrase is rendered “toe the line”, not “tow the line” ?”
Thanks for the correction.
Googled the two phrases and found this:
http://grammartips.homestead.com/toetheline.html
” So one who “toes the line” is one who does not allow his foot to stray over the line. In other words, one who does not stray beyond a rigidly defined boundary.”
Keep your toe somewhere vs tow an item like a car etc.
I am no theologian but I have read the bible inside and out. I believe the Lord has given me a firm understanding of His word.
Maybe someone who is more a “student” of theology can explain to me, in short, the focus and strong emphasis on indwelt sin by SGM. It seems that regardless of what you say or do, behind closed doors, these pastors keep reminding you of your sinner status.
I have yet to see redundant scripture in the New Testament that asks us to dwell on our indwelt sin as our greatest duty. On the contrary, our greatest commandment is to love the Lord thy God and to love your neighbor. The message of love in repeated and emphasised and commanded by first and foremost Jesus himself, and then Paul, and the other writers of the New Testament. This focus on sin seems to have greater weight with the SGM pastors than in any other church I have ever seen. Shouldn’t we be rejoicing in the Lord instead of dwelling on how ”bad” we still are?
Is there some doctrine out there that SGM has latched on to that puts the greater weight on one’s sin rather than love? If so, how is a person supposed to grow in the Lord by applying this doctrine?
I suppose that maybe in some very odd way these pastors may earnestly believe that they are showing love by asking us to dwell on our indwelt sin.
This was one of my many “whys” when it came to SGM….. I have stopped asking why on the rest because there was no rational answer. I am still curious about this one though. Anyone have any idea? Doctrinal foundation? Biblical reference?
Just for a little background information – Larry T did not begin the Atlanta church plant. It was started by a pastor from the Orlando church a year or two earlier. Due to the fact that this pastor would not toe (thank you, keep in step and Steve!) the PDI line, he was put under a 6-month discipline process (or sabbatical, I believe was the way they couched it publically). Sounds familiar, huh? However, he was no dummy, having seen the PDI discipline pattern in action, and realized that this “sabbatical” would most likely cost him his church and his job. He refused to cooperate and it caused an ugly church split. Larry was sent down to pick up the pieces with those who chose to stay within PDI. Things were already a mess here in the ATL before Larry ever arrived.
Thought that might be interesting info to add to the discussion. Yet another example, allbeit an old one, of PDI/SGM mismanagement.
Betrayed -
The SG pastors that I have dealt with who talk about indwelling sin don’t quote much scripture. They are most influenced, it seems by the writings of the Puritan John Owen. My guess is that many SG pastors have a paraphrased, abridged version of Owen’s “Mortification of Sin”; some probably have Kapic and Taylor’s “Overcoming Sin & Temptation” which includes “Mortification of Sin”; a few may have the dense volume of Owen’s “Works” on this topic. Truth is, most pastors don’t read or quote much Owen (who is quite good when read broadly to maintain balance). They quote other pastors who may or may not have read Owen … and ignore the whole counsel of God … and therein lies the dilemma.
NW
Defended said:
“oh for goodness’ sake, NO we don’t have a copy! lol.
But from my memory it said that Larry was in a 6-month reform program after leaving MD and that at the end of 6 months he thought he was finished with the current course of correction and the other leaders (CJ) disagreed. So they had to part company, or something like that.”
So the handout didn’t say much more than this about Tomczak? I have read where Tomczak wrote in his book Reckless Abandon:
“Tomczak declared that this time “…seemed like an unbelievable nightmare” during which he, his wife Doris, and their son Justin “were threatened in various ways if we did not cooperate with the ministry that we were leaving… A letter was circulated in an attempt to discredit me and to distort the events surrounding my departure. Our own family members were divided.”
My understanding is that Tomczak first left CLC and moved for a short time period to what at the time was the Fairfax PDI Church. He then moved to Atlanta to help pick up the pieces after the founding pastor of the Atlanta PDI Church left PDI.
Tomczak moved from CLC to Fairfax in the approximate 92/93 time frame.
It is interesting that Tomczak first went down there to heal a church split and then lead one a few years later (approx 97).
Does anyone know the date Tomczak move from Fairfax to Atlanta?
With 662 comments, many people are having a hard time accessing this thread.
Please continue the conversation here.