Covenant Life Church's Response to C J Mahaney's Return

This was recently emailed to all CLC members. It's an interesting and encouraging take;

We’re writing to share our thoughts concerning the recent panels’ findings released by the Board of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Thank you for your patience and encouragement during this unique season in our church. Many of you have shared your questions and concerns with us for which we are grateful. We value your ongoing partnership in the gospel.

As a pastoral team, we’ve spent significant time considering the difficult issues addressed by the panels. As you will recall, last summer hundreds of pages of documents were released by Brent Detwiler. We sought to care for our members through the initial shock caused by this release. Given the charges he made against our friend and former Senior Pastor, C.J. Mahaney, we asked the church to allow a thorough process of evaluation to unfold.

The hope of having a completely independent, outside organization review and adjudicate Brent’s charges against C.J. never materialized, but based on the counsel of Ambassadors of Reconciliation, the Sovereign Grace Board did establish an internal process to evaluate the charges and have now released findings from three panels. Each was made up of two Sovereign Grace pastors and one SGM Board member along with a facilitator, Bryce Thomas. While we wish the questions assigned the panels had been broader in scope and would have preferred a selection process for the panel members that avoided any appearance of partiality (e.g., a blind draw instead of ones chosen by the Board), we view these panel reports as a good step toward more openly addressing questions raised by the documents.

We believe the men selected for these panels acted with integrity to address the questions assigned them by the SGM Board, and we thank these men for their sacrificial efforts.
In regard to the first panel, those of us who were directly involved with these events (Kenneth, Grant and Joshua) each communicated to the panel when they interviewed us that we felt C.J.’s written confession to Brent in the fall of 2010 (referenced in the first panel report) was a specific, humble acknowledgement of his sins. We also agree with the panel’s recommendations and trust they will be followed. (We’ve appended all the recommendations from the three panels to this letter.)

In regard to the second panel, Covenant Life had no personal involvement with Brent’s dismissal, and we are not in a position to question the panel’s findings. But we hope that improvements in polity and procedures may help prevent future occurrences of the types of problems the report describes. And it is our prayer that reconciliation among offended brothers will be pursued.

The third panel’s findings regarding Larry Tomczak were arguably the most important of the three panels because of the seriousness of the charges leveled against C.J., Steve Shank and Dave Harvey, and because Larry was a founding pastor of Covenant Life. Reading this report left us deeply grieved by the sin committed against the Tomczak family. We regard the panel’s report to be a rebuke of the men involved in this action. We are grateful that the panel did not gloss over the sin but acknowledged the damage created by the coercive threat and lack of pursuing reconciliation. We agree that honoring the Tomczaks would be appropriate. We also agree that this panel’s recommendations for further reconciliation between C.J., Steve, Dave and Larry should be pursued as a good faith effort in assuring member churches that this type of sin will not be tolerated in the future.

While the Board was functioning within its purview to reinstate C.J. as President, we believe that it would have been better for the Board to have carried out the panel’s recommendations prior to reinstating C.J. and forming a new Board.
We share these points of disagreement out of desire to participate in a constructive dialogue about the future of our movement. We love all the men involved and count them as brothers and gospel partners.
It’s important for us to state that the ways that we disagree about the Board’s handling of this process are distinct from issues of personal forgiveness. God’s forgiveness has been purchased for us by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Whether or not we agree on all the details of these matters, may we all remember that our God has shown each of us undeserved mercy and grace in pardoning our sins.

Extending personal forgiveness toward our brothers is vital as followers of Jesus Christ (Col. 3:13). But it does not mean that we can’t respectfully disagree with the decisions of an organization or express concerns about how leaders are appointed and positioned or ask questions about what authority they hold. Right now for example, the SGM Board is working on a new membership agreement for the churches. They are also appointing a new permanent Board. Both of these issues are very important to us as a church. While we strongly desire to maintain our connection and relationship with other Sovereign Grace churches, we won’t feel comfortable signing a new membership agreement with SGM until the Board has clearly defined how it is accountable to member churches and the nature of its authority and relationship to them. The Board has stated its commitment to clarifying these issues, and we are grateful.
Some additional factors are also in play:

We expect the report from Ambassadors of Reconciliation scheduled to be released in March will give further opportunity to clarify how God is calling for reform in our movement.
We have asked the SGM Board to publish benchmarks for follow-through on the panel’s recommendations.

We want to close this letter with a call to pray for your pastors in Covenant Life and all of the leaders of SGM, asking the Lord to continue to bring conviction and reform any sinful patterns of leadership in the past or present, while also praising God for the good fruit in our church and across the movement as we partner together in days ahead. We believe God wants to do a reviving work among us and position us for greater fruitfulness for his glory.
We appreciate you taking the time to read through this and welcome your thoughts. Feel free to contact your pastor if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
The Pastors of Covenant Life Church

C J Loses His Assistant

Many SGM and Mahaney fans are wondering about what C J is up to and what the future may hold for Mahaney and SGM (sadly for many the two are inseparable). Although I am not a C J or SGM fan - I am an interested observer so I was interested to read the following;

Firstly that C J Mahaney's "Assistant" - Tony Reinke - is moving back to Desiring God Ministry-land and he writes;

"Of course this means I will be leaving the Sovereign Grace Ministries office in Maryland, and Friday is my final day on staff. It has been a delightful four years serving alongside C.J. Mahaney as his editorial and research assistant. I will miss working with him in the office, traveling with him to conference engagements, and of course I will miss the multitasking meetings that may have appeared to some as a simple game of catch in the parking lot. I will greatly miss working with my friends in the Sovereign Grace office, worshipping with our friends at Covenant Life Church, and serving the many incredible pastors in Sovereign Grace who are spread across the country and the world".

Although C J appears to have given his "blessing" to this move for his assistant back to John Piper - one cannot but wonder at the implications for C J's future involvement in SGM.

And secondly - a friend who is a member at Covenant Life Church wrote;

"Greetings from your pastors!

We pray the grace, mercy and peace of Jesus for you today. We’re writing to give you a brief update on current events related to our church, Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) and our new church constitution.

We’ve all been in a waiting period since the events of last summer and our Members Meeting at the end of October. In the next few months several key events will bring these issues back to the forefront along with what we trust will be a greater sense of clarity and closure.

First, sometime later this month the SGM Board will release reports from the three panels they appointed to evaluate several issues raised by Brent Detwiler’s documents. Each panel, comprised of one board member and two SGM pastors selected by the Board, was tasked to answer a single question. One panel evaluated Larry Tomczak’s departure from SGM (then known as PDI); another, C.J. Mahaney’s role in Brent Detwiler’s dismissal as senior pastor of the SGM church in Mooresville, N.C.; and the third, how C.J.’s participation in fellowship in 2003 and 2004, including the giving and receiving of correction, aligned with Scripture.
The SGM board received the reports in December and will be sharing them publicly along with their decision about C.J.’s role as president. When this information is released in the next few weeks we will be reading and processing it along with the rest of the public. Therefore, we don’t plan to respond immediately, as we will need time to review, reflect, pray and discuss the reports. We don’t want to rush a response.

Second, Ambassadors of Reconciliation (AoR) is preparing a report that is due in March. This peacemaking ministry, at the request of the SGM Board, has conducted numerous interviews with current and former members and pastors of SGM churches (including our church) to help SGM evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. We agree that this kind of objective, outside evaluation is a very good thing, and we commend Dave Harvey and the Board for pursuing it.
Although both sets of reports will be written for SGM, we believe Covenant Life can benefit from them as well. The posture we want to take as your pastors is one of humility as we read the reports and see how they may apply to our church.

Finally, we are making good progress on our new church constitution. We had hoped to publish a rough draft by February 1, but a combination of Christmas break, pastors being on mission trips and some issues being more complicated than we expected, have delayed us a bit. We are aiming to release the rough draft to the church this spring to get your feedback. In the meantime we’re working toward consensus on a few questions as pastors, getting the feedback of some members, and asking key leaders in the broader body of Christ to review the document. When we share it—still in draft form—we’ll take time in public meetings to answer questions and process feedback so that we can move toward ratifying the constitution later in the year.

It is a great honor for us to serve as your pastors. We love and respect you so much. “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.” (2 Thessalonians 3:16)
In grace,

The pastors of Covenant Life".

I guess that means - we continue to watch and wait.

Terry Virgo speaking at Covenant Life Church!!

I am so thrilled to watch and hear these videos of the wonderful Terry Virgo speaking to the dear folk at Covenant Life Church on the empowering of the Spirit. It's so clear and so gentle yet powerful.

Here's the video;

Empowered by the Holy Spirit from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

Terry Virgo at Covenant Life Church!

We are currently down in Bristol for the weekend celebrating my birthday with the family. We were going to go to Grace Church, Bristol to see the folks there - but decided to spend the day at home. There were a couple of reasons for this.

(By the way on the drive home - I did contemplate going across to Christchurch, Newport as I had so enjoyed my previous visit there. However we heard that Dave Harvey will be the visiting preacher there today - so decided it would be best not to go this Sunday!).

The main reason is that I have been eagerly looking forward to hearing about Terry Virgo's visit to Covenant Life Church. This is a church where I have a couple of friends who are involved and I have been very much in prayer for them as they walk through this difficult season. I know and love Terry's ministry very much - and so was very in faith that his visit there will bear much fruit! And it seemed much fruit indeed has already been born from his first message yesterday (Saturday).

Here's what one of my friends had to say about it;

"Well, Terry Virgo spoke tonight (Saturday) at CLC. The meeting was very obviously charismatic and lasted four (4) hours. Terry gave two messages, one on prayer and one on the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

Afterward about half the congregation went forward to pray for an experience with the Holy Spirit. Quite a few people started speaking in tongues, some apparently for the first time. There were many including several teenagers who stayed kneeling or standing there around an hour joyfully praying and worshiping God, eyes closed, oblivious to anyone else. This was a powerful experience and definitely a real sight to see.

It is certainly debatable whether CLC is fully reformed. It is no longer debatable at all that CLC is charismatic".

I firmly believe in the ministry of apostles today - and in my mind - one of the primary fruits of an apostle visiting a local church is to act as a catalyst for the work of the Holy Spirit and the Presence of God in that community. They are ministries gifted by the risen Lord to do this. That is one of the reasons why I was glad that C J Mahaney, Dave Harvey and the rest of the "SGM Board" desisted from using the term "apostles" or "apostolic team". I only experienced apostolic fruit from Brent Detweiler's ministry when he came to Celebration UK. The other men - I certainly respected as gifted teachers and preachers.

So we will look forward again today to seeing Terry's ministry to the dear folk at Covenant Life Church and be full of faith that this visit will bear them much fruit. Half the congregation went forward for prayer! Surely there is much hunger there! And God being good and gracious seems to be filling that need!

An Important Update from Covenant Life Church

What I love about the Covenant Life Pastors (especially Josh Harris) is that they are TRULY humbly acknowledging a need for God during these times. The SGM Board seem to me to be saying the right words - but it doesn't quite ring true. Backed up of course by C J Mahaney's rather haughty proud words at the recent Leader's Conference (as the CLC pastors state - concerned them too).

Here's a letter sent out to all members;

November 22nd 2011

A Church Family Update

The following letter was e-mailed to all church members today. We hope everyone is served by us being redundant and posting it here as well.

Dear Covenant Life Church,

Grace to you from your brothers on the pastoral team. We’re writing to give a “family update” on recent events, including the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference earlier this month. We also want to thank you for your ongoing prayers and expressions of encouragement to us.

Constitution

First, our team, led by Kenneth Maresco, is working hard on a draft of our new church constitution. This is a top priority. This past week Kenneth, Corby Megorden and Ben Wikner, accompanied by three church members, visited CrossWay Community Church, in Bristol, Wis., where Mike Bullmore is senior pastor, to learn more about their constitution, attend an elders meeting, and discuss how the involvement of lay pastors (or elders) works there. Mike and his team have been good friends for many years, and we’re grateful for their help and counsel.

A Letter to the Churches

Before the Pastors Conference, the Sovereign Grace Board sent a letter to all the pastors of SGM sharing their disagreement and concerns regarding the content of our church’s October 30 Members Meeting. (If you would like to read the letter, let us know, and we’ll be happy to send you a copy.) The Board had informed us several weeks before that they might send out a letter stating their disagreements with our leadership over the past few months, so this wasn’t a surprise for us.

We don’t feel it’s wise to engage in a “back and forth” of letters at this time, and so we are not currently planning to respond to their letter. We stated our areas of disagreement clearly at our last Members Meeting, and we will keep communicating where we differ, with love and respect. We don’t want to make an issue of the Board sending this letter to SGM pastors—in fact, we are in favor of more open communication between the churches in the future. A number of SGM pastors have told us they were grateful to be able to read and better understand our position.

C.J.’s Comments

One of the most significant moments of the Pastors Conference was when C.J. shared with all the pastors and wives about what he’s learned during his Leave of Absence (LoA).

Our pastoral team was disappointed by the tone and posture of C.J.’s remarks, and we feel strongly that it’s appropriate for you to read them, because they reflect apparent changes in his thinking about his LoA and his confession to our congregation at the July 10 Members Meeting.

We understand that a number of you have read the remarks online (they have been published on at least two blogs) and found them troubling as well. We’ve asked the SGM Board to make the audio and/or transcript of this session readily available to our church, but we have not heard back as of this writing. We look forward to sharing our thoughts with C.J. and the SGM Board directly and hearing from the Board on whether they support C.J.’s statements.

SGM Polity

Another important session at the Pastors Conference was when Jeff Purswell presented a preliminary draft of the SGM Partnership Agreement, a document designed to define the relationship of SGM to its member churches. There were encouraging signs of a degree of forward progress, but on certain significant points this draft is nearly identical to the Partnership Agreement currently in effect. Since our future relationship with SGM would be spelled out in this agreement, we were particularly interested to see the section that addresses the accountability of the SGM Board. However, that language had not yet been drafted.

We are hoping to have a meeting with Jeff and John Loftness soon (along with other pastors in our region) to share our questions, clarify statements Jeff made at the conference, and better understand the Board’s thoughts about reform. Jeff made it very clear that he was presenting only a draft and that the SGM Board is inviting input. We are grateful for this invitation and look forward to more dialogue with the Board and other SGM pastors.

Panel Review

We’ve been informed that the three panels, each comprised of two SGM pastors and one SGM board member (for a description, see the “Pastoral review” section of this blog post on the SGM website), have been constituted and will immediately begin to evaluate the documents written by Brent Detwiler. We understand that the panels will not only be evaluating C.J.‘s fitness for the role of President but also concerns for Sovereign Grace as a whole. The panels are scheduled to complete their process and publish their findings sometime in December. We do not know which men are on these panels, since the SGM board has decided to keep their identities confidential until the panels’ work is complete. Please pray for this work. Please pray, too, for Kenneth, Grant and Josh, as they have been asked to appear and be interviewed.

In Summary

Statements made at the Pastors Conference and the letter from the SGM Board have served to heighten our concerns about the direction of SGM, and consequently, our church’s partnership with SGM going forward. However, we feel that more conversation and dialogue are needed to both honor our long history together and love these men as brothers.

We will keep pressing for clear accountability for the board, clarification of the nature of the partnership between SGM and its member churches, and due process for the charges and criticisms SGM has received. We also believe it’s important to allow time for other SGM pastors to share their concerns with the Board, to wait for reports from the three panels (due in December), and to see how the AoR Group Reconciliation report (due in March) will be processed. We don’t feel rushed to make a decision about our long-term partnership right now. We also want to put to rest any rumors that staying in SGM somehow jeopardizes our staff or facility. The SGM board would not desire to remove our pastors or take our building or anything of the kind, even if they had that authority.

For all of these reasons, we’re continuing a course of deliberate, prayerful evaluation.

Evaluating Giving

We have had an initial conversation with our Financial Advisory Board (made up of four members) to discuss the level of our giving to SGM. We plan to have a further meeting and involve additional members in this decision. We will keep you updated on our progress.

Worth Reviewing

A lot of information has been flying around these past few months. If you find yourself confused by what the real issues are, we would encourage to you to re-read and re-listen to the following things:

1. May 22 Members Meeting

This meeting was the first public step in our local church walking a path of repentance. In this meeting we identified some key areas we’ve gotten wrong as pastors. Reviewing this meeting can help remind us that the problems in SGM are also problems in our church that we need to continue to humbly address.

2. July 10 Sunday Sermon

This sermon (from the weekend after Brent Detwiler’s documents were first released) is a call for our church to view this trial as an expression of God’s loving, fatherly discipline.

We still believe this is the posture we should take as a church. Instead of dismissing problems or defending ourselves, let’s ask the Lord to refine us and reform us.

3. October 30 Members Meeting

This meeting laid out a clear vision for where we are going as a local church—greater partnership between pastors and members in advancing the gospel. We want to be “Jesus-ruled, pastor-led and congregationally accountable.” We also laid out specific points of disagreement with the SGM Board and concerns we have regarding our partnership with Sovereign Grace.

In Conclusion

Thank you for your faith in God and your prayers for Covenant Life. Thanks, too, for your frequent words of encouragement. God is at work in our church. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on him. If you find your soul troubled and anxious, remember Philippians 4:6-8:

… do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Let’s continue to wait on him and trust in him.

Sincerely,

Your pastors (and brothers)

Great News! Terry Virgo to speak at Covenant Life Church

I was really encouraged to hear from a friend of mine at Covenant Life Church - Terry Virgo is to speak there in December! (Josh Harris has also tweeted this). We knew that this was very possible. In that memorable week in July when all this broke out - Terry was hosting the "Together on a Mission" conference in Brighton and mentioned he would be visiting "a church in difficulty" in Washington D.C - so I hoped it would be C.L.C.

The ex-SGM'ers all hold Terry in high regard. As they said quite rightly - Terry hasn't seemed to have much to do with SGM for a number of years now. The last time C J Mahaney attended the Brighton Leaders conference was back in 2005 - six years ago.

Whatever the reason for this - I am sure that Terry will bring a pastoral, prophetic word that will comfort and encourage the dear folk at Covenant Life Church and the leadership. Terry spoke recently about leadership in transition and said;

"The Bible consistently shows God’s chosen leaders having encounters with Him and being commissioned by Him. Leaders live in the tension between the present and the future. Abraham’s heart was gripped by a vision of the city of God which was so powerful that it forced him to leave Ur. As Abraham erected his tent in the desert we can imagine Sarah asking, ‘Where is this city that you claim to have seen?’ They were living in a tent because Abraham had seen a city!".

I think that's the aching need for Sovereign Grace at the moment. They've lost their vision. They are so busy squabbling and in-fighting that there is no question as to "Where are we going?". While Mahaney and Harvey bear responsibility for this - I hope that CLC will get some vision from this visit of Terry's!

The SGM Saga Rumbles on ...

So the latest in this less-than-God-glorifying saga is as follows apparently from Brent Detweiler;

When Confidentiality Equals Concealment – C.J. versus Joshua

For those who don't have the time or inclination to follow the link, briefly a meeting was set up between C J Mahaney and Josh Harris "with their advisors" to attempt reconciliation. We were told (I believe) that this period is for C J himself to "consider" his own sins. Apparently he has time to air his grievances against his young protegee.

It's a pricey business - this resolving of disputes;

Getting Rid of Specks Is Expensive

Mediation costs around $150 an HOUR. Money which could be spent on furthering the gospel, helping out dying children in the Third World. And so on. I am reminded of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians to a similar people who were taking their fellow Christians to court because they couldn't settle their disputes;

1 Corinthians 6:5 “I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers?”

More "Constant Change" from SGM

I was saddened although not surprised to read an email from a friend of mine who attends Covenant Life Church. Apparently last night they received an email from the elders announcing that two of their pastors (Brian Chesemore and Mike Bradshaw) are resigning as pastors and leaving the church - both men happen to also be C J Mahaney's sons-in-law. I thought the Mahaney situation would make life difficult for them - but they cite their unhappiness with the way that Josh Harris has taken a stance on seeing God as "spanking SGM" through this period.

It is sad - I am sure these pastors were loved and appreciated, and ANY form of schism in God's church is never glorifying to Him. I hope God really heals and continues to bless CLC as I do really believe Josh Harris is the most response leader in SGM through the current events, genuinely prepared to put God first before men he greatly admires. I think it does demonstrate the difficulty of having family relations in church leadership also (not impossibility - just difficult) - it is never going to be possible to take objective stances when considering things like the charges levelled against Mahaney.

Dear Members of Covenant Life,

We (the pastors of Covenant Life) are writing you with heavy hearts. What follows are two separate letters—one from Brian Chesemore and one from Mike Bradshaw—announcing their decision to resign as pastors and withdraw their membership in our church.
We deeply love and respect both of these men, and this has been a difficult challenge. They are both Christ-exalting ministers of the gospel—hard-working and faithful—and we consider this a loss for our staff and for our church. More than that they are dear friends.

Both Mike and Brian informed us of their decision in letters a few weeks ago. Because of vacation schedules, we weren’t able to meet until last week. We hoped that we might convince them to change their minds. We spent two full days discussing extensively our differing points of view, talking together, asking questions, listening carefully to one another, and reviewing our disagreements (Proverbs 19:20). By God’s grace our discussions were marked by mutual love and affection that was peaceable, gentle and open to reason (James 3:17). We sought to soberly consider their concerns and learn from them. We also shared where we’ve recognized that we could have better led in the past month and voiced a desire to continue to examine ourselves.
As we discussed our points of disagreement, we shared with Mike and Brian that we didn’t believe that these issues warranted separation. We want a diversity of perspectives on our team. We asked them to reconsider the decision to resign. While we sincerely love these men and want to support them personally, we also expressed our disagreement with their decision to leave. We did not want them to leave at this time or in this way. We urged them—many times through tears—to stay and press through this difficult season in light of our shared gospel priorities and unity (Colossians 3:13).

Mike and Brian repeatedly communicated their appreciation for our counsel and concerns. We believe they truly listened to our perspective, but sadly we were not able to persuade them to stay.

Mike and Brian requested that they be able to write open letters to the congregation, and we wanted you to have the chance to hear their perspective. At the same time it is important for you to know that your pastors disagree with a number of issues raised in their letters. We have a different perspective on their assessment of the past few years and our relationship and view of Sovereign Grace. And we differ over how they characterize our leadership of the church since Brent’s documents were released. Most importantly, we don’t think that these issues rise to a level that necessitates a separation. That being said we know they are men of godly conviction and are acting in accordance with their consciences. We also recognize that in light of the unique family dynamics created by this situation, they’re seeking to do what they think is best for their families.

We want you to know that we’re glad to discuss any of these issues more fully with you. Please bring us your questions. Whether you agree or disagree with Brian and Mike, we welcome your thoughts and concerns. Ultimately, we believe the gospel is bigger than any of these issues and that we can walk in unity as we wrestle through them together (Ephesians 4:1-6).
As you know, through this trying time we’ve made some course corrections in our leadership. Though we’re imperfect and weak, we believe we are leading according to God’s Word and doing our best to be faithful pastors to you. We also recognize that we could be wrong in different areas and not realize it. Our commitment to you is that if in the future God shows us we’re wrong through his Word, your correction, or through the counsel of others, we will seek to humble ourselves, admit that to you, and make appropriate changes to how we are leading. Please pray that we would be both courageous as we lead but also humble and quick to admit our faults.
A word for parents. If your children have sat under Mike Bradshaw’s skillful leadership, the news that the beloved “Mr. B” will no longer be a pastor will no doubt be very difficult information for them to hear. Mike has made an incredible investment in their lives through his teaching on Sundays and at Summer Celebration. We’d encourage you to be thoughtful and prayerful in how you share this news with them. Set aside time for an unhurried conversation. Give them time to ask questions. Give them time to grieve. With our own children we’ve sought to share that sometimes Christians who love Jesus have different opinions. (Sharing the story of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15 might be a good introduction to the subject.) Tell them that what is most important is that we love Mr. B, and that Mr. B loves them, and we all love and want to serve Jesus.

Mike and Brian (along with their dear wives and children) are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s remember that this isn’t changing. The gospel of Jesus Christ has brought us into relationship together, not our agreement on secondary issues. In light of Christ’s love we want to exhort you to continue to love Mike and Brian and their families. Don’t remove your love and affection toward them in any way. In situations like this where there is real disagreement or a change in relationship, we must still be guided by gospel priorities in light of Christ’s reconciling, atoning work on our behalf. We believe Colossians 3:12-15 is an appropriate place to direct our attention in this time:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

This is not the first time Christians have agreed to disagree. And it won’t be the last. We thank God we agree on what matters most—the gospel of Jesus Christ. We love and respect these men and can commend their ministries to others. We pray that God will bless them in ministry and shower his grace on their lives. And we will always count them our friends and dear brothers. That will never change for us.

We will be holding a Members Meeting this Saturday, August 13, from 6-8 p.m. in the Auditorium. We would hold this sooner, but the WorshipGod conference this week (and a wedding on Sunday) make Saturday the only day that works. We hope you can join us.
Let’s continue to trust the Lord together. He is with us. “In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever” (Psalm 44:8).
For the Glory of Jesus,

Adam Malcolm

Ben Wikner
Braden Greer
Corby Megorden
Dave Brewer
Don Devries
Erik Sheffer
Grant Layman
Greg Somerville
Isaac Hydoski
Jamie Leach
Joe Lee
Jon Smith
Joshua Harris
Kenneth Maresco
Kevin Rogers
Mark Mitchell
Matt Maka
Robin Boisvert

A Letter From Mike Bradshaw

Dear Covenant Life Church Family,

It is with profound sadness that I write to inform you that I have resigned from my role as one of your pastors. Among the greatest joys and highest honors of my life has been to serve you and your children these past eight years (Philippians 1:3-5). I deeply love you and the pastoral team. So it is with a heavy heart, but a sincere desire to serve and care for each one of you and my family, and most of all to honor God, that I make this decision. Please know that this is not an emotional response or impulsive reaction but a careful conclusion I’ve come to through much prayer, deliberation and counsel.

My reason is simple: I can no longer, in good conscience, support the leadership of the pastoral team on key issues, in particular how they have led our church in addressing the accusations brought against C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries.

I first received Brent Detwiler’s documents the afternoon of June 17th 2011, along with the entire pastoral team. Subsequently, we spent many hours discussing the accusations and seeking wisdom from above in order to best serve our church and the people involved (James 3:17). We were all saddened by these accusations. Josh Harris graciously took time to hear from each pastor, giving us the opportunity to voice questions and our varying perspectives during this most critical time. On multiple occasions I was able to express my perspective. I believed my voice, along with others, would be represented and honored at the member’s meetings. However, on the evening of July 10th it became clear that the questions I raised and perspective I brought had little impact on the direction Josh was taking in addressing these matters. When my subsequent appeals were ineffective in altering the course of the following members’ meetings, it became only more evident that I could not support the leadership of the pastoral team on these critical issues and therefore, must resign.

My primary reasons for resigning are as follows:

The failure to biblically process accusations brought against an elder at our July 10th Member’s Meeting, and subsequent meetings, as laid out in Scripture (1 Timothy 5:19-21, Proverbs 18:17, Deuteronomy 19:15-20, Proverbs 18:13, Proverbs 11:13).
The encouragement to read Brent’s documents and the blogs void of guidance and evaluation from the Scriptures; Josh’s specific encouragement for heads of households to read Brent’s documents to examine their desire to be a part of Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries – a statement that brought creditability to these slanderous documents (1 Peter 2:1, Leviticus 19:16, Proverbs 11:13, Proverbs 17:9, Proverbs 10:18, Exodus 20:16, Psalm 50:19-21, Ephesians 4:29-32).

I’m grateful that three weeks after making these statements Josh expressed his regret for not leading us to God’s Word in addressing these matters. However, much damage had already been done.

The failure to publicly and specifically confront gossip and slander among our congregation in a timely manner (2 Timothy 2:14-17, 1 Peter 5:2-3, Ephesians 4:30-31, Proverbs 6:16-19, Acts 20:29-31, Ephesians 4:1-6, 2 Timothy 2:24-26, James 3:1-13).
The misrepresentation of C.J. Mahaney’s character and growth in sanctification at the Members’ Meetings (2 Timothy 4:14-16, Matthew 12:36, James 3:1-13, Psalm 130:3-4, Philippians 3:12-17).

The concern that Josh’s statements regarding Sovereign Grace Ministries were imbalanced, unnecessarily critical, and illegitimately applied to all of Sovereign Grace. Additionally, there has been the absence of appropriate appreciation for the vast fruitfulness of this ministry and our thirty-year partnership in gospel-advancing work both here and abroad (Philippians 1:3-5, Philippians 4:15).

I do not question the motives of your pastors. I believe they truly want God’s best for Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries. They are men I respect and deeply love and am personally indebted to. They are my closest friends! However, I believe they have made serious errors at this most critical time that have led to significant consequences for our church. I am also concerned by the trajectory that these decisions, and the perspectives behind them, point to for our church. It is these factors that compel me to such decisive action.

I too want God’s best for Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries. I believe I can make no greater statement of my love for you than by making this painful decision.
As I have for the last eighteen years, you have my enduring commitment to pray for you and your pastors.

“And this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

With love and affection,
Michael Bradshaw (Mr. B)

A Letter from Brian Chesemore

Dear Pastors and Members of Covenant Life Church,

I love Covenant Life Church deeply and it broke my heart to recently arrive at the settled place where I believe it is necessary to write this letter of resignation. My hope is that what follows adequately explains the reasons for my transition from the pastoral team I have loved, served, and respected over these last eight years. Coming as this does in the midst of this challenging season, I realize that my decision may well seem sudden and surprising to some, and for that I am very sorry. This is not a decision I have come to quickly and lightly. I have sought to persevere through my concerns, “bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-3). With this gospel-exhortation before me, I have made my decision prayerfully and soberly over the last year.
My reasons for resigning are twofold.

First, I have observed over the last two years an undeniably diminishing enthusiasm amongst members of our pastoral team for the partnership we share with Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Since 1991, I have had the privilege of attending and serving in three SGM churches. I am passionate about our family of churches and the doctrine, relationships, values, and mission that we share. Although we are in a difficult season as a relatively young movement, I believe God is continuing to guide and grow us in our gospel-mission. We may be hearing a tremendous amount of criticism right now, but because of grace there is a far greater display of gospel-fruitfulness in the churches of our movement.

I returned to Covenant Life in 2003 after a church plant in part because of this church’s strategic partnership with Sovereign Grace Ministries. But for the last two years I have had growing questions and concerns regarding our relationship with Sovereign Grace Ministries which I’ve expressed to Josh, the board of elders, and various members of our pastoral team.
Many discussions have led me to believe that the majority of our pastoral team seems to think there is little to learn from Sovereign Grace. Under our board’s leadership, we have spent far more time criticizing in matters of polity and mission than building up and partnering with SGM even though SGM has been in the laborious process of leading us in polity refinements for almost two years (Eph. 4:29; Neh. 4:1-20). And our trajectory has been a steady move away from Sovereign Grace, which deeply disappoints me. I’m not suggesting that Covenant Life won’t remain a SGM church. I pray and have a strong hope that it will. But I believe our church has minimized and neglected the privilege of our long-standing partnership with our friends in Sovereign Grace.

I would disagree with this direction and believe our partnership has been historically beneficial and should still be vital. We have the uncommon gift of a “partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:5). We don’t exist in this partnership solely to reform it. It is meant to be mutually beneficial, and I believe we impoverish ourselves when we neglect or minimize the wisdom, experience, and relationships that reside in Sovereign Grace. To go further, I believe Covenant Life’s recent history reveals that we need more help from Sovereign Grace, not less.
I shared my concerns and perspective with the board numerous times and I believe they have faithfully listened. But these conversations did not produce the results I prayed for. Not wanting to react quickly, I chose to persevere in both prayer and appeals for greater appreciation and partnership with the Leadership Team and churches of SGM. However, my efforts failed to bring encouraging changes in this direction.

For twenty years I have had a passion to serve Sovereign Grace, our weaknesses not withstanding, but I don’t believe I can sufficiently fulfill that desire here at Covenant Life. My decision to resign is rooted in this reality.

I had hoped and planned for a transition much farther down the road, and in a manner that would cause the least amount of pain to people I love and would prefer to spend the rest of my life pastoring. However, the pastoral meetings and recent members’ meetings related to Brent Detwiler’s accusations have expedited this decision for me.

Which brings me to the second reason for my resignation: the failure of the pastoral team to lead in a biblical manner by providing a Scriptural framework through which to view Brent’s documents and the events that followed.

On July 10, 2011, Josh led our church into a season of publicly interpreting Brent’s documents and what he believed to be God’s perspective in these times. No doubt, the writing and release of these documents required a massive call for discerning and courageous leadership. While I believe Josh has only the best of motives, and wanted only to walk in truth and transparency, I think he failed to provide the essential biblical categories for interpreting these accusations and in so doing neglected his primary pastoral duty as a shepherd (2 Ti. 3:14-4:4). The alternatives to clear scriptural guidance have serious consequences. I believe the pastors neglected to biblically define Brent’s documents as accusations against an elder and as slanderous (1 Ti. 5:19-21). Instead, Josh expressed sympathy for the documents and encouraged heads of households to read Brent’s accusations to see if they would want to be a part of Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries.

I could not in good conscience exhort heads of households to read Brent’s documents and I am grateful that Josh later expressed regret for this recommendation. While the documents contain some truth about the sins which C.J. Mahaney has confessed, they also contain large amounts of sinful judgment, claiming even to understand C.J.’s motives (Matt. 7:1-5). They are unreasonable and entirely one-sided (James 3:17; Prv. 18:13, 17). And they should not have been considered without adequate due process in which C.J.’s side was heard. I appealed to this end, and the men heard my appeal, but did not agree.

Our team’s failure to demonstrate adequate impartiality and to bring clear and specific biblical guidelines gave credibility to Brent’s accusations and this has resulted in speculation, gossip, and even slander of C.J.’s character. For over thirty years C.J. has labored to serve faithfully as a pastor. He’s not perfect because he’s not Jesus. But he is a man who has walked with integrity and remains qualified as a minister of the gospel unless clearly shown otherwise through a biblically just process.

Because this didn’t happen, the pastors of our church failed to lead at a critical time. I believe this has had a detrimental effect on our local church, and that our example has had a detrimental effect on churches beyond Covenant Life. I love these men dearly, but for the sake of the gospel, I cannot continue to serve where I have a growing concern about our direction and our adherence to God’s Word when leaders receive accusation. I don’t want to feign unity. From my perspective these are matters that are closely tied to the work of the gospel. And though I love Covenant Life, I believe I’ve arrived at a Paul and Barnabas moment (Acts 15:36-41). I pray that our separation produces the fruit that these two men experienced in their latter years of ministry.

I understand that this letter presents my perspective and may not represent the view of other men on the pastoral team. But with sadness I must submit my resignation.
The pastors and members of Covenant Life will be the daily object of my prayers and gratefulness. I love my fellow pastors and I am indebted to them in more ways than I can name. And the privilege of caring for the dear members of Covenant Life has simply been, and will remain, one of the greatest privileges of my life.

Brian Chesemore

Proper Foundations - Josh Harris

Josh Harris brought the correct focus of both his church - Covenant Life - and indeed the wider Christian community back to the glorious truths of doctrine in his sermon yesterday;

"I have very important news for you today church. The Son of God has paid the penalty for all of our sins, Jesus Christ who was crucified has risen from the dead and is even now ruling at the right hand of God over this entire universe! There is nothing in all creation that can separate us from His love! He has promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us! He has promised us that His Church will prevail against the gates of hell and He has told us to take heart when we face tribulation because He has already overcome the world - and He is coming for us. Covenant Life - don't take your eyes off this truth".

Josh then went on to apply the freeing and encouraging truths of this doctrine to both CLC and SGM;

"These are troubling times for us as a church. God is taking our church through a difficult season and this past week was difficult for many of you. Your pastors have been praying for you. We understand the wide range of emotions you are experiencing - confusion, grief, disillusionment. Yet we have also experienced a rising hope that Jesus is in the midst of the storm with us. This awesome God is up to good for His people - He is shaking lives that we may cling more tightly to Him. I have friends who think I have betrayed C J by not standing by him enough. I have friends who think I have lacked integrity by standing with C J and Sovereign Grace. I have come to the conclusion I have too many friends!".

I am so glad that a key leader involved in these troubles is focusing on the truth of doctrine we celebrate rather than getting involved in "C J did this" or " C J did that". Having read the 600+ documents that Brent Detweiler carefully wrote - there are a couple of theological issues I do want to focus on and consider - because I think they are vitally important to the foundations of "Building a house".

They are Brent's considerations on;

1. The place and Person of the Holy Spirit.

2. Apostles as Ephesians 4 Ministries.

But disagreements and considerations aside - the truths Josh Harris cited are indeed the most important. That ALL our sins (past, present and future) have been dealt with at the Cross (that includes C J Mahaney's pride as well as other's gossip!) and He is now reigning on high.

Honesty from Dave Harvey

For those following events in SGM, it became evident that the "Board of Directors" note upset a lot of people - both ex-SGM'ers but more importantly fans and SGM members. I was incredibly impressed to notice that over this season, the SGM moderators have begun allowing comments of all flavours on the official blogs and this really seems to show integrity and a willingness to admit they are not perfect.

Dave Harvey (interim President of SGM) released "An Honest Take on a Difficult Week" and I have to admit (not being a fan of Harvey admitted) I was very impressed with this statement. He wrote;

"Friends, critics, and curious onlookers,

I guess I'd fit under "curious onlooker" - as I'm not a critic (although accused strongly of being so).

"This week has been very challenging, and heading into the weekend I am aware of some places where we screwed up. I’ll make no attempt to be exhaustive, but here are some highlights:

Lack of clarity in Wednesday’s board announcement.

When we posted our resolutions on Wednesday, people were quick to infer that we were “circling the wagons.” And I think I understand that interpretation. We should have been a lot more clear about our resolve for self-evaluation, growth, integrity, and honest dialogue. So I’m not surprised that folks wrote to tell us of their heartbreak and stomach knots in response to our post, and I do regret that. Believe it or not, at the time we had a lot of people contacting us saying, ”We need to know exactly and without qualification what you think about all of this.” Communicating our “resolutions” seemed a precise way to convey all that. More seem to disagree than agree, and we’ve heard you. On top of that, we got more criticism even from our biggest fans on the lack of clarity in a couple of the resolutions. We amended the post to answer one common question, but I wish we had just nailed it the first time. All that to say, we messed up our delivery and in the process confused our #1 audience—the people in Sovereign Grace churches. It was a halting start for our new board, but we’re determined to do better. You all have asked a lot of valid questions and we’re grateful that these events mean so much to so many.

Lack of emphasis on self-evaluation.

When people are tempted to think that you are (and I’ll pull from our vast supply of quotes here) “gaming the system,” engaging in “cronyism,” “going to war,” behaving with “hubris,” “presumptuous and self-serving,” and, well you get the idea—you’ve got the burden of ensuring they know you get the point. What’s the point? God is drawing our gaze inward as an organization. Not in a hyper-introspective-there’s-no-mission-out-there manner. But in a way that makes it clear to everyone, we have problems. Some of these were already on the radar, others surfaced more recently. But we’re going to face them. All of them. What I want to get across to people through how we handle this (and not just with what we say) is that we want to be more rigorous in our self-examination than anyone else is with us. We want to be leading the charge in that, not playing catch up.

Process over people.

This insight came from a Sovereign Grace pastor, and looking back at our communication I have to say we are guilty as charged. For some reason we had this impulse that if we explained a series of steps of evaluation to everyone, that would somehow address the concerns that some members of our churches have about SGM more broadly. Now I think it would be wrong to paint every pastor, pastoral team, and church member with the same broad brush. But that doesn’t mean that there are no areas of our hearts and practice that need rigorous attention. I’m going to discuss some of those in a post next week. But even that isn’t the point here. The regrettable fact is that some dear members of Sovereign Grace churches have been hurt over the years, and no independent panel’s evaluation of us can fix that. We hope to do a better job of listening to those folks, learning from them, and owning where we’ve been wrong. See, if all we do is self-evaluate and improve our systems, failing in the meantime to pastor people through the process, we’ve missed the point. I’m committed, actually the whole board is committed, to not letting that happen".

Dave Harvey ended with an important reminder that is worth remembering in the heat and upset of the whirl-wind blog updates, comments from all;

"Before I close out, let me just say something that I think will resonate with all of us. God’s not asking us to choose between sides or between people here. He wants us to choose Him. We don’t have all the answers, but because of the cross we’re connected to the One who does. And he will help us show a watching world the unity we have in Christ. God is at work…for our good and His Glory!".

Amen.

Gosh ...

This has certainly been a week for "constant change" in Sovereign Grace Ministries and the most recent shocking announcement is this;

"This past week we (the Sovereign Grace Board and Joshua Harris) came to the mutual decision that it would be best for Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries for Joshua to step down from his role as a board member.

While still committed to our shared theological foundation and partnership in Sovereign Grace Ministries, as well as a common desire to walk through this unique season in a God-glorifying way, this change seems wise in light of certain points of disagreement over how best to proceed. Joshua also faces a sizable responsibility of steering Covenant Life through this trial and stepping away from his board role allows him to focus entirely on that task.

What remains unchanged is our affection, respect, friendship and partnership within Sovereign Grace. Joshua’s work on the board for the last three years has been important and we still want him to be a source of counsel for the board. To that end, Joshua has graciously agreed to continue joining board meetings as requested.

We celebrate the fact that in our family of churches, unity in the gospel doesn’t mean unanimity on secondary matters. Ultimately we believe this change will better preserve our essential unity while allowing Joshua to focus his attention on leading Covenant Life and the Board to provide leadership for Sovereign Grace in a time of crisis".

It's a definite shame - many, many people were tremendously encouraged by Joshua's loving concern and pastorship at last Sunday's meeting addressing the recent trials. However I am sure that Covenant Life Church will benefit from his increased attention, even though he may be missed on the SGM Board.

Dave Harvey produced a quick second blog post noting "Where we differ and where we agree". As one may expect, both the Board and Joshua agree "98%". The key disagreement is that Josh stated he believed that God is lovingly discipling SGM at this time.

The Board - it seems - have yet to decide on that.

Joshua Harris - Pastor of Pastors

I was really impressed listening to Josh Harris speak to Covenant Life Church yesterday addressing the whole situation regarding C J. On the one hand, you could tell his voice was trembling and close to breaking - it must be agonizing seeing a hero/father figure go through this. But on the other hand, he spoke with confidence and assurance and I was really touched by his pastor's heart. This didn't seem to me to be a P.R exercise (unless I'm easily duped) - he really cares for the people of Gaithersburg and loves them!

Proof that C J has done an excellent job raising up a spiritual son who is not afraid of honesty. Many Mahaney-ites are shouting about C J's humility and using words like; "Gossip" and "slander" against anyone who may read Brent's documents. But this quote from Josh Harris really gripped me for it's bravery;

"In a crisis like this, pastors can be tempted to two errors. 1. To say it's not as bad as it seems. 2. To say it's not your leaders fault. But I can't say that because it wouldn't be true. It IS as bad as it is and it IS the fault of your leaders ... it is our faulty structures that have brought this trouble ... our denomination is being publicly spanked, we are being humiliated and being brought low".

Surely he of all people could have been tempted to go on a PR campaign to downplay this and cover it up and reassure the people. But he has taken the brave and honest option - one that may disturb and upset but will ultimately result in changed lives for the glory of God.

Not all ex-SGM'ers agree with my thoughts - some are suggesting he is making a move for power (!) and others are suggesting it is a PR stunt - desperate. No one can actually tell his motives apart from the Lord and himself - but I felt it was absolutely heart felt and genuine.

Change in SGM?!

I have made no secret of being a less than supportive observer of Sovereign Grace Ministries over the last few years or so - although by God's grace and mercy, much of the past has been put to rest thanks to the graciousness of Nathan Smith and Peter Bowley - the pastors in Bristol. I am a firm believer however - that criticism where criticism is due but also praise where praise is due. That's fair! I do not agree with the decisions that the leadership of SGM (we don't call them 'apostles' anymore) have made in relation to the Holy Spirit - but I was thrilled and still am to hear of the genuine heartcry for revival and more of the Spirit of God in my parent's SGM church in Bristol.

So I was greatly encouraged to read a recent transcript message by Joshua Harris aimed at the Covenant Life Church fellowship in relation to some honest reflection the team there have done. It's worth a read - but what particularly encouraged me was this statement (in relation to the Christian school run at CLC);

" ... we have come to see that in some cases our disciplinary consequences were unnecessarily strong, and the effects on those we disciplined were more painful and costly than we realized. Removing them and their negative influence from the school community was seen as an urgent priority; restoring them to the school and church community was not. Once they were gone, we as pastors had no clear strategy for pursuing them in love.

The result is that they felt cut off from the school, and consequently from the church. As a result, very few of those students who were removed from the school ever returned. Very few are members of our church today. It sobers and saddens us deeply to know that our practices tempted students to feel cut off from the Lord and his grace".

This describes exactly the feeling that I (and others I've met who have experienced the same) felt. The church leadership in Bristol were told by Peter Griesley to excommunicate me without hesitation - which in faithfulness to his leadership they did. I was then never contacted again - until through a friend we made contact again these last few years to sort this out. I emphasise - we made the contact. When you have absolutely no contact from the church leaders who excommunicate you - you really are left with the impression that you are "cast out to Satan" and beyond hope - it's hurtful.

I am so grateful and glad that this has been recognised by Harris and the CLC team - and I hope that they connect the dots from the school experience to the discipline in church life. It's encouraging and great to see. A church leader who is as in the limelight as Joshua Harris - and yet can say something as honest and open as the below - is humble indeed I think;

"Where our leadership was characterized by these patterns—in ways that I’ve shared and in ways I haven’t fully seen— we want to ask you to forgive us. We’ve been wrong. Deficiencies in our leadership have been hurtful to some of you. We are very sorry. Please forgive us".

I hope that some of my friends at "SGM Survivors" and "SGM Refuge" will be as encouraged to see this great change!

It is the Church!! The Hope of the World!!

I've been thinking a lot about the "Church" recently. It's been abused, scoffed at, mocked at, persecuted, martyred, praised, idolised, split off into cults, split off into Pharisaical, legalistic horror stories - yet despite all that it just won't go away after 2,000 years. It has been run by apostles and prophets where it has flourished, it has been run by pastor/teachers where it has developed strong foundations, it has been run by grace-haters who have controlled it and generally abused it for their own ends, it has been run by ego-maniacs who have drained the people dry of their money, their lives and their free-will - yet despite all that it won't give up the belief that Ephesians 4 Ministries have truly and genuinely been given by the ascended Christ to bring it to maturity. What IS this Church!?

Pete Day brought a note of severe perspective that any church leader (or indeed anyone who addresses the church) needs to take careful note of:

"The Church is the bride of Christ. Please be careful how you speak to His wife"

But what brought about this blog was a recent post by Mark Heath who is sharing some of his teaching on the Church from where he lives in Southampton. Mark asks; "If you could list up to five marks of the church, what would they be?". He noted that Calvin simply sees the mark of the Church as being the preaching of the Word and the administering of the sacrements.

I read John Piper and Justin Taylor's latest book; "The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World" last night and Mark Driscoll has his own views on what makes the Church (or to be more accurate what makes the Gospel although he seems to reflect that in his church). They include female/male gender distinctions, Scripture as inerrant, timeless truth, the virgin birth of Jesus, our sin nature and total depravity, Jesus' death as our penal substitution and the concious eternal torments of hell.

It was very similar to Mahaney's right-hand man Joshua Harris's book; "Stop Dating the Church" that I found severely lacking. While I would agree with what both Driscoll and Harris insist is a vital part of the Church, I am left asking why they left what they did out. Or are those elements part of this; "two-handed approach to Christian ministry ... in our graciously open hand we must hold timely ministry methods and styles that adapt" - a concept that seemed to be very popular at John Piper's conference?

What about the manifest Presence of God? What about the Holy Spirit and His ministry not just in salvation but in sanctification, in empowerment, in glorification? What about worship? What about where we are going? It just strikes me that something is missing in our definition of church - "A form of godliness denying the power thereof".

I jotted down some notes that occured to me as "marks of a church" in a comment on Mark Heath's post and here's what I wrote;

"My answer is representative of the New Testament Acts Church stream (and it's inspired by Ephesians 2:19-22).

1. Church is a place where there is no hierarchy or clergy/laity but all are "fellow citizens with the saints".

2. Church is a place built on the foundation of apostles and prophets (not just the dead ones) with Christ Jesus living and reigning being the Chief Cornerstone.

3. Church is a place that is growing into a holy temple in the Lord - where holiness is not a set of rules and regulations imposed legalistically but holiness is a naturally flowing out of a realisation of our position in the righteousness of Christ - it's all about a relationship, not rules.

4. Church is a place that is increasingly becoming a dwelling place for God - the manifest Presence of God is more and more evident until unbelievers are coming in and rather than remaining indifferent are saying; "God is TRULY among you".

5. Church is a place where all of this is possible "by the Spirit". We recognise that all we do is only possible because we live in a "more glorious covenant" where we ALL are "ministers of the Spirit". Where it is not just about what we SAY but about what we DO. That the Spirit makes His Presence known by what we say (prophecy, tongues/interpretation, power preaching), what we do (signs, wonders, healing and miracles), how we live personally (crying "Abba! Father!" - in an intimate relationship with God Himself), how we worship (with bold access in the Holy of Holies) and where we are going as a people (seeing the entire earth covered with the glory of the Lord).

ALL because the Holy Spirit has been poured out and is our inheritance!!".

Ask yourself - (and leave a comment if you so desire) - what is the mark of my church? What should be it's mark? Are it's marks bound by the traditions of the Creeds or the traditions of the Charismatic Movement? Or are it's marks adhering as closely to the Bible as possible and to the Living Rhema Word of God as He speaks and sees His purposes come about now at the climax of the consummation of the ages?