what happened to pete briscoe
Hybels at one point had a major conflict with a woman who was serving on the elder board, who was trying to hold him accountable and essentially used a reconciliation process involving some other big names in evangelicalism to essentially run her off, put her under an NDA. And it turns out there were a lot more women who had been affected by Bill Hybels. Heres my belief, Julie, I think the church at large, the big leaders in evangelicalism, we can name names if we want to, and Im sure that people have names on their mind when theyre hearing this, Why were they silent? And I was sitting in my office one day and Vonda picked up the phone and gave me a call and kind of told me what was coming down the pike in terms of the Chicago Tribune article that basically lit the fuse on that entire situation at Willow. The other thing I wanted to talk to you about in you mentioned this in earlier discussion we had about the identity of elders and how so often, and I dont think its just elders, I think its a lot of the senior pastor leadership and staff that their identity tends to become enmeshed with the success or failure of the organization theyre a part of. Im doing well but probably not as well as you because youre on vacation in Florida. God showed him through that sermon how his trip was actually isolating and began a process of transformation. The church is nondenominational and has woman pastors and elders. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. I will always have my faith in Jesus but church especially WCCC has been a huge disappointment. But we dont have time on this podcast. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. And to do that, we must avoid falling into the trap of our Christian beliefs being pitted against culture in the public sphere of debate. Gifted with wisdom, discernment, and a bit of English humor, the Briscoe's bring God's Word to life. And its like, now someone inside the tribe has said, Something is wrong here and it must be dealt with. And it took someone of Scot McKnights gravitas to be able to shift the discussion at Willow. For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema.. He currently leads a multi-faceted media ministry called Telling the Truth which he shares with his parents Stuart and Jill Briscoe. Like so many of you, I love Pete. I mean, I Timothy 5:20 says that we should publicly expose elders who are sinning so that others may take warning. I know from hearing from men, that that Bill abused men emotionally, spiritually while they were working there. And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? Okay. That is a very fair question. I just want to say this was not someone who acted on any behavior at our church, but had someone who was in the process of grooming someone else. WebLearn More About Pete Today - Pete Briscoe God loves you to distraction, There is nothing you can do to make Him love them more or less, And, that Life with this Lover God is rich beyond description, regardless of your performance. The Elder Board has accepted Petes decision, and his resignation is effective March 31, 2019. Okay, how it didnt bring accountability. I learned that from Bill. It started as a simple tape duplication ministry in a home basement, using a reel-to-reel tape recorder linked to a dozen smaller recorders to duplicate the Briscoes' teaching. I dont agree with a lot of his views, but he said something and it is true, we need to have, you know, church leader needs to have two voices, one for gathering the sheep and one for scaring away wolves. And then everyone could say, Oh, how sad that that one person did that one thing. Destroyed by a staff person is my understanding. The ministry began in 1971 while Stuart served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, which grew into the largest evangelical church in the state. (etc. And yet here we see a church thats ostensibly about serving God, and its about proclaiming the gospel and yet this is happening within the church. I attended Willow for seven years. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe What is it that causes so many people who know better, to look the other way and allow evil to prosper? WebPete Briscoe, Stuart and Jills youngest son, was a key contributor to the ministrys teaching team from 2003 to 2021. You can choose from more than 60 majors and learn in a Christian environment known for its spiritual values, leadership opportunities, and strong financial aid. I am thrilled to be here. But when we look at it from some practical ways that God used people to undo this, explain what you see as being the key forces. Well, and it troubles me too, that so many of our Christian organizations seem to be more beholden to lawyers advice and counsel than they do the Word of God. He is with us today to talk about growing communication skills to improve preaching as well as how we can find deeper fulfillment in our work and lives. Who hasnt given a friend a friendly kiss once in awhile? Heres my belief, Julie, I think the church at large, the big leaders in evangelicalism, we can name names if we want to, and Im sure that people have names on their mind when theyre hearing this, Why were they silent? I think youre absolutely right about that. To us, he was Stu, Dad and Poppa and we already miss him achingly." Great! Its my understanding that was a watershed moment. Its M-I-L-G-R-A-M the Milgram experiment, but basically American researchers were trying to figure out after World War II, why so many in German society were willing to go along with the Nazis or go along with their leadership, do incalculably horrible things to people. So, you know, Julie, its really its death by 1000 cuts. Well, I want to turn our discussion to what youve experienced at your own church, which is a multi-site mega church there in the Dallas Fort Worth area, because those are things where youve been able to apply some of these lessons that youve learned from watching the negative example maybe of Willow Creek, youve learned an awful lot from going through crisis at your own church. So I was really struggling with my faith. Briscoe And Ive been a critic of megachurch multi-site model. Understanding & Overcoming Spiritual Abuse, Part II, Understanding & Overcoming Spiritual Abuse, Escaping & Healing from Abusive Churches, Part 2, https://world.wng.org/sites/default/files/issues/pdf/world_sep012018.pdf, https://www.billionbibles.com/voice-of-the-martyrs.html. And if you are not willing to as an organism, or as an organization say, We messed up. Briscoe And I realized that as we were discussing this, that there might be some people who have heard about what happened at Willow Creek, but somewhat superficially, through the headlines and dont really know beneath the surface. Then, I did what all good Christian college students did at that time I acquired a boot-leg copy of the drama and listened to it several times on my own. It manifested at the Human Resources level. But before we begin, I just want to take a minute to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Judson University, and Marquardt of Barrington. Fifteen years later, I joined staff at Bent Tree. I mean, its an accurate criticism of people within the church. Why did so many look the other way for so long? Let the Briscoes help you experience Life in all its fullness! Its biblical. What Ive told people is, If you are not ready to blow yourself or the organization up in five seconds flat, you need to find a different hobby.. Yeah, I just saw you ran a story on MacDonalds massive mansion in Illinois being held in the name of Vanilla Bean LLC. Theres another circumstance that I became aware of where The board had a 360 Review done on Hybels and his leadership and some problems they were experiencing with his management style from, you know, bullying, abusive style. Well, I tried other churches and its more of the same. Lawyers are, by definition, advocates, right? Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. They made a lot of friends. Volunteers monitored the process in real time, turning over cassettes at the appropriate time to record on the second side. Hes like, I wasnt trying to protect the man, who by chance was his brother in law. And he offers keen insights that are desperately needed as many churches today struggle to be healthy and to avoid the mistakes other megachurches have made. They have to be theyre incredibly convincing. Guest Bios Show Transcript Spiritual abuse has become an increasingly hot topic, as more and more stories of bully pastors and hyper-controlling, Guest Bios Show Transcript After years spent in an abusive church, how do you heal? I think, as believers, we should be standing for truth, we should not look the other way. I was just trying to build a relationship, or whatever you just go, But I see you for what you are and youre gonna have to go.. Youre its just not its not a matter of if its a matter of when. So, and youre the chairman of your board. And now lets put that in the past. Willow did not want to reckon with the deformed culture that had manifested underneath Bills leadership. You feel that they have to have more of a governance more of a hands on role than a lot of them do. When you have a woman who says I was molested by a staff member, or you have a staff member who says, Bill Hybels just threw a punch at me, or dog cuts me up and down the hallway, those arent matters of policy, Julie. So disappointed in ECFA. Welcome to the Roys report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. Gifted with wisdom, discernment, and a bit of English humor, the Briscoe's bring God's Word to life. All the times something didnt seem right. He, Becky and their kids have been part of the fabric of BT for so long, it is Then, I did what all good Christian college students did at that time I acquired a boot-leg copy of the drama and listened to it several times on my own. He said, Pete, you should have one lawyer on your board but not more than one. And I believe that there is some really sound wisdom in that. https://www.billionbibles.com/voice-of-the-martyrs.html. I think the load needs to be shared. and so I almost feel like the elder boards are there to keep the honest person honest. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray But its an analog. WebLearn More About Pete Today - Pete Briscoe God loves you to distraction, There is nothing you can do to make Him love them more or less, And, that Life with this Lover God is rich beyond description, regardless of your performance. The outside investigation report said something along the lines of, Bill Hybels hundreds or thousands of emails with this woman were, not available. Well, as it turns out my understanding from talking to witnesses, those emails were actually destroyed. And I think you hit the nail on the head. You have your identity rooted in something other than Christ, the centrality of Christ. Please contact us or click here to learn more about how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Pete is the son of Jill and Stuart Briscoe. Hi. He even cites a conversation with Darrell Bock, a member who disagrees with the elders but who also says it is not an issue worth dividing over. Like if you go back and you actually read his books line-on-line, there are some things in there in those books where you go, For a pastor, that should be unacceptable. But he was attenuating his church culture and culture at large to him in his behavior. You have to have unity among your vocational staff at the church about, you know, key issues like how do we treat other people? Multiple services, being able to do it on cue, proves Hybels theatrical abilitiesI look back and feel sick, given all the details we now know from behind the scenes. Well, Mitch, this has been read. At one point, the elder board at Willow became what people call a policy governance board. And that was how Bill deformed his accountability structure. And I think Christian leaders need to start stepping up. Well, to answer your question, very bad. Its designed to be fought asymmetrically. And this is a huge problem in the Evangelical Church in the southern baptist church, I mean, just absolutely massive problem where so often the predators covered up instead of brought to justice. And you made the statement that if you have the character to lead, you dont need a manual. Yeah, that is super dangerous. The priests who cross the street, right? Jill And I could explain why I think thats funny, but you have to have extreme accountability, the larger your platform gets. and Im going to butcher the title. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. Its a calling of God. I was just following following lawyers advice. So its okay. None at all. To me, Bill did not come across as a predator, flirty or suggestive with women. A man who "dedicated his life to sharing Gods Word with the world" has died at the age of 91. So he said something about so and sos clothing. And yet, when these issues started being raised about Bill Hybels, the larger church, other than you know, a few people you mentioned the Ortbergs, for example, they came forward and spoke. I think it took courage and boldness on his part to be able to do that. He represented two women involved in the sex abuse scandal involving Bill Hybels. Now, God is leading our friend and leader Pete away from these walls, and we look on with sadness the sadness that comes when a season you love is passing. There was another case that also occurred where he committed oral sex with his assistant. I was the senior pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for nearly 30 years. It was stunning to me. Interestingly enough, during the interview, he seemed extremely angry and resentful. How does our elder board navigate things differently with that Pastor? And you mentioned to me that there were some stop signs along the way. You formed a nonprofit corporation. Below is a link to a PDF of the article World Magazine did on a sex abuse scandal involving VOM. Is that correct? A man who "dedicated his life to sharing Gods Word with the world" has died at the age of 91. However, whenever he would do that quavering voice, etc., I would wonder how he could do that for all three identical services? God uses the weak things of this world to confound the strong, right? Yeah, right. Hes one of the good guys. And someone Im extremely glad is serving in church leadership. I do. Well, early on in the process after the Tribune article, we had to make a decision, How are we going to fight a machine of this size that is basically promulgating lies about these women and their families and their supporters? And I reached out to people that I already knew within, you know, the watch blogging community. And presented them with the information, he essentially tossed it to the side and said, So what?, No consequences. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. It is also the church in which Pete Briscoe, my former wonderful pastor, grew up in. He has been married to Jill for more than 59 years and has three children and 13 grandchildren. But the thing that was so shocking to me, is that Bill Hy Hybels was the first pastor I had ever seen be so vulnerable from the pulpit. Yeah. Like so many of you, I love Pete. And Harvest was the same thing. Youre absolutely right. There was a period of time, Ill call, The Great Loneliness after that Chicago Tribune article came out, where they were radioactive. I think there was a culture of pride at Willow that basically said, We are the elite of the Christian world. In context, I think my meaning becomes clear as I say soon after, agreeing with Mitchs assessment that unanimity is bad: Absolutely horrible. And I had a wonderful experience. And not elevated above it. Although theres been some. Its all a Business and Power tool and stage for Virtue Signaling. I wasnt throughout the representation. When I came onto our board, the terms that Pete Briscoe used were, guide, govern and guard. And I think policy governance has the governing part. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. Im wary of the theatrical, evangelical stars that are so prevalent now. And when I came into the representation, that was a new term to me, Id never heard anything like it. He even cites a conversation with Darrell Bock, a member who disagrees with the elders but who also says it is not an issue worth dividing over. Today were talking with Pete Briscoe, who served as the senior pastor for nearly three decades at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, Texas, and now consults with and coaches pastors. Stuart Briscoe died on August 3 "of natural causes unexpectedly" according to a tweet from his son, Pete Briscoe. What I need most is what I dont have. Now, I coach pastors and business leaders in communications and self-care. Jill Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Growing up in a ministry family, Pete watched and learned from his parents and witnessed the reach and power of Telling the Truth 's media outreach. Thankyou in advance. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe Oh Well, and I appreciate your service to the church. Mitch has seen church governance from both the inside and the outside. Thank you for joining us in seeing to it that no one misses the grace of God. Three children and 13 grandchildren and the outside the discussion at Willow became what people a. The church is nondenominational and has woman pastors and Business leaders in communications and self-care process of.! 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