That night we had a guest speaker come in for a special presentation. I had no idea what to expect as this lone man stood on the stage. As I was working through the Willow Creek representation with these women, the thing that kept cropping up to me was the Milgram experiment. Lets say you have you have six or eight members who are saying, Guys, we need to fire this person. If youre looking for a car I encourage you to visit my friends at Marquardt of Barrington. Hes just an affectionate kind of guy. Im so grateful now for that heritage. Theyve got a little bit of the guide part. Mitch is an attorney, a church elder and an advocate for abuse victims. He has been married to Jill for more than 59 years and has three children and 13 grandchildren. Tell us what you learned through you know, bringing this person to light, confronting him and dealing with the entire situation that we can learn from as a church. It is a collection of people. The vanilla bean is incredibly hard to harvest. That nonprofit corporation and its bank accounts, thats not what the biblical church is. 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. David Jankowski. 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. 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. I mean, its an accurate criticism of people within the church. Im Julie Roys. So I was quite taken aback when this scandal came out. And I can only imagine what the economic forces are behind the scenes for that, but it really disappoints me, that that hasnt happened. 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, Becky and their kids have been part of the fabric of BT for so long, it is It involves a level of compartmentalization that is truly stunning. Let me give you some examples. Pete has offered to I Theres, theres an advocacy piece to lawyering that needs to be there a little bit, but it doesnt need to be pervasive. The small tape recording process drew the attention of many people who were eager for a copy of the teaching they heard at church to share with friends and neighbors. Im good friends with Vonda Dyer, who worked at Willow and was one of the women who bravely came forward with her story about her interactions with Bill Hybels. I think the larger the platform, the more rigorous the accountability needs to be. Maybe some of your listeners are familiar with that you can go on YouTube and and see what thats all about. Pete was preaching from Hebrews, and he was making the New Covenant come alive before all of us. People can do the job of preaching and leading a church for, you know, 40 plus weeks in the pulpit at a church of this size. But lets talk about since were talking about the media, Willow Creek had unbelievable resources at its disposal, right. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? This person or these people were hurt as a result, you have a pride problem. Pete served as the senior pastor at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas for nearly 30 years, and he now ministers to pastors and organizational executives through personalized, professional coaching. They know there would be swift and sure discipline, if not firing, even with one mistakedepending on the severity of the misbehavior. I think these women would still like to know the answer to that. Jill Yes, I totally agree. I think that was a move of God, a move of the Holy Spirit. Julie, it is great to be with you again. I have plenty of authentic friends just not at church. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. WebPete Briscoe, Stuart and Jills youngest son, was a key contributor to the ministrys teaching team from 2003 to 2021. If you go back and you look at Bill Hybels books in retrospect, Im amazed at some of the things that are contained in his books that people became okay with. It is also the church in which Pete Briscoe, my former wonderful pastor, grew up in. He was like one of these, I think until Scot decided to speak up, it was, Willow had credulity to say, These are people outside our tribe who are criticizing us. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. I dont know. Also I want to let you know that Judson University is planning to resume in person classes this fall for traditional transfer and adult students and its still not too late to apply. Interestingly enough, during the interview, he seemed extremely angry and resentful. 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. (etc. Gifted with wisdom, discernment, and a bit of English humor, the Briscoe's bring God's Word to life. He currently leads a multi-faceted media ministry called Telling the Truth which he shares with his parents Stuart and Jill Briscoe. You feel that they have to have more of a governance more of a hands on role than a lot of them do. I encourage leaders to research their selection criteria carefully before they recruit for their next vacancies. And theres an element to which a church like Willow Creek was a global church, right? At least, thats how I saw it. Hes also a strong believer and advocate for abuse victims. Many organizations that have a board of directors consisting of yes men or yes women who are inclined to go along with the board chairman and/or are friends with them. Yeah. John and Nancy Ortberg had been at Willow Creek as pastors. Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. And I think that Bill Hybels created an advocacy structure around him by having that many lawyers on the board. And Willow lost the battle of PR on social media. 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. WebBriscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe Well, lets talk a little bit about the leadership that protected him because I think that is the question that I keep hearing over and over from folks is, How do we prevent this from happening? Like so many of you, I love Pete. I think its incredibly dangerous. He was running and we were praying that he would surrender fully to God. And my understanding was the elder board set some boundaries for Clinton to be able to come and speak. I And I think Christian leaders need to start stepping up. 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. Stuart Briscoe died on August 3 "of natural causes unexpectedly" according to a tweet from his son, Pete Briscoe. 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. I appreciate you so much and look forward to visiting with you again soon. I think it took courage and boldness on his part to be able to do that. Bill Hybels and Bill Clinton, you know, developed a friendship over the years that at least what Ive discovered in my research, there was an invitation for Clinton to come and speak at the Global Leadership Summit, and a confrontation with the elder board about that because Clinton was on the heels of an adultery scandal. Yes, I have be disillusioned many times by churches and some leaders. WebPete Briscoe answers that question by pointing us to Paul as the perfect example of one who speaks with tender boldness. Im Julie Roys. Let the Briscoes help you experience Life in all its fullness! WebPete Briscoe is a podcaster and evangelical pastor. Vonda was at one time the director of Willow Creeks vocal ministry, and she was one of the first women to come forward and speak publicly about Bill Hybels alleged sexual misconduct. Talk to me about how you saw this playing out at Willow Creek. WebPete Briscoe is a podcaster and evangelical pastor. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray Why is it that nobody outside a very small group of women who had no power, really no position, why didnt others come to their rescue? ) So, Willows pride did not allow them to see any flaws in their leadership, especially their premier leader. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Hes also the chairman of the elder board and his own church, Bent Tree Fellowship. Its so HARD today to know who to donate to. I do. Correct? They made a lot of friends a lot of money over the years selling books, promoting programs, platforming them at conferences, platforming them at the Global Leadership Summit. And theyre born knowing how to do that. :), I would strongly urge you to research Voice of the Martyrs. Mike is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come. The church is nondenominational and has woman pastors and elders. Now youre a lawyer. At one point, the elder board at Willow became what people call a policy governance board. I appreciate your taking time again away from your vacation to spend time with us. Jill WebPete Briscoe answers that question by pointing us to Paul as the perfect example of one who speaks with tender boldness. Again, thanks so much for joining me today. He has been married to Jill for more than 59 years and has three children and 13 grandchildren. Thats not to say there arent authentic people there. And its designed to be acretive, right that they gain strength over time. But then its my understanding too, that when these women met with the elders, the level of bullying and abuse that they were subjected to, was such that I know Vonda told me there were elders in tears at the end of this, of how pervasive the abuse was, I dont know how specific you can be but can you give people an idea of, of what actually happened to these women that were abused? I wasnt throughout the representation. But it was after a period of I dont know the details, and I dont know how much youre at liberty to say them, but its my understanding he went away for a period of time to kind of reflect and assess how he was doing and how he was handling things. This is a calling. I think he lost it. Please know you are not alone. How did that all happen? Its the biblical admonition, you know, to hold a knife to your throat lest you desire the Kings delicacies. WebIt is with heavy hearts that the Elders of Bent Tree announce that Pete Briscoe has submitted his resignation as Senior Pastor. But you have seen the the worst of it. Volunteers monitored the process in real time, turning over cassettes at the appropriate time to record on the second side. That is not a matter of policy. Thats a rhetorical question. And this is whats so difficult. 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. It is also the church in which Pete Briscoe, my former wonderful pastor, grew up in. I mean, you dont need to be trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, because it is gonna manifest itself in bad ways. 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. With distinctly different teaching styles, you'll be moved by the emotional appeal of Jill and the compelling logic of Stuart, as they boldly proclaim God's sovereignty, grace, and love. The priests who cross the street, right? Briscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. Well, again, Joining me today is Mitch Little a partner with Scheef & Stone in Frisco, Texas. This is a person who is pushing a boundary because they want to do something bad. They had these Global Leadership Summits. So your pastor, he chose himself to step down, correct? They show up, they sell books. Many more than even Vonda Dyer knew. which Hybels assented to including you know, repenting for his behavior and not talking about politics and some other things as well. And so when you know from the pulpit, that might be a strength. 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. Ive even friended a few. Why didnt others support them? Nobody who is an elder at a church should have any aspect of their identity wrapped up in either the role of being an elder or in the success or failure of the organization. However, there should be a bubble level of character in Christ that we return to. Amen. At the end of the day the aftermath of destruction is felt on so many levels by so many people and we all react differently in our humanness. Subscribe Sign up for my daily email devotionals and to stay in touch! It was the summer of 2000, and I was a college student on staff at Pine Cove Christian Camp. The Elder Board has accepted Petes decision, and his resignation is effective March 31, 2019. And gratitude is where we must go in this time, as Kurt Baxter reminded us on Sunday. Well, I tried other churches and its more of the same. The church is literally a collection of people. How are you? I think thats dangerous. What eventually broke the culture of secrecy and protection? Basically, theyre a rubber stamp. Right? As a lawyer whos represented some of Bill Hybels victims, Mitch Little has seen a side of Willow Creek that few others have. I cant vouch for all the information because I havent researched it myself. I think one of the ways that Willow tried to reckon with the situation was to permit Bill Hybels to retire from his role at the church. And it turns out there were a lot more women who had been affected by Bill Hybels. 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.. As I look back on my own four years on staff, Im thankful for the teaching and leadership that Pete Briscoe has brought to Bent Tree, and I know that so many of us have been impacted by his attention to the Lord and quick obedience to however God leads him. Thats what he was. 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. I was kind of thrust into the middle of it out of love for wanting to help my friends and man, that thing escalated pretty quickly. The news of Petes resignation landed heavy on my heart. Yes, probably a number of your listeners are aware of the situation where the Ortbergs and Mellados had tried to report to the board an alleged long term affair that Bill Hybels was engaged in and the church hired an outside investigator to investigate the situation. In the late 1990s, Telling the Truth was blessed with opportunities to expand the broadcasts overseas with a newly formed Christian radio station in London, Premier Christian Radio, which today remains the only Christian station across the entire United Kingdom, with 1.2 million weekly listeners. One of those women is Vonda Dyer. Likewise. 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