If I’m honest, I am a little bit nervous.

Shabbat Shalom,

It’s early here in Richmond, and Elana is still sleeping. We will be driving this morning to Charlotte, North Carolina, for what I believe will be a very special event. If you live in the area, you are invited to attend the FREE EVENT, but you do need to register. 

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

This gathering was initiated by former students of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry (BRSM) and the FIRE School of Ministry, which split from the former at the beginning of 2001. Those former students were mostly in their late teens and early 20s when they attended. Now, they are in their 40s, and they have questions. They are rethinking things.

These former students are seeking to process the revelation that the man who was leading the revolution that they thought they were a part of was not himself living according to the standards he was passionately demanding. Most people around the world, including many leaders very close to me, are not part of this community. If you were not part of this community, you could not understand the shock and sense of betrayal.

Now that things have settled down, they wanted to debrief. What happened over this past year? What does it mean to us? What have we learned?

If I’m honest, I am a little bit nervous. Twenty-five years ago, when the split between the two schools took place, I was the only full-time faculty member who did not go with the split. I lost many friends. Over the years, I have enjoyed reconciliation with just about every one of those leaders, but over the past year, that has gone from reconciliation to true restored friendship with several of them.

The split was the most painful and stressful ministry event I have ever endured. To the students who stayed at BRSM, I was a role model. But to many of those who went with FIRE, I was an opportunist, a traitor, etc. A semester later, we moved to Richmond and began to prepare to move permanently to Israel.

I never imagined in a million years that I would have the opportunity to reconcile with so many students, many of whom I don’t even know their names. Since October 2024, I have gotten to know many of them. Sarah Monk, who was a victim of sexually abusive misconduct, is among the most significant. Because of you, we have been able to pay for her counseling over the past several months (we are still waiting for the abuser to obey what his eldership team told him to do—cover her counseling).

Many witnesses—all of whom went with FIRE—became regular contacts. There’s a group of mothers who adopted children from Haiti who were severely sexually abused. They have given testimony of how the abuser was involved in what they felt was a cover-up. They, too, have become dear to us. And so many others who privately reached out to me by email, providing testimony and encouragement. I’m sure they, too, never thought they would be in contact with the “traitor.” So, God is good!

So I shouldn’t be nervous about tomorrow. But I am nonetheless.

Bob Gladstone, who was the second most influential person in FIRE will be speaking right after me. Bob has been such a blessing to me over this past year. We have been in contact almost every day, after not being in contact for 25 years. His love for the Church and understanding of ecclesiology (the study of the Church) runs deep.

In the afternoon, several women will be sharing about their experience experiences in bringing these allegations forward. Some of them were close to Sarah, helping her process. Others were witnesses of the abuse and testified. None of us are experts. But we do see this as a moment in time in the Church where cover-up culture must end and the weakest among us must be protected.

Please pray for God to pour out His Spirit tomorrow—that his kingdom would come, and his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Shabbat shalom!