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. He now coaches Pete Briscoe | Brookfield WI. Thank God I have Jesus. It is not a building. Why did so many look the other way for so long? Below is a link to a PDF of the article World Magazine did on a sex abuse scandal involving VOM. Fellowship, Church family, Community. 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. And he came back and said, I cant do this anymore.. And presented them with the information, he essentially tossed it to the side and said, So what?, No consequences. Hes like, I wasnt trying to protect the man, who by chance was his brother in law. Thats a bad default state. Maybe some of your listeners are familiar with that you can go on YouTube and and see what thats all about. It is also the church in which Pete Briscoe, my former wonderful pastor, grew up in. Well, again, Joining me today is Mitch Little a partner with Scheef & Stone in Frisco, Texas. Pete Briscoe was Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, TX for nearly 30 years. And its so important, I think, for any of us who are doing any kind of ministry at all, if we get our identity wrapped up in what were doing, then what were doing is no longer ministry, its no longer service to the Lord. They were almost sacred and benevolent and unable to do wrong. You can read about them at their website Teaching the Truth. There was a period of time, Ill call, The Great Loneliness after that Chicago Tribune article came out, where they were radioactive. My personal belief, not speaking on behalf of anyone else, my personal belief is that that structure is designed to fail, because elders cant elder in that structure. Can I talk about Scot McKnight for a second? You know, people like Dee Parsons, Julie Anne Smith, Julia Dahl, and people who I knew would not stop talking about it and would not stop talking about it for months. As a lawyer whos represented some of Bill Hybels victims, Mitch Little has seen a side of Willow Creek that few others have. But other than that, you know, there just werent a lot of people in the larger church speaking and there had to have been a lot of church leaders who knew about what was going on and knew that there were problems with Bill Hybels. I appreciate your feedback. Its scripturally rooted. Id like to share a few things as we navigate this loss together. Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. Bent Tree family and friends of Bent Tree, we invite you to post here (or on social media) your comments of encouragement, gratitude, blessing, remembrance, and tribute to the many long years our brother Pete and sister Libby have poured out their lives for the building up of Christs church. I dont know. The cover up of his behavior manifested at the elder board level. Well, I tried other churches and its more of the same. I think the larger the platform, the more rigorous the accountability needs to be. Its the biblical admonition, you know, to hold a knife to your throat lest you desire the Kings delicacies. Im so glad that theyre godly men like you serving. So Scot, its like the scene in The Avengers when Iron Man just kind of drops out of the sky. About Stuart and Jill Briscoe In the early 2000s, as Stuart and Jill transitioned into minister-at-large roles and spent more time traveling to serve the global church, an additional voice was added in order to bless the supporters ofTelling the Truth. Its really pride. These little bitty people, from Willows perspective, who helped win the PR back, its a miracle. I thought that emails could always be recovered, even after being erased, by a good IT person. WebIt is with heavy hearts that the Elders of Bent Tree announce that Pete Briscoe has submitted his resignation as Senior Pastor. I just, Im amazed that they were in such geographic proximity to one another dealing with almost the exact same problem. Theyre not holding anybody accountable then. Pete Briscoe, Stuart and Jills youngest son, was a key contributor to the ministrysteaching team from 2003 to 2021. And sadly, I think they have still. My husband and I actually bought our last car from our court and we had a great experience. 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. Basically, theyre a rubber stamp. Welcome to the Roys report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. Theyre not holding anybody accountable then. There was another case that also occurred where he committed oral sex with his assistant. I know for a fact that his article was circulated among the staff at Willow, and they crossed the Rubicon of credulity. And it had all of these allies not just in the media, but among the angelical industrial complex, other megachurch pastors, everything. Vanilla orchids are actually pollinated by hand in most places. WebPete Briscoe answers that question by pointing us to Paul as the perfect example of one who speaks with tender boldness. It was stunning to me. I dont think that he caused the elder board to resign. So disappointed in ECFA. So there were more than 10 women that came forward and said that there was sexual misconduct by Bill Hybels. But now my faith in the whole institution is shattered. It is also the church in which Pete Briscoe, my former wonderful pastor, grew up in. And theyre born knowing how to do that. I Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. Well, and I hope there are Christian leaders listening to this who take note because is the time of just being silent and thinking that because youre silent, nothing will come back on you, thats past. WebIt is with heavy hearts that the Elders of Bent Tree announce that Pete Briscoe has submitted his resignation as Senior Pastor. They had these Global Leadership Summits. Again, thanks so much for joining me today. Thats one of the things that attracted me to it is that he would admit something that he had failed, like, I remember one Wednesday night at a midweek service, and he got up and he said how that day he had seen somebody who was, you know, he could tell that they were upset and in need, and he just walked right by the person and totally blew them off. Fortunately, we have not had so much as one complaint about any one of our pastors or staff members. Its one of the beauties and the deformities of social media is social media is agile. WebBriscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. And youre in the process right now of looking for a senior pastor. Can you imagine what that does for book sales to be on stage at the Global Leadership Summit among people all over the world and touted as an expert in something? Thank you for joining us in seeing to it that no one misses the grace of God. 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. JULIE ROYS 23:38, What I meant by that comment is that unanimity didnt create any problems for the board and senior pastor because everyone agreed with James MacDonald. The Journal Sentinel reported: Elmbrook resignations are the latest to rock evangelical Christian churches. So thank you. 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. However, there should be a bubble level of character in Christ that we return to. Theres, theres an advocacy piece to lawyering that needs to be there a little bit, but it doesnt need to be pervasive. 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. So many people are looking the other way. In another area, it might be used to groom someone and use vulnerability as a mechanism to draw people into something that is corrupt. God is doing a new work both in the lives of the Briscoe's and in the life of Bent Tree. 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. Bent Tree is a multi site mega church in the Dallas Fort Worth area thats had its own share of crises over the past several years. And Ive been a critic of megachurch multi-site model. That way, youll never miss an episode. Pete was preaching from Hebrews, and he was making the New Covenant come alive before all of us. Stuart Briscoe died on August 3 "of natural causes unexpectedly" according to a tweet from his son, Pete Briscoe. It is what manifests. You know, Willow creeks pastors family members benefit from the Penumbra of Willow Creek and its just sheer size within evangelicalism. Literally thousands of people have come to know Jesus under Bill Hybels teaching and yet, he was morally bankrupt at the same time. Pete reminds us that our goal is not to win arguments, but to win people. And yet youre still in a megachurch, multi-site church. Petes teaching and emphasis on the sufficiency of Christ leaves an indelible mark on so many of our souls. Yeah, my understanding of that of the history has come from interviewing witnesses, talking to people who have served in those roles and hearing their stories at Willow. In fact, back in the late 80s, early 90s, we went to Willow Creek and we had a wonderful experience. And that was how Bill deformed his accountability structure. You feel that they have to have more of a governance more of a hands on role than a lot of them do. Jesus said, I call you My friend. But this certainly raises red flags. And I think theres a kind of an old guard of megachurch pastors and leaders that think that theyre above accountability and theyre beginning to realize theyre not. So, thanks for taking the time and you know, anybody whos willing to take a few minutes out of their vacation for a podcast, I just really appreciate it. 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. Its How do we protect the entity and the entity as expressed through the person of Bill Hybels? Once you make that decision that youre willing to protect the entity or the person in charge of the entity to the detriment of members of the body or members of the staff, youve made some poor choices that are going to have consequences. Correct? Briscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. I was the senior pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship for nearly 30 years. WebBriscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. Mitch has seen church governance from both the inside and the outside. I would love to see Chicago experience revival. I mean, I Timothy 5:20 says that we should publicly expose elders who are sinning so that others may take warning. This is simply a place where I share the message of Gods unadulterated grace through my preaching sermons and bible teaching. I think ultimately, we are still kind of under the inertia of a culture that was fomented by Pete Briscoe, which was a culture of goodness, a culture of grace and its still carrying forward under that momentum. I mean, that is just huge. 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. He has been married to Jill for more than 59 years and has three children and 13 grandchildren. Because they, I mean, they had a massive PR machine they had, they hired Mark DeMoss, his firm to come in and try to resolve things from a PR standpoint. Great question. Yeah, were all saints who sometimes sin. Yet, Scripture and to how to teach it became new and deep and exciting every week as I listened to Pete in the short three years I have been at Bent Tree. 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. The fact that, I dont know. So Im guessing youre not against lawyers being on board. Yeah, thats right. Mike is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come. They didnt have the ability to respond to new issues as they arose. Volunteers monitored the process in real time, turning over cassettes at the appropriate time to record on the second side. And I think that Bill Hybels created an advocacy structure around him by having that many lawyers on the board. Like they didnt read a book, figuring out how to do it, but there are warning signs that people need to be aware of. However, whenever he would do that quavering voice, etc., I would wonder how he could do that for all three identical services? And you you actually refer to it as multi-level marketing. WebSince that time he has ministered on every continent, written more than 40 books, pastored a church for 30 years, and founded a media ministry called Telling the Truth which now broadcasts daily worldwide. "For many of you, he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend. It was the summer of 2000, and I was a college student on staff at Pine Cove Christian Camp. Telling another woman, how she looks in a dress and how it accentuates her body, everything up to an alleged affair, to Pat Baronowski, Bill Hybels longtime assistant, stating in the New York Times said Bill Hybels made her obtain pornography and they watched it together. 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. I dont know. So as we part ways, let us make the departure sweet. 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. 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? But heres what happened when Scot criticized them publicly. Stuart and Jill Briscoe have always had a passion for teaching God's Word and speaking Truth into people's hearts and moving them toward God. Pete Briscoe was Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, TX for nearly 30 years. 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. 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 represented two women involved in the sex abuse scandal involving Bill Hybels. Please note, our website requires JavaScript to be supported. And Harvest was the same thing. I would probably have been among those who defended Bill saying, He couldnt have done these things; Hes too strong of a Christian leader. I see this culture as similar to the Corinthian church with the man who was involved with his fathers wife. And I think it wasnt a problem, Mitch, because everybody always agreed with whatever the senior pastor wanted. 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. 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. Much has been written on establishing criteria for board member selection. Now, I coach pastors and business leaders in communications and self-care. 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. Thank you so much. He, Becky and their kids have been part of the fabric of BT for so long, it is I think one of the things that happens in churches, from a deformed leadership standpoint, is requiring boards to operate in unanimity or using unity as a cudgel against people who have firm convictions about things. And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? I think youre absolutely right about that. Interestingly enough, during the interview, he seemed extremely angry and resentful. And so when you see behaviors that look like grooming, you know, John Calvin, Im not a Calvinist. It is. I dont think I could survive the corruption I see today had I not seen so much thats good and beautiful in the church growing up. The Elder Board has accepted Petes decision, and his resignation is effective March 31, 2019. So glad to see you feature Mitch Little. Why didnt others support them? Subscribe Sign up for my daily email devotionals and to stay in touch! WebHi friend, I'm Pete Briscoe. Posted by Jonathan Deatherage on Apr 02, 2019. Theres a lot of church boards that operate that way. I think thats dangerous. It is a collection of people that we are to care for. Im doing well but probably not as well as you because youre on vacation in Florida. And I had a wonderful experience. And Willow lost the battle of PR on social media. Id like to share a few things as we navigate this loss together. I hear you say that and I believe in accountability really strongly. Leave them alone. I can see the elders (more than half of which were women), and people in general saying, It was only a hug. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. So he said something about so and sos clothing. Petes leadership at Bent Tree casts a long shadow with a legacy that will endure. None at all. WebPete Briscoe is a podcaster and evangelical pastor. I think that was a move of God, a move of the Holy Spirit. So Mitch, thank you so much for taking the time to join me today. Who hasnt given a friend a friendly kiss once in awhile? Youve youve created a fiction when you organize church, what is a church organization but a legal fiction, right? And Im like, Ive never seen a spiritual leader ever, ever have that sort of self disclosure in front of the church before he preaches. So to some extent, we all have a measure of hypocrisy. We were fighting asymmetric warfare, right? Was there any evidence found that he actually had an affair? 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