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. Board members selected in such a way are unlikely to honor their fiduciary duty ahead of their desire to please the board chairman or senior pastor. But it just has not really looked like true repentance in so many ways. 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. I think they can do it effectively. So a young person in our high school ministry. Theyre not holding anybody accountable then. My husband and I actually bought our last car from our court and we had a great experience. etc. And thats one of the things that I just come back to is that the word hypocrisy in the Greek the word that comes from that means actor. And then everyone could say, Oh, how sad that that one person did that one thing. Although theres been some. And so when you see behaviors that look like grooming, you know, John Calvin, Im not a Calvinist. Pete Briscoe, our pastor at our church came out in support of the Dyers, which was bold, and it was brave. It grows over time. I think these women would still like to know the answer to that. Briscoe stepped down as senior pastor at the end of 2000 but remained involved in the church and active in overseas missions. And it turns out there were a lot more women who had been affected by Bill Hybels. But its an analog. Oh Well, and I appreciate your service to the church. This is Chicago Tribune. This is people who are dissillusioned, who wanted big jobs at Willow and didnt get them. But when Scot, the the intra tribal dissenter steps up and says, This is wrong, things shifted. In fact, I know some of them. Pete grew up in a home with intelligent and committed parents: both 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. Well, one thing I did want to cover, and our time is getting to an end, but I know that you have dealt with having a sexual predator within your church. And I still havent been able to get her to visit with me. Pete Briscoe @petebriscoe 12 Dec 2021. If you go back through Willow Creeks archives, you can see all the, you know, the authors of books who came in and were platformed at Willow Creek. Youve youve created a fiction when you organize church, what is a church organization but a legal fiction, right? I think thats dangerous. So you caught them before that anything actually happened? It was like trying to fit a battleship through a set of French doors. That is not a matter of policy. Thank God I have Jesus. 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. Gifted with wisdom, discernment, and a bit of English humor, the Briscoe's bring God's Word to life. He represented two women involved in the sex abuse scandal involving Bill Hybels. Pete grew up in a home with intelligent and committed parents: both Judson is located just 36 miles outside Chicago on a beautiful 90 acre campus. On this episode of The Roys Report, Julie explores these important questions with Mitch Little, whos not just an attorney for victims. They had these Global Leadership Summits. I agree, Pastor Bob. I think there was a culture of pride at Willow that basically said, We are the elite of the Christian world. For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema. I was blown away. WebPete Briscoe answers that question by pointing us to Paul as the perfect example of one who speaks with tender boldness. Subscribe Sign up for my daily email devotionals and to stay in touch! And you made the statement that if you have the character to lead, you dont need a manual. Okay. And I remember you saying. 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 the kind of thing that you would expect from someone whos cruel and not in relationship with Jesus. Im Julie Roys. I think youre absolutely right about that. Boy, and if more churches did that, how much pain and heartache among the sheep would have been spared? 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. Well Mitch, one of the things Ive never discussed is that we used to attend Willow Creek. For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema.. I appreciate you so much and look forward to visiting with you again soon. Yes, in the course of representing these women, it became obvious that this was not what Ill call an echelon or tier leadership problem, just at Bill Hybels level. Nobody has said they had intercourse with Bill. In our church, we have a no tolerance policy. You know, when you have somebody like Bryan Loritts, who when hes talking about why when he was at a former church, he didnt disclose to the church that they had a sexual predator among them for six months. Not so much at Willow till after, because I was so wrapped up in the Harvest stuff at that time and the Moody stuff that I didnt really have the capability or the bandwidth to do much reporting about Willow. The fact that, I dont know. You know, I think, Julie, the other thing that was really whacked out about Willows elder board, and I didnt find this out until very late in the representation was they operated by design out of unanimity. You feel that they have to have more of a governance more of a hands on role than a lot of them do. It is not a building. But you have seen the the worst of it. Also, any comments with profanity, name-calling, and/or a nasty tone will be deleted. 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. Id like to share a few things as we navigate this loss together. 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. And it had all of these allies not just in the media, but among the angelical industrial complex, other megachurch pastors, everything. And the thing about predators, Bill Hybels included, okay, is they start to do more things in public to condition you to behavior that is inappropriate, and they test their boundaries, to see what they can get away with. I want to thank Pete too for advocating for women participating fully in leadership and for Libby modeling what it means to be a true helper (ezer kenegdo). Pete Briscoe, our pastor at our church came out in support of the Dyers, which was bold, and it was brave. So whos supposed to hold whos supposed to hold the leaders accountable in that structure? That is a very fair question. You can read about them at their website Teaching the Truth. Also, major problems. But heres what happened when Scot criticized them publicly. And now lets put that in the past. Willow did not want to reckon with the deformed culture that had manifested underneath Bills leadership. 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 appreciate your feedback. At the urging of a friend working in the radio industry, the Briscoes followed God's leading and used the tape sales proceeds to purchase local radio time, which launched Telling the Truth's radio outreach. That goes to the guarding role that Attorney Mitch shared. 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? To me, Bill did not come across as a predator, flirty or suggestive with women. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. He currently leads a multi-faceted media ministry called Telling the Truth which he shares with his parents Stuart and Jill Briscoe. This was an excellent interview and elders need to read this interview. You have to have unity among your vocational staff at the church about, you know, key issues like how do we treat other people? It manifested at the Human Resources level. WebHi friend, I'm Pete Briscoe. Well, to answer your question, very bad. And its pervasive, and people are, theyre using it. But now my faith in the whole institution is shattered. I want to share that God used Petes sermon on not being isolated (Ecclesiastes) in our sons life. The cover up of his behavior manifested at the elder board level. 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. Everything started to make sense. Continue Reading The Upper Room: John 15 Posted by Nate Murray And I think there is a healthy fear. Right. And thats what, thats what you end up protecting right? So, Mitch, how is it that a lawyer from Texas ended up representing victims of sexual harassment at a mega church in Chicago? To me, this was one of the beautiful God moves about the entire situation. To us, he was Stu, Dad and Poppa and we already miss him achingly." 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. To us, he was Stu, Dad and Poppa and we already miss him achingly." Mike is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come. And what lessons can we learn from Willow Creeks mistakes? And if you dont have a character to lead, no manual is going to help you. Yeah, without using any names. Was there any evidence found that he actually had an affair? This was something that was very deeply ingrained in their culture. 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. We have an open listing for a lead teaching pastor in a what I believe is a healthy church environment. Pete Briscoe was Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, TX for nearly 30 years. And that that was something that taught you an awful lot about how elder board should deal with sexual impropriety or sexual abuse within their own walls. 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 that they were scared of what Ill call the Christian Industrial Complex that had risen up around Bill, the economic consequences of speaking out on a topic of high consequence. I think its Pat Baranowskis story that ran in the New York Times that actually caused that. 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. They had so many churches, thousands of churches coming on board and being a part of those. Today, Telling the Truthis heard anytime and anywhere, thanks to international radio programming, the internet, and our mobile app. But you lose the guarding mechanism, which I think in todays in todays cultural moment, its probably the most important aspect of eldering. How are you? You can read about them at their website Teaching the Truth. I cant vouch for all the information because I havent researched it myself. And I think you hit the nail on the head. I encourage leaders to research their selection criteria carefully before they recruit for their next vacancies. Pete is the son of Jill and Stuart Briscoe. "For many of you, he was preacher, pastor, mentor or friend. Its all a Business and Power tool and stage for Virtue Signaling. So thanks again. 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 church is nondenominational and has woman pastors and elders. Briscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. They know there would be swift and sure discipline, if not firing, even with one mistakedepending on the severity of the misbehavior. 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. Do you understand what Im saying? Hes also the chairman of the elder board and his own church, Bent Tree Fellowship. I was a member of WCCC for many years. 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. I thought that emails could always be recovered, even after being erased, by a good IT person. 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. Its the biblical admonition, you know, to hold a knife to your throat lest you desire the Kings delicacies. There were some areas or some some critical times when things could have gone differently, but the elders caved in essence to Bill Hybels. So Mitch has a very unique perspective. I know from hearing from men, that that Bill abused men emotionally, spiritually while they were working there. The other woman that Mitch represented will remain confidential but both these cases enabled Mitch to peek behind the curtain at Willow Creek and view upclose some of the dysfunctions that led to that scandal. Briscoe says that he wants Bent Tree to be a place where people can agree to disagree over this issue. 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. Let the Briscoes help you experience Life in all its fullness! For the next 90 minutes, Pete Briscoe enraptured us with his presentation of The Bema.. Yeah. I know that the original elders of Harvest thought they could keep James accountable despite the knowledge that he had glaring character flaws from the beginning. Think that Bill abused men emotionally, spiritually while they were working there we are the elite the... What i believe is a dear friend and Im sad this day has come many lawyers on board! 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