Table of Contents
1. Introduction
The elders mishandled a number of crucial matters:
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They should have assumed Patrick was serious when he said that he was digging into Stuart Bryan’s family matters.
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They should have publicly-corrected Patrick Wilson and William Nixon for holding their private meeting.
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They should have told Patrick to back off and inserted themselves into the Bryan situation, heard the truth of the matter, and provided their ruling, including and up to, referring it outside to law enforcement. This is the power of the keys that elders have – the authority to loose and bind sins.1 They abdicated this authority to Patrick Wilson and the legal system.
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Several other peripheral matters could have been handled better. For example, keeping the running expenses for Telios Law front and center at the Head of Households meeting, or rebuking Patrick for insulting Stuart in the HOH meetings.
The first essential step was to halt rumor, and confirm them as truths to the HOH. That’s what this website is for. All these things that I’ve disclosed to you can be verified, and they may very well need to be established with incontrovertible evidence in due time.
But these things should have been disclosed by the elders when they happened. It should not have been left for me or anyone else to communicate it.
2. Actions
The following is a proposed set of actions to remediate the mistakes made by the current elders at Trinity Church.
2.1. Apology from the elders
It is appropriate that the elders publicly apologize for mishandling multiple aspects of the Bryan situation, as well as apologize for attempting to conceal this information from the Heads of Households.
This was not done with the interest of the church in mind, and has sowed confusion in the church.
2.2. Apology from Wilson/Nixon
Patrick Wilson and William Nixon both need to apologize for abusing their office, and taking unilateral actions that the elders were supposed to perform.
Wilson is no longer a member at Trinity but that should not be relevant. The elders should make an effort to extract an apology from Wilson (written, video, etc.), and make that available to the church.
2.3. Nixon should resign
William Nixon should immediately resign as deacon. Trinity cannot have deacons that are willing to supplant elder authority without consequences. His presence in the diaconal office will detract from the diaconal office’s ability to carry out its function.
This needs to be announced at the next HOH meeting, and then announced at the Sunday morning service following that HOH meeting. He should be considered a member in good standing if he willingly resigns.
2.4. Elders should prepare a different group of elders
In order for the heads of households (HOH) to take the elder’s apology to heart, the elders should resign as a group, and start the process to install an entirely new group of elders.
In my opinion, Jonny Bryan should be the first person asked to serve as a ruling elder.2 The elders should perform an assisting role to help Jonny nominate at least 2 additional candidates for elder so that he follows the CREC Governing Documents and the Trinity Constitution. Trinity should seek to install 3 elders to start with so that the transition can be completed in a reasonable timeframe.
A reasonable timeframe for this work should be decided at the outset. Three (3) months would be ideal, six (6) months reasonable, and twelve (12) months ridiculous. The current elders should seek to vacate their office as soon as possible.
The elders who are stepping down must be received, and fellowship must be extended to them just like any other member in good standing at Trinity Church. The incoming group of elders should read a formal statement to this effect during a Sunday service once this transition has finalized.
2.5. Ask Stuart to return to Trinity
Once the above actions have been completed, Stuart should be sent a formal letter penned by the outgoing elders that acknowlede their past mistakes, and extend an invitation for him to return to Trinity Church. It is unlikely he will since it would be far-fetched to think he hasn’t found a different church, but the invitation should be extended anyway so there will be a clear message that the church is welcoming all of the Bryan family households to return to Trinity. This is a very important thing for the elders to do (Malachi 4:6).
3. The Peace & Purity of Trinity Church
The peace and purity of the church should be pursued – of course – but it cannot be pursued if half-truths are foisted on the church body; it cannot be cultivated in any meaningful way if open secrets are allowed to swirl around that the elders let Patrick Wilson and William Nixon skate free, or the elders folded their hands when the Bryans needed them the most.
Individually, we all know the elders as fantastic fathers to their own families but – as the body of the local session at Trinity they have disqualified themselves, and have proved themselves unfit to possess spiritual authority over the other men at Trinity.
A new group of elders at Trinity Church should be called and installed. These men should be unbeholden to the current elders, and have repute of their own by their own words & deeds. Again, Jonny Bryan is the prime candidate here.3
4. Footnotes
Footnotes
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Matthew 16:19 (ESV): “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” John 20:22-23 (ESV): “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.’” ↩
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Matthew 20:25 (ESV): “Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.’” ↩
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Jonny didn’t ask me to say this. I just happen to think he is a godly, reliable man that everybody already knows. ↩