Sovereign Grace Churches

Sovereign Grace Churches
Abbreviation SGM
Classification Protestant
Orientation Continuationist, Calvinist
Region Primarily United States
Origin 1982
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Congregations 76[1]
Official website sovereigngrace.com

Sovereign Grace Churches (previously known as Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) and People of Destiny International (PDI)) is a group of Reformed,[2] neocharismatic,[3] Evangelical, restorationist,[4] Christian churches primarily located in North America.[5] It has variously been described as a family of churches,[6] a denomination,[7] and an apostolic network.[8] There are congregations in Australia, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Germany and Mexico.[9]

History

The organization of over 70 member churches grew out of the charismatic renewal of the 1970s under the leadership of Catholic Charismatic Larry Tomczak. It has its roots in a charismatic prayer meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland, then Washington, DC called Take and Give (TAG), which grew into Covenant Life Church, the former flagship of Sovereign Grace.[10] It was formally established in 1982.[11] Tomczak cofounded the church with CJ Mahaney.[12] Mahaney describes himself as a "former pothead."[2] Larry Tomczak withdrew from the Charismatic Catholic scene shortly before the creation of Covenant Life Church.[13]

Tomczak and Mahaney and the movement were influenced by Bryn Jones and Terry Virgo, leaders of the British New Church Movement. Both Tomczak and Mahaney spoke at New Frontiers' Bible Weeks and Stoneleigh Conference. They were also friendly with Maranatha Campus Ministries for a period.[14]

In "The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought" published in 1995,[15] Alister McGrath associated PDI with the Shepherding Movement and described it as having "informal links with Bryn Jones," the UK house church leader.[16] In the mid-1990s, while Tomczak was still involved in the group's leadership, religious anthropologist Dr. Karla Poewe wrote that "Vineyard is particularly attractive to the young and intellectual... People of Destiny serves a Catholic constituency" although participants at that time would not agree with this assessment.[17] contrasting PDI with the Vineyard Church.

The theological focus gradually shifted during the mid 1990s and it was later suggested that the increasing New Calvinism of PDI was a major factor in Larry Tomczak's departure from the movement.[11][18]

Although reconciled with C J Mahaney in 2011,[19][20] he earlier described the parting of ways with Sovereign Grace Ministries as "an unbelievable nightmare" during which his family "were threatened in various ways if [they] did not cooperate with [PDI/SGM]... A letter was circulated in an attempt to discredit me and to distort the events surrounding my departure."[21] Other notable charismatic figures, such as Lou Engle, founder of The Call prayer concerts, and Ché Ahn, pastor of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, CA, also ceased to be formally associated with PDI during this period.[22]

In 2002, Wayne Grudem, a theology professor at Phoenix Seminary in Arizona, said "What I see is outward evidence of God's favor. That's at the heart of the success of this church... I know of churches around the United States who are looking to Sovereign Grace Ministries as an example of the way churches ought to work."[2]

As of 2008 the group identified itself as "a family of churches passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ... with a strong doctrinal basis that is evangelical, Reformed, and continuationist."[23] This move towards the Reformed (or Calvinist) wing of the church is illustrated by Sovereign Grace's partnerships with speakers such as John MacArthur, Mark Dever, and John Piper, who speak at the Together for the Gospel Conferences.[24]

On July 6, 2011, Mahaney announced that he would be taking a leave of absence as a team reviews charges brought against him of "pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment, and hypocrisy." One of the purposes for this period included reconciliation with former SGM ministers. Larry Tomczak reported that Mahaney had gone out of his way to rebuild their relationship after 13 years of estrangement.[19][20][25] On January 25, 2012, Mahaney was reinstated as president of the organization by the board after three review panels found no reason to disqualify C.J. from his role as President, or to "call into question his fitness for gospel ministry."[26][27]

Early in 2012, Sovereign Grace Ministries announced their intention to relocate their headquarters from Gaithersburg, Maryland to Louisville, Kentucky, citing Louisville's lower cost of living as well as the growing connection with The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in town.[28] Some critics have suggested that the move may have more to do with the fractured state of the organization's relationship with the SGM flagship church, Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg.[29]

Later in 2012 the movement's flagship Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD departed from SGM, a decision supported by an overwhelming 93%[30] of voting members.[31] Additionally, the Sovereign Grace churches in Charlottesville, VA, Indiana and Altoona PA, Sarasota and Daytona Beach, FL cut ties with the movement during this period. Daytona Beach's pastor Jesse Jarvis noted a “leadership culture characterized by excessive authority and insufficient accountability” as rationale for the church's departure.[32] About 80 churches from the United States and around the world remained in the organization.

By March, 2013 approximately 20 churches had left Sovereign Grace Ministries.[33] During that same month C.J. Mahaney announced "that he would step down as president of SGM's beleaguered network of churches." [34]

In January 2015, Joshua Harris, leader of SGM's former flagship church, Covenant Life Church resigned as lead pastor, saying he planned to attend Seminary school to pursue more formal education and connection to other branches of Christianity. He believed that "the isolation of Covenant Life, and of a small cluster of churches of which it was a part, may have fed leadership mistakes, including the decision of pastors — himself among them — to handle a child sexual abuse case internally instead of going to police." [35]

History of name changes

Sovereign Grace Ministries was known as "People of Destiny International" until 1998.[36] British restorationist leader Terry Virgo states that Larry Tomczak and CJ Mahaney, leaders at the time, had become "increasingly uncomfortable" with the "People of Destiny International" name, and it was shortened to "PDI Ministries".[37] In 2002, the group adopted its next name of "Sovereign Grace Ministries."[38]

In December 2014, executive director Mark Prater announced that the group's name would change to "Sovereign Grace Churches", to reflect its newly changed structure.[39]

Church planting

Church planter Fred Herron described the PDI/SGM church planting method of founding new churches: a pastor leads a group of members to relocate to a different city and form, or plant, a new church.[40]

The first church planting team was sent out to Cleveland, Ohio and founded the church North Coast Church in the earliest years of Covenant Life Church.[41]

For many years, PDI did not adopt existing churches, but later altered its policy. SGM adoption of an existing church begins with the development of a relationship with leadership and continues with dialogue to evaluate the doctrinal and practical compatibility of Sovereign Grace with the church desiring adoption.[42]

Child sex abuse scandals

In late 2012, a lawsuit in Montgomery County, Maryland was brought against Sovereign Grace Ministries for allegedly not reporting sex abuse [43] The plaintiffs claimed that church leaders, including Mahaney, did not report accusations of misconduct to the police.[43] Larry Tomczak, a co-founder of SGM, who left the organization in the late 1990s, was alleged to have abused and assaulted a victim over a period of twenty-five years. Tomczak was investigated and no charges were filed against him.[43][44] All of the claims by the Maryland plaintiffs were dismissed in May 2013 because the statute of limitations had expired, 3 years after each turned 18; the claims by two Virginia plaintiffs were still within the statute of limitations.[45] An appeal of the lower court's decision was heard by the Maryland appellate court in May 2014, and the lawsuit was again dismissed "on a technicality." [46]

As reported in Time Magazine, Susan Burke, the lawyer for the victims, plans to file another lawsuit in Virginia, involving two of the survivors.[47]

Leaders of the Fairfax branch of the church have "acknowledged the stories of abuse and issued a tearful apology to the families.... senior pastor Mark Mullery blamed the church’s model of reconciliation. “This resulted in the victim’s family being corrected when they should have been gently cared for as sufferers,” he said.[48]

In a different case in 2014, Nathaniel Morales, a youth mentor at Covenant Life Church, who "led youth bible studies, directed worship teams, and even attended sleepovers,"[49] was convicted of abusing four boys between 1983 and 1991. [50][51] "between 1990 and 2007 at least five members of the church’s staff were told of Morales’s abuse. None notified the police."[48] Subsequently, "Covenant Life Church former pastor Grant Layman [Mahaney's brother-in-law] admitted... while testifying about allegations against Nathaniel Morales that he [Layman] withheld incriminating information from the police about the abuse."[52][53]

In November 2013, SGM issued a statement saying that, years after pastoral counsel was sought, "allowing courts to second guess pastoral guidance would represent a blow to the First Amendment."[54] Regarding the accuracy of the plaintiffs' claims, SGM released a statement saying that "SGM is not in a position to comment on the specific allegations at this time, but upon review it appears the complaint contains a number of misleading allegations, as well as considerable mischaracterizations of intent."[55]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "List of all SGM Churches". Sovereign Grace Ministries. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Duin, Julia (December 23, 2002). "KEEPING THEIR EYES on the CROSS; Gospel truth draws at Covenant Life". The Washington Times. Retrieved Jul 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ Maseko, Achim Nkosi (2010). Church Schism & Corruption. p. 326. ISBN 978-1-4092-2186-9.
  4. ↑ Hocken includes SGM in his list of restorationists; see Stanley M Burgess, Eduard M van der Maas (eds) The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) s.v. Church, Theology of the (see p550)
  5. ↑ "Sovereign Grace Churches". SGM Official Website. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
  6. ↑ Get to Know Sovereign Grace Church Archived August 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Smith, Peter (July 3, 2013). "C.J. Mahaney pulls out of Louisville pastors conference". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  8. ↑ Wagner includes SGM in his list of apostolic networks; see Stanley M Burgess, Eduard M van der Maas (eds) The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) s.v. Charismatic Movement (see p507)
  9. ↑ "Sovereign Grace Churches, by Country". SGM Official Website. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
  10. ↑ Tomczak, Larry (1989). Clap Your Hands. Word Publishing. pp. 179–196. ISBN 978-0-85009-315-5.
  11. 1 2 "Gospel Bluesman Offers God's Love in Sin City". Charisma Magazine. July, 2000. Retrieved February 9, 2008. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ Tomczak, Larry (1989). Clap Your Hands. Word Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-85009-315-5.
  13. ↑ Tomczak, Larry (1989). Clap Your Hands. Word Publishing. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-85009-315-5.
  14. ↑ Virgo, Terry. No Well Worn Paths. p. 162.
  15. ↑ "Gospel Bluesman Offers God's Love in Sin City". Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  16. ↑ McGrath, Alister. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought. p. 432.
  17. ↑ Poewe, Karla O. (1994). Charismatic Christianity as a Global Culture. p. 25.
  18. ↑ Tomczak, Larry (1998). What Do You Believe About How People get Saved?.
  19. 1 2 A letter from Larry Tomczak on his reconciliation with C.J. Mahaney Archived September 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  20. 1 2 Bobby Ross Jr. "Sex, Money ... Pride? Why Pastors Are Stepping Down". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  21. ↑ Tomczak, Larry. Reckless Abandon. p. 15.
  22. ↑ Poloma, Margaret M. Main Street Mystics. p. 177.
  23. ↑ "Sovereign Grace Ministries--About Us". Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  24. ↑ Together for the Gospel. "T4G 2008 Conference". Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  25. ↑ "C.J. Mahaney Takes Leave Over 'Serious' Charges". Charisma News. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Sovereign Grace Ministries Reinstates C.J. Mahaney as President". Christianity Today. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  27. ↑ Mclean, Mickey. "C.J. Mahaney reinstated at Sovereign Grace". World Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Controversial church with Southern Baptist ties moves headquarters to Louisville". The Courier Journal. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Sovereign Grace Ministries Relocating Headquarters to Kentucky". Christianity Today. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Maryland megachurch secedes from Sovereign grace ministries", The Christian Post.
  31. ↑ "Flagship Church Votes to Leave C.J. Mahaney's Sovereign Grace Ministries". Christian research network. November 21, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Troubled ministry". The World mag. Nov 2012.
  33. ↑ Murashko, Alex (March 13, 2013). "Up to 20 Churches Leaving SGM; Mahaney Response Compared to Watergate Scandal". www.christianpost.com.
  34. ↑ Weber, Jeremy (May 19, 2014). "C. J. Mahaney, Joshua Harris Resign from Gospel Coalition after SGM Abuse Conviction". www.christianitytoday.com.
  35. ↑ Boorstein, Michelle (January 30, 2015). "Pastor Joshua Harris, an evangelical outlier, heads to mainstream seminary". The Washington Post.
  36. ↑ "News Briefs". Christianity Today. April 27, 1998. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
  37. ↑ Virgo, Terry. No Well Worn Paths. p. 145.
  38. ↑ C.J. Mahaney. "PDI Becomes Sovereign Grace". sovereigngraceministries.org. Archived from the original on February 10, 2003. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  39. ↑ Mark Prater. "Transitioning to Sovereign Grace Churches". sovereigngraceministries.org. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  40. ↑ Herron, Fred (2003). Expanding God's Kingdom Through Church-Planting. pp. 73–74.
  41. ↑ "Our Approach to Church Planting". Sovereign Grace Ministries. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  42. ↑ "SGM Church-planting FAQ". Sovereign grace ministries. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  43. 1 2 3 Boorstein, Michelle (January 14, 2013). "Suit accuses Sovereign Grace Ministries of covering up alleged child sexual abuse". The Washington Post.
  44. ↑ Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (May 24, 2013). "Evangelical leaders stand by pastor accused of abuse cover-up". Religion News Service.
  45. ↑ "Sovereign Grace Ministries, Class-Action Civil Lawsuit involving Child Sex Abuse". WJLA. May 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  46. ↑ Lee, Morgan (July 1, 2014). "sovereign-grace-sex-abuse-case-appeal-dismissed-by-marylands-court-of-special-appeals". www.christianpost.com.
  47. ↑ Dias, Elizabeth (February 16, 2016). "Inside the Investigation into Child Sexual Abuse at Sovereign Grace Ministries". Time Magazine.
  48. 1 2 Stanley, Tiffany (February 14, 2016). "The Sex-Abuse Scandal That Devastated a Suburban Megachurch". Washingtonian Media Inc. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  49. ↑ Lewis, Kevin. "Nathaniel Morales trial: Victim Jeremy Cook testifies". WJLA Washington DC. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  50. ↑ Lewis, Kevin (15 May 2014). "Nathaniel Morales of Covenant Life Church convicted of sexually abusing young boys". WJLA. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  51. ↑ Carter, Brianne; Lewis, Kevin (14 August 2014). "Judge calls former church youth group leader Nathaniel Morales a ‘cowardly pervert’ before sentencing him to 40 years in prison". WJLA. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  52. ↑ Lee, Morgan. "Megachurch Pastor Confesses to Protecting Child Molester for Years". www.christianpost.com. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  53. ↑ Morse, Don (June 1, 2014). "Covenant Life Church pastors face scrutiny over ex-church member’s abuse". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  54. ↑ "Sovereign Grace Ministries: Courts Shouldn't 'Second Guess' Pastoral Counseling of Sex Abuse Victims". Christianity today. Jan 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  55. ↑ "Updated Statement on Reported Lawsuit". Sovereign grace ministries. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.

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