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To: Calvary Chapel Pastors
From: Brian Brodersen
Date: Sunday, November 6, 2016
Dear Pastor,
The prophet Amos asked the question: “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” The implied answer is, no, they can’t.
For the past three years and more, a group of men known to you as the CCA Council have sought to lead Calvary Chapel into the future. For some in the group, there has always been the question of whether this was even possible. All of us grew up and learned much of what we know about ministry under the leadership of Pastor Chuck Smith. We were all pastors of our own churches and leaders over our own ministries, and all of us were, and still are, fiercely independent.
Our common bond, apart from our relationship with Jesus, was Pastor Chuck. When the Lord took him home, we all agreed that we would try to work together and collectively lead the ministry of Calvary Chapel. After three years of attempting to do that, we find ourselves, at least from my point of view, at an impasse. We are not agreed on the direction that the ministry is to go. Some want to, in my opinion, dwell in the past. Some want to move ahead into the future, being thankful for our past but not bound to it or feeling a need to continually revisit it.
Doctrinally we are all in agreement with a few minor differences on a few secondary issues. No one has, in any way, deviated from historic biblical doctrine, or from what might be called Calvary’s core values or from what we know as the Calvary Distinctives. Our areas of disagreement are NOT theological or doctrinal; they are more methodological and practical, yet they are real disagreements. These disagreements have not only hindered us from moving forward in the work of the kingdom of Christ, they have created confusion, contention, and some division within the body of Christ.
It is for these reasons that I have decided to resign my position as a member of the CCA Council. I do believe that this is the best way forward for us all. I maintain a love and close friendship with many of the CCA Council members and trust that we will continue, in many ways, to co-labor together for the kingdom. To some degree, this comes down to a difference of vision. The goal is the same—the glory of Christ and the furtherance of His kingdom on earth. But we differ on how we accomplish that goal.
So although I have resigned from CCA, I will continue to lead, as I believe the Lord has called me to do. I will continue to pastor Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, and will also put on our annual Pastors and Leaders Conference, as well as other conferences both at home and abroad throughout the year. We will also continue to provide content and ministry resources through CalvaryChapel.com, as well as keeping our church locator database up for those who share our vision and want to be connected with what the Lord has done and continues to do through CCCM.
Finally, in the days ahead, because we feel a strong call to continue church planting and helping both existing ministries and those that will come along in the future, we will be establishing the Calvary Chapel Global Network, which will be a place for like-minded pastors to enjoy fellowship and be a part of something greater than our own local congregations.
Having said all that, let me make this perfectly clear: this is NOT a call to “choose sides”. There are no sides. I fully expect that there will be freedom to connect with CCCM, Calvary Chapel Global Network, and at the same time, be a part of CCA. For my part, I look forward to both the freedom that this decision brings as well as the ongoing fellowship and ministry partnership with many of the CCA Council members and many of the churches that are part of the Calvary Chapel Association.
I do believe that our best days are ahead of us, and I pray God will grant us mercy and pour His Spirit upon us as we labor for Him, awaiting that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Let me close with these words from Pastor Chuck:
“Calvary Chapel started as a movement that was truly a fresh work, outside the scope of most other churches that were around at the time. God wanted to do a fresh work, so He created a new skin to pour His Spirit into, and we got to see His blessings. But if the Lord tarries, and He takes me home before the rapture, I hope no one tries to institutionalize what God has done at Calvary Chapel. I don’t want anyone going around saying, ‘When Chuck was here,’ and ‘This is the way Chuck did it.’ May God help us not to get rigid. I want to stay flexible and open. I want to see a continual movement of the Spirit of God; so I need to stay supple, flexible, and pliable. If we create a religious system, with rigid controls and traditions, then God will have to once again go outside of us in order to do a new work of His Spirit.”
Sincerely,
Brian Brodersen
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The much anticipated ‘plot’ thickens…..
Can I say how much I love reading this?
Right on!
This si simple, easy, progressive.
Well done!
Sorry, “SO simple”
On a previous thread I said that I didn’t see the letter written by the CCA as a power grab…I stand corrected.
Col46,
No worries…I’ve been told I was full of it for years…until tonight.
At least you came back…
As the Poles say “Not my circus, not my monkeys”
What a great statement! It’s gracious, thoughtful, and I love the statement he includes by Chuck Smith. It totally makes his point.
I have always respected BB. My respect for him after this only continues to grow. I was a CC pastor for many years and left over theological and philosophical reasons. I don’t agree with much of Brian’s theology but I believe he has handled himself in a very honorable manner over the last 15 years since Chuck Smith lured him home from England with the promise of taking over, something that really never happened until Chuck’s passing.
Nice to see Broderson has a spine.
Calvary Chapel may go the way of the Dinosaurs.
Again, the same has happened through the ages. Once it leaves the homes or small gatherings they become ripe for dissension. The Body of Christ is two or more and was never intended to be any more than small groups. May we grow in this knowledge and build each other up and none fall through the cracks.
The CCA represents a Presbyterian model or at the least a plurality of elders administrating what they deny is a denomination. Broderson didn’t let the mantle fall down upon him. He basically yanked it off Chuck Smith on the founder’s deathbed. The general public must remember that the congregational participants in Calvary Chapel Churches have no membership status (because there is none–a carryover from the drop in days of the Jesus Movement) and therefore have no say as to how their financial contributions are spent. In addition the senior pastor is the virtual pope, who can fire all underling “pastors” and any one else on “staff.” The biggest kicker is that most converts to this movement are former Catholics, who are unfamiliar with basic Protestant democratic ecclesiology. Totally “non-professional” on both ends, yet they would claim it is all of the Spirit’s leading. FOLLOW THE MONEY, HONEY!
What would Jesus think? Feed his sheep, don’t bring in fake news like prosperity gospel and positive thinking. Everyone likes a friendly person, wealthy or healthy or not. But the truth sets us free. Jesus is the truth, there is no other name under heaven by which you must be saved. No mantra, no eastern meditation, no breathing techniques, no false hopes in coming back as a cow will cover the sins of our souls from missing the mark of God. Only the shed blood of God’s only begotten Son can cover our sins. We can have his Rightousness applied to our account. He paid in full our sin debt, it is finished. We become Justified, just as if I had never sinned. I have put on Christ. He so loved me, that while knowing I was going to be a sinner, He gave his Son for me. Nothing in my power, not visualization, or positive thinking, or hail Maries can save me from my sins. Preach and teach Jesus. Chuck did.
Hail Marie.
Is that French?
Pastor Broderson
1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.