Who Ordained Bruce Hollen?
I’ve received a bunch of inquiries about alleged sexual deviant and Calvary Chapel pastor Bruce Hollen.
Hollen showed up on my radar a couple of times over the decades…allegations of the abuse of authority, etc, but nothing that I felt worthy of a big story.
Now, if convicted, he’ll spend most of the rest of his life in prison.
I’ve been asked if this is another example of the “Moses Model” gone bad and it is, to a degree.
The bigger question that should be asked is who ordained Bruce Hollen? Who felt him to be qualified to be a shepherd of God’s people? Did he go to seminary and then was reviewed on a number of counts for his fitness for the office?
The likely answer to the above is no.
Hollen probably followed the usual path to a pastorate in Calvary Chapel.
That being, he was part of another CC, asked to be in leadership, and proved himself worthy by performing acts of fealty and servitude on behalf of another Calvary Chapel senior pastor.
After a few years of cleaning toilets and doing home improvement projects at the pastors home, he had hands laid on him and was sent out to start his own work…far enough away that he wouldn’t take any of the flock with him.
He undoubtedly hand picked his board and was accountable to no one.
When he got arrested for kiddie porn, the board quickly covered their backsides and pulled the plug.
My question is this…should the person who ordained Hollen be held accountable for his choice?
The next question is… how can such a system be anything but a magnet for manipulative wolves who devour the flock?
Texas huh. Another pastor, Tony Evans has stepped down due to undisclosed sin. Do you have any info on his situation?
I don’t believe in any “this man shalt travel to thus place and plant a church” nonsense. In my younger years, I saw people move into the area claiming they were called in such a manner, elders laid on hands etc… and in a year, they were closed up and gone. I saw it dozens of times.
So I believe the senders are no more responding to God than the new church planter. Like you said, Put in some work, preach ok, serve some people in ministry, and whamo, you get your own town and building. Horse crap.
David Bush,
I don’t have any info…but I promise you that whatever the issue was, a few people knew and did nothing…
Reuben,
You nailed it…
IFB churches do this, although usually some kind of training is required. But, if you have a call, they send you out to start a church and you don’t answer to anyone. That’s why the first letter is I for Independent Baptist Churches. I was saved through the ministry of one of those churches but gradually separated myself from them as I saw how little accountability they seemed to have for people in leadership.
I thought about posting a question/taking a shot, then looked at the glass house I live in, and looked at myself.
Who among us, really, is qualified to be a pastor or minister? You have to live a pretty extraordinary life to come close to qualifying. Oftentimes, I think with myself I’m doing good to be barely qualified to be SAVED…
BrianD,
I think most folks here are morally qualified…but probably not called.
It’s a tough job.
God doesn’t expect sainthood…just honesty and accountability…all done with love.
My take is that Calvary Chapel at the very beginning sent out far too many pastors that were not mature enough in their faith and did not meet the biblical qualifications for elders. Something about zeal without knowledge comes to mind. And these same 1st generation pastors did the same thing for the 2nd, and so on. Their flawed eschatology told them that the rapture would happen in 1981 (about 15 years from the Jesus People movement). And this was was a reason so many newbies were sent out from the get-go.
And once again, it wasn’t a drag queen caught, but a Calvary Chapel Pastor. What was it God said about pointing out the speck in another’s eye while ignoring the log wedged in one’s own eye? The Calvary Chapel Moses Model enables sin and abuse in their churches. It’s sadly obvious to everyone except Calvary Chapel. Thank God we have Michael and this site to speak the truth.
Janet Linn, BrideofChrist,
Thank you for the kind words.
It is remarkable how much these people worry about predators outside the camp and feed them inside it…
I am beginning to think most churches operate, like, certain people seem hungry to serve and belong, and there happens to be an idea in a pastor’s head about doing such and so, and lo, the twain shall meet. “Pray about it, and we’ll talk next Sunday”.
You are uninformed and presumptive. Please get the facts straight…