This was sent August 10 to the North Campus email list. Portions of this letter were read at a 8/12 smaller Q&A that was hosted at the Downtown Campus. It's reproduced below for future reference. (I've redirected the links so they point to the correct site without the email tracking.)
Dear Bethlehem North Campus,
On Saturday, August 7, you should have received an email from Elder Council Chairman Kurt Elting-Ballard, which included a link to Jason Meyer’s letter of resignation and some reflections from the elders. I know that for some this matter continues to be confusing and disorienting, both in the loss of a beloved pastor and in light of the nuanced and complex issues at play.
With that in view, I want to invite you to come to the North Campus Family Meeting on Saturday, August 14, 8–10am in the Sanctuary. This is a chance to hear more and ask questions of the elders. I would also encourage you to reach out to any of your North elders with questions you may have. Know that they love you, are praying for you, and desire to serve this flock that has been entrusted to them by Jesus.
As I considered how to best serve you all with clarity in the midst of all the confusion, I think it might be helpful for you to know what I think about what Jason has written and, in particular, how I would respond to Jason’s concerns. One of the reasons for my letter is that it can often be difficult to agree upon and edit a communication that represents 40+ elders. While this is my personal response, I have asked all the North elders to provide me feedback before sending this out to you.
I have three reasons for responding to Jason’s letter.
First, I feel a deep affection and admiration for Jason. He served as my professor during my time at Bethlehem College & Seminary. He was my immediate supervisor for several years when I served as the Lead Pastor at the North Campus, and we have served as colleagues in shepherding the different campuses of Bethlehem. I have personally benefited from Jason’s preaching ministry, his instruction as a professor, his writing, and his friendship. I know many of you intertwined your lives with the Meyer family as they attended the North Campus. My response to his resignation letter rises from that foundation of love and affection for him and his family.
Second, I love what God is doing in Bethlehem Baptist Church. I love our vision to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. I love the institution of Bethlehem College & Seminary, of which I am a graduate. And I love the people of the North Campus and believe you would benefit from a clear and forthright articulation of what I believe about this situation.
Third, I believe that articulating the truth with love and clarity will serve us well. I believe Jason is genuine in what he writes in his letter of resignation, both his love for and concerns with Bethlehem. I trust that his letter rightly and accurately represents his heart and mind. The issues—and particularly the concerns—that Jason raises are serious, and they deserve a serious consideration and response. I believe the elders need to carefully consider Jason’s words. Jason himself says that his letter to the elders “needs to be sifted by everyone as we beg the Lord for wisdom and discernment.” I will also note that there are gaps and incorrect information in Jason’s letter (e.g., his account of Ming-Jinn Tong’s resignation letter) because he had been on sabbatical since May 1, 2021.
Jason articulated at least three main concerns that led to his resignation. While I encourage you to read Jason’s letter along with elder reflections in its entirety (linked here), I believe his concerns can be summarized in the following excerpts.
First,
There are strong pressures at play to push us towards becoming a Type A church. In other words, despite the charge that Bethlehem is drifting toward liberalism, I actually think we have lost some of our elasticity as the wind blows more in the direction of neo-fundamentalism (Group 1).
Second,
As we have moved toward a Type A church, some of our elders who are in Group 1 have made accusations against me. There are certainly things that I would want to change or nuance about the article, but it was useful in making sense of some of the specific accusations I have received: (1) that I have subordinated the gospel, (2) that I empowered victims (“coddler”), and (3) that I allowed compassion for others to steer and dictate my leadership direction.
Third,
I personally fear we are in danger of veering too much towards a “unity” culture. A unity or “one voice” culture puts a lot of focus on institutional protection, which is especially prominent in times of crisis management. Unity is a great goal and should be sought and prized. The problem comes when unity moves from a desired goal to a demanded outcome.
Before I get to my reflections, let me just say that I regret that the elders never had a chance to talk with Jason personally prior to his resignation. I believe Jason when he says, “I saw my time at Bethlehem coming to an end,” and “He made it crystal clear in 2012 that I was supposed to pastor here. He made it just as clear that I should not pastor here any longer.” While I don’t doubt Jason’s personal sense of calling to resign, I find it very sad and unhelpful that Jason did not meet with the elder council prior to resigning, did not share these concerns with the elders prior to his letter of resignation, and resigned via email.
Here are seven reflections from Jason’s concerns in his letter of resignation.
First, in Jason’s first concern he cites an article by Michael Graham that delineates between different “camps” within evangelicalism that lead to different emphases, instincts, and tendencies. A similar article, written by Kevin DeYoung, also highlights how people with the same theological convictions are finding themselves miles apart in their posture and practices. While I find DeYoung’s article more helpful, I think both articles highlight the complexity of our current situation. Jason suggests that there is a strong pull for Bethlehem to become a “Type A” church, composed of “neo-fundamentalist evangelicals” and “mainstream evangelicals.” Graham asserts that for neo-fundamentalist evangelicals, “There is some overlap and co-belligerency with Christian Nationalism (a syncretism of right wing nationalism and Christianity).” I personally find that separating our churches into “types” is not a healthy practice that I want to perpetuate. Furthermore, the suggestion that Bethlehem is becoming a “Type A” church may imply the embrace of Christian nationalism. Let me be clear in saying that I have not seen any evidence of Christian nationalism present at Bethlehem. While many churches, including ours, have struggled to address and grapple with all of the contentious issues present in these last 18 months, Christian nationalism has not been one of them at Bethlehem. While our leadership has grappled with philosophy of ministry differences, the elders have sought to understand one another’s perspectives and to unify under the headship of Jesus Christ.
One example of that type of dialogue, conversation, and labor are the two documents that the elders crafted and shared with the congregation in February 2021: “Ethnic Harmony Affirmations and Denials” and “Manhood &Womanhood Affirmations and Denials.” Jason sat on the subcommittee that produced the initial draft of the ethnic harmony document, and he voted affirmatively, along with the vast majority of the elders, in approving that document, which explicitly rejects a syncretism between right-wing nationalism and Christianity: “We reject any attempt to fuse together one’s national/political identity with one’s Christian identity in a way that equates or conflates allegiance to country with allegiance to God.” The “Ethnic Harmony Affirmations and Denials” flow out of the elders’ desire to wrestle with how we talk about race, ethnicity, racism, injustice, and critical race theory. I commend that document to you if you want to know what we believe about ethnic harmony.
Second, Jason says, “The Downtown Campus should find someone who is a better fit if it wants to be a Type A campus. I believe a better fit for me would be a Type B church.” While I disagree with Jason’s observation that the Downtown Campus wants to be a Type A church, I will leave that for the Downtown elders to address. A greater concern for me is that Jason did not share these observations and his perspective (that he is a better fit for a Type B church) directly with the Downtown elders before resigning from his leadership post.
Third, Jason’s second charge is that the elders have developed a culture of charges in which he was accused of 1) subordinating the gospel, 2) empowering victims, and 3) allowing compassion to dictate his leadership. As far as I know, no one has leveled formal charges against Jason. Instead, some Downtown elders shared concerns with Jason and sought to dialogue with him about their observations. Additionally, some of us who have worked closely with him sought to talk with him about his leadership instincts and decisions that have significantly affected the church. I personally shared various concerns—related to leadership discernment—with Jason, but unfortunately we were never able to dialogue together about those concerns (we were planning to meet prior to his sabbatical, but he got sick). These concerns are not new. Several others repeatedly brought concerns directly to Jason regarding his leadership instincts over the years. I do think Jason highlights the need for the elders to continue to work toward greater clarity, communication, and “speaking the truth in love” with one another (Ephesians 4:15). I am personally reminded that we need to listen well, seek to truly understand one another, and be committed to speak with loving and gentle candor.
Fourth, Jason says, “Taking abuse seriously or calling for compassion for those on the margins is a hallmark of someone that fits a Type B church. In a climate of suspicion, compassion can look like coddling.” I believe, along with all the elders, that we should take abuse seriously and that we have a solemn duty to shepherd the flock of God that he has entrusted to us. We have not always done this well, and we are continuing to seek to grow in loving the hurting and broken members of our flock. I also believe that compassion is an essential aspect of ministering to one another, such as weeping with those who weep (Romans 12:15). I believe that the issue isn’t whether or not we should show compassion (we should), but whether our compassion will be rooted in the gospel—deployed with discernment and with a willingness to provide correction or rebuke (Titus 1:13). I had a growing concern that compassion that lacks discernment would ultimately and subtly undermine sound doctrine. I observed leadership patterns that sought to help hurting people but left those same people even more frustrated and disappointed. I believe the concerns shared with Jason were not born out of suspicion but rather from an earnest desire to sharpen one another’s pastoral instincts and discernment.
Fifth, Jason says that he constantly sought to be a collaborative leader: “I think you will continually see my bent towards being a collaborative leader. In each case, I wanted these matters to be brought before the elder council. I did not want any of these issues to be my decision.” Jason is right that he often sought collaboration and input on certain decisions. What is also true is that Jason was given significant deference from his fellow elders out of respect for his position (i.e., Pastor for Preaching & Vision over all three campuses) and his responsibilities (e.g., regular preaching and casting the vision of the church). I also believe there was an unhealthy pattern of using one’s subjective sense of “the Spirit’s leading” that undermined disagreement. The recent concerns that elders have raised with Jason were done in the spirit of being a plurality of elders that desire clarity, collaboration, and mutual understanding.
Sixth, Jason’s third concern is what he calls “a unity culture” that seeks to protect the institution. I disagree with this assessment and believe that the elders have a plurality culture that seeks mutual understanding of various opinions, views, and perspectives. While we are unified under the Elder Affirmation of Faith, we seek to work toward mutual understanding as we lead together, sharpen one another, and cultivate shared values and expressions. We pray that in all our leadership we can say, “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28). I believe candid, truthful, and loving conversations about our differences help us to better understand one another. Unfortunately, Jason’s resignation via email prior to his return from sabbatical did not allow for that level of candid conversation among brothers to work out our differences.
Seventh, Jason refers to two elder meetings that took place on March 16 and April 20. In the March meeting, the elders sought to carefully and thoroughly consider accusations of spiritual abuse that were being made against an elder. We found that these accusations were unfounded and untrue and instead displayed the “concept creep” that is so common in our culture. Mere disagreement, even vigorous disagreement, is not spiritual abuse. In the April meeting, the elders worked hard to try to understand the roots of our differences and to understand why one elder would maintain that another elder is disqualified without giving supporting evidence or examples.
Let me conclude with a few pastoral reflections.
The elders want to use this opportunity to express our deep and profound dependence upon God. We do not claim that we have done everything perfectly. We do not believe our differences are solely because of one individual. We recognize that this has been an extremely difficult season in the life of our church, and we want to learn from these challenges. We hope to carefully consider what God is teaching us and how we can grow from this experience. We want to heed the apostle Paul’s words to the Ephesian church: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). We ask for your prayers as we seek to glean the lessons that God would have us learn so that we can be increasingly sanctified by the Chief Shepherd. I long to be like David in saying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24).
I am not asking that you take my word over Jason’s word. I would ask for you to consider your experience under the ministry and shepherding oversight of the North elders. Have we been faithful to teach God’s word and to not withhold from you the whole counsel of God? Have we shrunk back from admonishing you day and night with tears? Have we provided shepherding care, despite our weaknesses, imperfections, and limitations? I pray that we have. We have room to grow, yet I know that my fellow North elders have sought to shepherd not under compulsion but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, and not domineering over others but serving as examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:2–3). I have written these reflections not to defend the church or the elders, but rather to share transparently my reflections for your consideration.
Lastly, I am praying that the Lord Jesus Christ will use this hard and difficult season in the life of our church to make us more like Jesus, to clarify our commitment to Christ and his church, and to redouble our efforts in evangelism and loving the lost and making disciples of all nations. I want to heed Paul’s words to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). While addressing controversy is necessary at times, I look forward to continuing on mission in loving God, loving one another, making disciples, and spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. I came to the North Campus ready to give my life for that mission, and that hasn’t changed. Be encouraged that Jesus still sits on his throne and that he will surely use this season for the good of his church, for the joy of his people, for our continued sanctification to be better undershepherds, and for the exaltation of his Name to the very ends of the earth.
In Christ,
Pastor Steven
(with the support of the North Elders)
Steven Lee
Pastor for Preaching & Vision, North
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