I would often get three or four hours [of sleep] a night because there was always a new recital or a project or a play.. Then after lunch all we would do is sing until 3 or 3:30. At one point it was all I could do to feel. [1] The senior pastor is Jason Strand. All of us were just constantly sick. It became something where your whole life is that church, she said. She was staying with him in Tumwater, a suburb of Olympia, when he raped her and another woman, Mandville said. It is a high privilege, to be sure, but again, tempered with the truth whichPaul reminds us toward the end of the chapter: So,he will say in verse 21, Let no one boast in men.. She was told that Sczepanski had a talk with Todd and warned him not to do anything like that again or else Sczepanski would be legally obligated to report him. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Thats when the big shift happened, when we became more cultish.. I just had a couple of really discerning board members who saw it. He says he brings students to services so they can see what's attractive about it. Interacting with attendees was a huge plus Youre no longer pure in the eyes of God.. Dale is the pastor who in 1993 followed Chuck Swindoll as Senior Pastorat Fullerton Evangelical Free Church. I dont want anybody to have to go through that.. Im always checking on people around me.. I told my mom and [my parents] had him buy me a new pair of rollerblades. podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZWFnbGVicm9va2NodXJjaC5jb20vbWVkaWFmaWxlcy9lYWdsZS1icm9vay1jaHVyY2gtcG9kY2FzdC54bWw=. Bob Merritt is the retired senior pastor of Eagle Brook Church in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, a megachurch. Abigail Mandville no longer cuts herself, and shes feeling better about the world and her place in it. After all that was said and done, our church took off again. "We're trying to hit that 80 percent.". And, to be honest, if you struggle with this, you probably dont think you need to tune in. My boyfriend, Ill ask him every five minutes if he needs a drink or food. About a week later I attempted suicide, she said. But I knew in my spirit that he was ready. Bitterness. And if you point out that somethings wrong or doesnt seem right? He plans to take a couple of days away alone to clear his thoughts. Regardless, according to Robinson, Todd did go on to abuse other girls and she was one of his victims. Chauvin said that when she turned 16 she was told that it was time for her to be done with school, so she took the high school proficiency exam. Embarrassingly to admit, I was horrified, Chauvin said. Education Bethel University Psychology. She initially didnt tell her parents or anyone else about it. I dont know anything about the location. Get Wise: Make Great Decisions Every Day. The 8,000-square-foot church resembles a convention center, with the peaked roofline of its cream-colored exterior set off against a backdrop of spindly redwoods. Sometimes wed come back in the evening for more singing.. Today, we have the advantage of learning from the conversations that followed. We are open with our plans, and the cost it will take to accomplish them, because they are God-sized plans, and every time weve opened a new building, its been because God has been a part of it. As a child theres how I describe it is brainwashing, she said. Theyre listening to the devil.. Mandville recently went to visit their dad on Fathers Day, in part to prove to my sisters that Im not a demon spawn under the control of Satan, she said. She asked if anything was sexual, Villareal said. Most of the marriages are arranged, said Anne Robinson, another former Gospel Outreach member. I was just trying to keep all the balls in the air. Celeste Villareal was nine when, in 1997, she, her mom and stepfather joined Gospel Outreach after moving to Eureka from Mexico, where theyd been doing missionary work. Eagle Brook Online Watch Live on Sundays at 9 & 11 AM (CST) Connect with us Learn More About Jesus Request Prayer Here's what's happening with Eagle Brook Online: What are your questions about faith? As of March 1, 2020, Pastor Jason Strand, 41, is leading Lino Lakes-based Eagle Brook megachurch. Because he was a minor when the alleged abuse took place and has not been convicted of the crimes, well call him Todd (not his real name). Paulsums up thissectionwith a not-to-be-forgotten truth: it is God who gives the growth, whether in an individuals spiritual life, or in a churchs statistics. But I see a lot of the baggage in my marriage. 1,892 talking about this. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. Eagle Brook is great for people scratching the surface of Christianity, and really, getting people to hear the Word is a good thing. And by the way, we've never had a scandal at our church.. The multisite Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota announced it has dropped the plan to build its 11th metro-area campus in a residential neighborhood in a Minneapolis suburb after backlash from local residents. Villareal, Chauvin and others said things grew even more regimented around the turn of the century when Gospel Outreach opened a full-time school. Traditional, non-traditional, doesnt matter. I feel a great deal of loss right now, Merritt told The Christian Post after returning from a week out of the country with a group of friends. "Although we would have loved to become a part of the community, we have made the difficult decision to not pursue the development at . Pastor Bob Merritt of the multi-campus Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota. His messages are also posted online, with viewers in all 50 states seeing them. The week WCCO visited his church, Merritt talked about how to conquer your burdens. As a pastors kid from Pennsylvania who graduated from both Bethel Seminary and Bethel University, Merritt was brought on as the pastor of what was then the 300-member First Baptist Church of White Bear Lake in 1991. The mother of one of the victims caught him when he was pushing her daughter on a swing, she said. 'Resenting God': When Christians Feel Anger, Where Churches Fail, and Why the Bible Is Vital, Actor Corbin Bernsens powerful message about hate and anger', Harvest Bible Chapel formally disqualifies former pastor James MacDonald, citing 1 Timothy 5, Pastor Jonathan Stockstill says ministry leaders should have character, not just gifts. As for Todd, hes still a regular member of the church. Eventually she decided she needed to get out. I am not sure what that is going to look like, he stressed. She was a proponent of pro-abortion, pro-gay rights Republican Arne Carlsons campaign for governor in the early 90s. Were just trying to reach people for Jesus Christ so that they can see their lives change as they begin to follow him. That also had a big part to play in me staying in the church for so long, she said, because they dont teach you how to live on your own how to refill prescriptions or get insurance or apply for a credit card.. We love THE Church. I think a lot of times the students were just looking for who was going to be the one that day, DeSoto said. Any success weve experienced has little to do with us, and everything to do with the grace of God. The employees who work every weekend, literally every weekend, are not afforded the same respite, sabbaticals, and time away to re group as the senior pastor or campus pastors. Watch Live Sundays at 9 & 11 am - Eagle Brook Church It really was manifested among my staff. Most of us have. As the pastor of a Twin Cities church, I was bothered by the Feb. 27 front page article No Bibles, no hymnals, no pews. That was one of those things that was swept very much under the rug. Little white lie or major fibdishonesty can happen to the best of us. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Perhaps Pat Anderson is smart enough to realize that those who voted her out will not let her aberrant opinions become the policy of the Republican Party. I am not surprised that Pat Anderson has come out supporting same-sex marriage (Feb. 27). Chauvin actually wanted to get married, but I was looking around at my selections. I don't think the congregation was aware of all the backstory. Robinson and others said that eventually Todd wound up admitting to at least some of the crimes hed been accused of, but his only punishment was that he wouldnt be allowed to marry anybody in the church. They described the tight-knit congregation of roughly 150 people as zealous and insular and the church as a place where children are forced to spend long hours singing, arranged marriages are the norm and negative emotions are considered selfish and sinful. Eagle Brook is now the largest church in Minnesota, with more than 22,000 people attending services each weekend and 48,000 attending on Christmas. Eagle Brook is now the largest church in Minnesota, with more than 22,000 people attending services each weekend and 48,000 attending on Christmas. In the church, when they find out youve been touched, youre [considered] dirty. Others too, she said. I always liked Chuck Swindoll and through the yearsfound myself blessed by his ministry many times. "The trappings of a religious institution seem to be missing form Eagle Brook's worship space," he said. The strictly enforced insularity of Gospel Outreach acts as a containment mechanism, a way to keep members dependent and submissive, DeSoto said. Two to three days a week that would happen.. She realized after leaving the church that shed been suffering from depression for years by that point. There were these ingrained gender roles. But a lot of it was I just didn't have any capacity to deal with the demands on my life. Born at Lighthouse Ranch, the Gospel Outreach movement aims to proselytize every last soul on Earth in hopes of prompting the Rapture. What is Paul? It starts with spanking but leads to much more and reporting it is considered uncovering your fathers nakedness., Sarah said she was beaten and molested by a younger church member. He wrote letters of regret to victims and church members, and set up a $30,000 trust fund to help . While it might not be weird, Eagle Brook is certainly unique. And if God is the One who causes things to grow, then all of us (both full-time vocational ministers like meand volunteers) are only planting and watering, and even that we are doing only by His power and strength. There is a real grieving thats going on in my own spirit.. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Thats you having independent thinking. Merritt did not believe First Baptist Church, which was the name of the church since 1945, was a good name to reach people. He sat on that opinion for about five years as he gained credibility and confidence with the congregation before suggesting that the name be changed. Certainly, as a kid, if you got in trouble at school you were in trouble in literally every aspect of your life. Most of us have. I know a lot of other girls had health issues when they were there that subsided when they left. "We've tried to eliminate all the barriers," Merritt said. Whether it's the temptation of clicking buy now on Amazon or the seemingly endless pursuit of a life-long dream, no one is immune to discontentment. Im thinking about my siblings and the other kids going through what I went through. "All I need to do is talk about my own weaknesses and my own failures, my own blunders in life," he said. Looking back, she realized that in her teens she ticked all the boxes. But Merritt is happy with the fact that in all the years he has been with Eagle Brook, there has not been a single scandal. There were scripts you could follow. Its all very interesting, looking at it afterwards, she said. My poor husband has had to deal with it. "So we try to reduce the weird factor.". And with 240 staff members and 27 weekly services, the audience is growing. Merritt spends more than 30 hours on his weekly messages and has several people review them. I find it interesting that when the Republicans voted to put the two amendments to the state Constitution (marriage and voter ID) on the ballot for the fall elections, there was critical outcry for bringing up moral issues and side-stepping the real fiscal issues. 33% of this went to "HR" costs, 11% into capitol and campus expansion, 22% to ministry and administration costs, 29% to cash reserves and future expansions, 4% to facilities. Sometimes I would have to make up a sin, like, Ive been really hating my brother or Ive been thinking about sex and thats bad.. Regularly, our sources said, one student would be singled out for some infraction, such as having a bad attitude or failing to recite the Ten Commandments, and be made to confess and repent. In Shakespeares play, a man named Petruchio marries then tames a headstrong shrew of a woman, Katherina, by employing psychological torments telling her the sun is the moon, for example, until she agrees, at which point he says the opposite. Stelton was raised Lutheran. Eagle Brook Church Another emailed later that day. She chose the woman whod been her regular teacher during much of her education, a stern and sometimes cruel woman the same one whod written on Villareals arm and mocked how she dressed but one who seemed capable of getting her way. My stepdad makes me do my chores naked and youre asking me if this is sexual? Merritt said the church graciously hired a counselor to serve as his leadership coach. Unfortunately, the cons are many. What then is Apollos? I agreed to go back. I mean, its molestation., DeSoto had heard about Todds crimes and said the cycle of abuse expanded. The school is extremely emotionally abusive and taxing, she said. When there was a potluck, girls would bring a dish. There wasnt any pressure from him. Criticism & Conflict - Eagle Brook Church Podcast | Listen Notes And in the last couple of weekends, we've had 31,000 people [attend] and 25,000 watch online. The writer serves on the Republican Partys 6th Congressional District Executive Committee as vice chair representing Anoka County. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. There was this self-policing to find the one who was the most out of line so everyone could gang up on that person to explain why they were utterly failing and in sin and need to repent. I left/escaped from there when I was 19, she wrote. An stage adorned with American flags was recently erected on the basketball court across from the church. Catch & Release. Our church was climbing but I was failing, personally, in every way just trying to survive, he said. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. People looked at me like I was the problem, like I asked for it, she said. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. The women were always covering for the men, and if the men did find out about abuse that was happening, the women were told that the men would take care of it.. Review of Eagle Brook Church, Woodbury, MN - Tripadvisor Gospel Outreach emerged from the hippie utopia that was Lighthouse Ranch, a commune of ragtag spiritual seekers, recovering addicts and countercultural Jesus People who, during the 1970s and 80s, lived and worshiped at the abandoned Coast Guard station that once sat atop Table Bluff. I just dropped my head in my hands and started crying. Many church members assumed that Durkins son, Jim Durkin, Jr., would take over, but instead it was a man named David Sczepanski, whod been among the early residents at Lighthouse Ranch. I was going so fast. This time, lets talk about arrogance. Eventually someone cries and then we can go to choir practice it was really so predictable like that. One night, he was told at a church board meeting that he needed to get help or he was going to be fired. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Roger's reflections on grace, God and other grand topics. Watching. John Alexander | Message 4 of 127. We begin with a time of singing and worshiping God, hear a message based on the Bible, and then wrap up by praying together. "They wanted to come back.". Our values are to pursue God, build community, and unleash compassion both locally and globally. Asked what she hopes for in telling her story, she just wants the kids still inside to have more information. If youre selfless, if youre here to serve and be a vessel, then you dont have any time or energy to be sad or anxious or depressed. Sczepanski would invoke Incurvatus in se, a Latin phrase used to describe a life turned inward. Her dad apparently felt otherwise. All of that, as a child, thats [treated as] your problem: Why cant you talk right? Criticism & Conflict | Eagle Brook Church I was so relieved to have someone give me permission to do that, he recalled. Every year, there are seemingly a handful of pastors who garner headlines because they were booted or forced to resign from their church over some kind of personal failing, whether it's sexual immorality or some other form of sin. And so what I would say to pastors in this area is, if you've never given yourself the gift of seeing a coach or a counselor, you got to do that because I guarantee that you got some blind spots, some dysfunction, and it's affecting your life, your marriage, your career. Some readers may be unfamiliar with Chuck, but many will know that he is the longtime radio preacher for the radio program Insight for Living. No church Id want to attend or be associated with. Although Eagle Brook will still be his family church, Merritt said he is now just a church member. What was the story? I did it to my shoulders as well, she said. I realized I was in a place that makes me unhappy. They wanted you to adhere: Dont stray off the script., Chauvin got the same message. OBITUARY: Dwight Galen Griffith, 1990-2021, Quarantined: A New Law Is Disrupting California School Reopenings . I lived VERY close to there at the time. And recently, she lost her national committeewoman position to someone more conservative, after serving only two years. I remember that at least part of the building appeared circular. You did go to any and all choir practices or else your zeal was questioned, he said. He didnt show Moses, necessarily, what was ahead or Paul. After that, girls were not allowed to play paintball. That never would have happened had I not dealt with my dysfunctions.. He called me outside and told me that because I was living with my fianc I was in an evil spirit and I was a puppet of the devil., Mandville believes there are plenty of good people at Gospel Outreach, including their parents, but my dad has really bad depression and a really horrible guilt complex. Learning that I was brainwashed my whole life was interesting, she said with a bit of a laugh. From the parking lot attendants and front door greeters to the coffee shop and expansive kid play areas, the church offers a visitor-friendly experience. These were guys I grew up with. Watching. Although it was unusual when compared to her traditional faith experiences, she loved the music and energy. I've learned over the years as I've observed this stuff, it's not rational; it's emotional. The circle meetings usually end up with everyone fiercely berating one person, trying to get them to break and give themselves over, like breaking a horse, Chauvin said. Bob Merritt | Message 25 of 127. I had an associate who basically wanted my job and he didnt get chosen. From the moment youre born you start memorizing catechism. She means Martin Luthers Small Catechism, a book published in 1529 to teach kids about the Ten Commandments, the Sacrament of the Eucharist and other elements of Lutheran faith. Chauvin was working as a part-time teacher when she first heard that Todd had molested two girls. She told me if I just put my head down and come under, if I became virtuous, then the Lord would give me a husband to take me away from all the abuse.. And yet, in this midst of this truth, we do well to remember our extremely high calling the Lord says we are His fellow workers (verse 9). Some of the safeguards we put into place for the church are that all of us have a lengthy floor-to-ceiling window in our offices by our door so that anybody can see into the offices when they walk by, he explained. Sczepanski is the executive director and sole administrator. Like, Im 9 and I forget my notebook thats $20. She paid her debts by doing odd jobs like babysitting and car washing. Villareal said sometimes a young man will initiate matters by going to his father and saying hes ready. Eagle Brook will pay $6.2 million for the church's campus, which spans an entire city block on the west side of downtown Minneapolis And if you allow yourself to get close to a certain line, your emotions override your intellect, Merritt said. MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) The largest church in Minnesota is expanding from the suburbs into downtown Minneapolis. We never had a consistent science class. in Fullerton, CA sometime in 1982 thru 1984 (probably closer to 1984). This employer has claimed their Employer Profile and is engaged in the Glassdoor community. Looking back she thinks that this containment, this narrowing of the world into a hermetic and rigidly controlled society, is as damaging as anything else at Gospel Outreach. I should be in the office, interacting with my colleagues and thinking about the message and getting busy with writing that. The father is the ultimate authority. . Although Eagle Brook will still be his family church, Merritt said he is now just a church member. Questions and independent thought were discouraged. Youre in constant fear of being ostracized because the community is honestly all you know.. Jason Strand is the new pastor of Eagle Brook. How will he lead