Kirk Tells the Church
October 31, 2002
Dear Brethren,
It has now been more than a year since the Lord led us to meet with other believers. I continue to hold our years of friendship dear (speaking of the gathering), and value continued fellowship. I was a shepherd in the SLO gathering for eighteen years, and I have a deep love and concern for my brethren, even more so now than in years past. We have gone through so much together and I still consider you to be our dear friends. Recently, I have found it necessary to personally tell the story of why my family had to move on and meet with the Body of Christ in another locality. I know that many of you thought that we left solely because of David’s sin; but few bothered to ask me the true reason for our leaving.
First of all, I must explain that the Leading Brothers have told me that if I speak out in this way I will be labeled "divisive" and they threatened to mark and shun me. I respond by saying that the truth does not stumble nor does the truth divide, on the contrary the truth sets free. The Church of the Living God is the pillar and ground of the Truth.
The Proverbs consistently praise the individual that seeks understanding and knowledge. This is what I mean about the truth. The Proverbs condemns or criticizes those who refuse to hear the truth, or who scoff at reproof and correction. The Proverbs refers to them as fools; they are the ones who plug their ears to reproof. Instead of us being fools, the Lord would have us be like the more noble Bereans, seeking the truth in the scriptures, trusting God over and above men.
Why We Left
For the last year, every night when I put my children to sleep I thank God for His deliverance. Not deliverance from Christian fellowship, because I miss all of you very much, but deliverance from a ministry of denial that has been so abusive, that I was a part of for 19 years. I know this is a strong statement, but let me explain what I mean by it. I said in my letter of resignation as follows, March 3, 2001:
"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:18
Dearest Brethren,
…"I believe that the Lord is calling for repentance as He walks in the midst of the candlesticks. He is calling for demonstrative clear turning to Himself. In the recent failure and subsequent call of accounting in David’s life I have seen preferential treatment that makes allowances and excuses. I have been called harsh and critical, "just like David", because I note these compromises. I have been asked not to question in writing George and Betty’s involvements in this sin. Shock and disgust have been expressed when I recommend a course of clearing these accusations or a definitive dealing with public concerns about George’s ego, David’s abusiveness and Betty’s meddling.
Whether real or imaginary, public accusation exists. The Bible says that the elder must have "a good reputation with those outside the Assembly". It has been my desire to see demonstrative repentance of the obvious sinner (David) and demonstrative clearing of accusations to a good reputation (George and Betty). These desires have been met with opposition and it is not good for the flock to be guided by divided leadership. Please know that I love you and harbor no grudges. I will continue in my fellowship here and I long for the Lord’s blessing upon you and this gathering."
For some time before this I had been trying to see things change. Obviously, even back in March of 2001, I was not happy with the direction of the leadership, even though I remained hopeful that people would finally come to their senses and do the right thing. We were consistently yielding to Fullertons’ pressures, even allowing David to partake (and now preach) without confession and repentance. I had to ask, ‘where is our autonomy?’ Previously made decisions were changed when Fullerton would impose direction. We also ignored clear plural witness, and disregarded truthful and faithful criticism and were generally opposed to all concerns. People who expressed legitimate concerns were labeled troublemakers, divisive brethren and slanderers. David was given blatant preferential treatment and an evil double standard was employed.
God hates unjust scales. Even though we all knew this, and even taught it, we violated our consciences and bowed to outside pressure. All of the SLO leadership failed miserably in our responsibility for holding to account those who were responsible for the preferential treatment of David and therefore we became accomplices in his chronic sin and abuse. I am reminded of the verses in 1Tim 5:19-22 that say, regarding discipline and preferential treatment of elders, "them that sin rebuke before all…do not share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure."
Because of all this, I could not continue to stand with Jeff, Roberto and Ray, and saw my resignation as the only way to free me to address these issues. What prompted me to write the letter of resignation was a meeting (3/3/01) that I had with Jeff and Roberto. During this meeting they stated I should not be a Leading Brother if I were to challenge the leaders (George and Betty) with a strong request of accounting.
Understand what was happening. People would come to me asking me hard condemning questions that I could not answer. In fact no one in SLO could. Only George and Betty could, but they were not talking and no one was demanding an accounting. I had written much describing my concerns but did not feel free to send these pages out or voice them. It was clear to me that as a Leading Brother I could not appropriately address the problems that were prevalent.
So, after my resignation, I sent out approximately twenty-five pages in multiple articles and letters, clearly addressing the needs of the hour. These pages were sent to a variety of individuals including George, Mark Miller, Tim, Danny, and all the leadership in SLO. Sadly, everything that I wrote went into a black hole of silence. No response to my letters or articles was ever given. In fact, George and others didn’t even respond in kind after I asked them to in writing. There were hours of discussion where, at times, the writings were present but the theme of these meeting was not the written concerns but an attempt to silence me.
Even more distressing, I have come to realize that this is how others have been treated when they attempted to address concerns. Many of those who attempted to follow the scriptural precedent with regard to addressing an offending brother in leadership, experienced this. I was shocked to realize that even though we gave lip service to these godly values (entreatability, submitting one to another, accountability), when the time came to practice them, we ignored God’s clear prescription and stooped to the point of propping up hypocrisy and dealing falsely while at the same time purposely abusing the few people who had the courage to say something. Great, devastating sin had been occurring and by ignoring it we multiplied its deadly poison.
To help you understand what I am saying, here’s some verifiable history.
Before the Work (George) sent David to SLO
Several "responsible" Workers knew the following about David’s character:
• He beat Judy on multiple occasions
• He frequently had fits of rage, towards his family and the Lord’s people
• He rarely attended meetings, supposedly due to his health
• He was addicted to tobacco and abused alcohol
• He had eccentric and unscriptural ideas about family roles, finances and what it meant to serve the Lord in general
Even after this terrible testimony, George sent David to lead a young assembly, where he would be the only mature example. David was known to be an abusive man; yet there was no accounting in his life. On the contrary, he was promoted to a place of even greater authority in his father’s ministry, and was paid handsomely for doing almost nothing.
After Arriving in SLO
There was never any accountability in David’s life; every single person that crossed him was quickly taught to never challenge him again, Prov 9:7. I personally witnessed David’s fits of rage on many occasions, along with the other Leading Brothers. It was common for him to wrathfully yell at the sheep – many dear little one’s were beaten under this abusive shepherd. His midnight drives, smoking and drinking went on for years and David never feared any consequences, because he had gotten away with it for so long. The Lord’s treasury paid (big bucks) for his diabetic experimentation, where viable fetuses, from abortions, were destroyed and their cells injected into his body.
David never had any fear he would have to give account, because he had always been given preferential treatment. He was George’s son and had always been protected, supported and enabled by his parents. David correctly considered himself untouchable.
The following occurrence illustrates this to an extreme. Once, when physically abusing Judy, David told her that she could do nothing to stop him. He then boldly offered her the phone and said, "Here! Call 911." When Judy didn’t do as he said, he dialed the number for her, then changed his mind and hung up. Much to David’s surprise, the sheriff showed up, (David forgot they have caller ID) and then he lied to the Sheriff and said, "Oops I meant to call 411, sorry." The sheriff saw Judy in the background and repeatedly asked if she was OK. Due to the fear that was instilled in her by her abusive husband, and the fact that this was covered up for years, by the people who should have been doing something, Judy was put into the classic position of a battered wife. Much much more could be said about David’s spousal abuse.
David’s spousal abuse progressed into beating and punching his daughter, Rachel, who has permanent nerve damage in her right ear as a result. A Judge granted a restraining order, which is part of the public record in San Luis Obispo and can be viewed and verified by anyone. This restraining order, and the events leading to it was well known to the Work and to the leader of the Work, George. Still, as in the past nothing was ever done, except that we were told to keep quiet about it. In spite of this, and much more over many years, David was one of the main preachers at the North Coast Conference on the actual day that the restraining order was served!
It was business as usual until Judy finally left him, afraid for her life. Only then did he finally begin to reap what he had sown. Just as the spoiling of a child by its parents will eventually do the child harm and bring grief and shame to the parents in the end, so the preferential treatment that the Work gave to David harmed him and enabled him to destroy his family and do terrible damage to the Assembly. David will be held accountable before God, with the stricter judgment that is given to a teacher, for the damage he did to many needy souls over the years, including his own children. I am an eyewitness to these things and I am ashamed for my cowardice during these times of abuse.
There is no such thing as an infallible ministry; faults are present in all. The fact that sin exists should not surprise anyone. The question is, when sin is exposed how will it be dealt with? Will we confess and repent, or seek to shift blame and avoid consequences? The need for repentance is not unusual; five out of the seven churches of Asia needed to repent. Again, the question is how will we deal with our sins? In Noah’s day the people were willingly ignorant (2Pet 3:5). With regard to the apostle Paul, the people plugged their ears. There are none so blind as those that will not see. When repentance in the church is needed, the presence of the Lord demands it. All those who would approach Him must regard Him as holy. His continuing presence in an assembly is contingent upon how it responds to His call for repentance. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches."
The problems that surfaced in SLO through David’s sin were not simply the result of one man’s behavior, but are manifold in nature, going all the way to the top. There is a clear pattern of darkness and evil, visible to all who will open their eyes.
Repentance?
Many will say, "Repentance has occurred." I ask, "Where? Where has repentance really occurred?"
None of the victims of David’s abuses have been made aware of his repentance. No-one in the Work, let alone David, has bothered to contact his victims and apologize. His own wife and daughter, the prime targets of his sin have not been notified that he has "repented." In spite of this, his privileges in the Assembly are being restored and yet there remains no confession and no righting of wrongs. How can this be!? When repentance occurs it is visible to all. (2Cor 7) True repentance is publicly demonstrative in its witness to make amends. "If a man doesn’t work he shouldn’t eat." David continues to have no visible means of support. He has not held a job in many years, yet he continues to be supported, contrary to scripture. He is a morose, self-pitying, self-justifying and lonely man. Even so, he could be so blessed if he would only repent. By indulging him, you are not helping him. Instead, an assembly has been damaged, innocent people have had their character smeared, and a trail of injured souls follows in the wake of this ministry.
What of those who turned a blind eye to David’s sin? Has repentance occurred in the Work?
The Work is taking no blame for the failings here. Not one leader has been replaced or has voluntarily stepped down. No public confession or apology of sin has occurred. There has been no attempt, on the part of anyone, to seek out and make amends to those who have left as damaged, discouraged and beaten souls. Written reproof is completely ignored. Most people who have published the truth are labeled as "divisive." Those who mention the sin are the ones being called the sinners, not the ones who actually commit the sin! Prov17:15. Manifold excuses have been made but so far repentance is invisible and is merely a profession of words.
Mat 18:15-17 records the process that our Lord Jesus describes, in His own words, on how to deal with offence:
• Step one, "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."
• Step two, "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that `by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'"
• Step three, "And if he refuses to hear them, tell [it] to the church."
• Step four," But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."
To date, the people who have attempted to tell the church have been slandered, or wrongly excommunicated, or both. The offended who speak out are treated like "heathens and tax collectors," by the offenders! I ask you, how can God be glorified in a gathering that allows this sort of thing to take place? Even though it is probable that I will be added to this list, I believe the Lord has called me to voice the truth and let the chips ; fall where they will.
I will never again allow my conscience to be violated in this manner. I have learned that silence is a guilty accomplice. By God’s grace, I will never again behave like a coward. I, and many others, have attempted ‘step one’ in many ways. Recently, I tried to arrange a meeting (step 2) with the Leading Brothers and Chris Lawson, (pastor at Calvary Chapel) along with several saints who had left in the past. This was in order to once again, come to them with 2 or 3 others, to have plural witness and some outside, unbiased accountability.
However, this was not allowed. They would only; all four of them meet with me alone. To quote Danny and the brothers, "We don’t think we need to have others come in (step 2) and tell us what you think our sins are." Who does get to tell them what their sins are? When brethren inside the Assembly are not listened to, and then are further ignored when they leave. When do these men have to listen to anyone? They have plainly refused to allow me to follow the prescribed scriptural path.
The purpose of this letter is to inform you, the church/assembly (step 3), that sin has occurred and has not been dealt with in a forthright manner. If you continue to go on as if nothing happened, you will have no better than a white elephant type of fellowship. Everyone knows that the white elephant is there, they smell it, and hear it trumpeting, but falsely choose to ignore it as best they can, instead of confronting it and dealing with it once and for all. This is not true Christian fellowship. The lump that was swept under the rug in SLO is still a cause for stumbling, the abused are still hurting and a cover-up (where silence is the flavor of the day) is still taking place.
My entreaty is to let the Light shine, reach out to those who were falsely excommunicated, apologize to those who were hurt, make right the many wrongs, hold leadership to account and in the shake down that follows let God raise from ashes something clean and new. "God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble."
So, you see that there is a root that goes much deeper than David’s family falling apart. There has been a willful suppression of the truth, regarding David and many other issues, that begins right at the top with George and Betty. Yes, they have known for many years what they were doing. They knew what kind of man their son had shown himself to be, yet they gave him power and authority in their ministry, and discarded many souls who might have "blown the whistle" on their darkness.
It is this larger reason, with its implications, many of which are grave and serious, that the Good Shepherd has led me on to meet with the body of Christ in other places. The further purpose of this letter is not to cast stones but to help bring about reconciliation. Healing can only occur if there is proactive true repentance. I ask you to pray for repentance, and to pray that your eyes would be opened. There is much at stake, and all of us will give account for our words and actions. May it be done here, with open confession and visible repentance, rather than before a fiery throne.
When there is sin in a gathering it should not be ignored or left for the leaders alone to deal with. The New Testament pattern is for every joint to supply, every part of the body to function. All of Paul’s letters addressing sin in a gathering are written to the gathering not just the elders or deacons of the gathering, do not say, ‘we trust that our leaders will do the right thing". I pray that the Lord would use you (step 4) to bring to light the hidden things of darkness and show His glorious grace. This will take courage, overcoming the natural fear of rejection, but you must ask yourself, ‘can I be passive in all this and remain unaffected by its leaven?’
Sincerely yours in His love,
Kirk & Lynda
P.S. I am available to talk with you further. Also, all I have written is available at your request.
