Kirk's Letter to Mark Miller & Jeff Lehmkuhl May 21, 2002
Dear Mark and Jeff,
I was recently cleaning up a hard-drive on my old computer when I came across the following letter…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Memo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: Mark Miller
From: Kirk
June 23, 1994
Subject: Leadership Authority
Dear Mark,
Per recent events here in SLO and because of accusations against the Work in general, the following questions have arisen. I would like your input in response to these so that I might be better prepared to respond to such questions. Please consider these in preparation for a discussion:
1) At what time do the shepherds in a local gathering invoke the authority of Heb.13:17 and require submission? It should be assumed that the only way of enforcement of this authority is fellowship with the Lord's people. This means in the event of non-compliance/rebellion to the direction of leadership excommunication is the penalty.
2) At what time is this authority misused so that the shepherds become lords over God's heritage (1Pet.5:3) controlling the lives of the sheep and acting as Nicolaitans?
If you would be available to talk about this I could call you in the near future for a brief discussion. Thank you for your consideration.
Very sincerely yours in Christ,
Kirk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(end memo) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I thought that this letter might be of some value to you. It was written after David G. had a yelling fit against Aaron C. After sending it to Mark Miller I called and found out that this letter had been shown to George and discussed at a Fullerton Leading Brothers meeting. It was not discussed in a favorable light. With knowledge of this a certain embarrassment was felt and the questions were left unanswered. David rebuked me for going over his head and another installment to my ‘don’t question authority’ education was taught.
I thought that these memories would provide some value to you for the following reasons.
1.) Listening and responding to concerns of brethren can head off future pain and suffering. This letter occurred eight years ago. A corporate submitting of yourselves one to another is what Heb 13 is talking about. You cannot have one (submission to leaders) without the other (submission to one another). When there is the corporate mind of Christ (Phil 2) then there is general submission one to another, not just, "Submit to your leaders". Submission/yielding is an outcome when there is submission one to another.
2.) Why was a Leading Brother of eleven years asking these questions? This was never asked. Why was he ignored and his concerns held as no account? When concerns are ignored and questions that give account are not asked then abuses will occur. Where was accountability in the Work? Where there is preferential treatment there can be no responsible accounting of the small or the great. The small guy is asked to give account in the smallest detail but the big guy is allowed to live with impunity.
3.) These questions that were written eight long years ago still have validity and are worth consideration today. I wonder if your answers would be the same today?
I do not write these words to mock or berate. In good will I write to brethren of like precious faith in hope that memories of the past will instruct for true change in the future. If there is inability for change, substantial real change, then His call, ‘Church, hear,’ is unheeded and He is, at best, outside knocking.
Perhaps you’ve heard enough of these kinds of words and want no more of such nay saying after all, ‘This one thing I do, forgetting the past, I press forward to the prize…’ Can real growth and forward pressing occur when there remains such an unaccounted past? I did not go looking for an occasion to hound you with these past memories because some fresh stirring of my bitterness has occurred. When I accidentally found this I looked to the Lord to use this Divine coincidence, as an occasion to give what I believe to be needed help.
Consider it as you may and may God bless it and you,
Yours truly,
Kirk
cc. Danny Edwards
