GC and the NAE

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[puff of purple smoke]

For those who are unaware, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is the largest Evangelical Christian organization in the world. Its membership includes 60 denominations and "about 45,000 churches." (http://www.nae.net/) You probably heard of them last year when Ted Haggard, current president of the movement, was accused of sexual immorality and then resigned. That blotch aside, the organization is highly respected in the Christian community, with member denominations including Assemblies of God, Association of Vineyard Churches, Baptist General Conference, Church of the Nazarene, Evangelical Free Church of America, The Salvation Army, The Wesleyan Church Corporation, Presbyterian Church in America, Pentecostal Church of God, etc. A bigger list here. According to one site I saw, of the 50 million evangelical Christians in America, 30 million are members of the NAE.

GCI was accepted into the NAE in 1988. Larry Pile (former Wellspring counselor), in 1990, stated his belief that their joining was an attempt for "“legitimization” in the estimation of the evangelical Christian community."

Things soon went south, however, as in late 1988 or early 1989, following a technicality that postponed GCI's membership renewal, a series of complaints came in about GCI's authoritarian practices. Suddenly in March of 1989, GCI decided to withdraw its application. Newspaper articles at the time quoted the current national director, Rev. Billy Melvin, who gave strong hints that GCI was about to be booted out if they hadn't left on their own. One of his quotes was: "We didn't have to take any action."

GCI, of course, turned on the spin machine and played it off as if nothing happened. In 1991, in a sermon I can post later, David Bovenmyer talks a little about the NAE incident, and then says that he isn't sure if GC leaders will feel "led" to renew their membership with the NAE in the future. The implication is that they left on their own, to which I have to laugh.

Lastly, there have been incidents in the early 90s where certain GC pastors claimed that their church had an affiliation with the NAE, when in fact this was not true. In a correspondence between the NAE and Larry, confirming that GC had not been re-allowed membership, an NAE director wrote:
We have a file six inches thick containing all we’ll ever need to have. I personally handle the membership process, and I assure you that GCI has not reapplied for membership in NAE, nor have there been any church’s application since they were not allowed to renew. In addition, we have on record that no GCI church will be admitted into NAE membership until their internal matters are totally resolved. The record also stipulates that should some “independent” church containing any name whatsoever that is in association with GCI in any way will be disallowed membership, and should the possibility of their getting admission in spite of our careful review procedures, when evidence is presented that they are in fact associated with GCI, their membership will be immediately voided. I don’t think you can get much tighter than that.

One should not be too overconfident, though, because as Larry also wrote regarding their attempts at "legitimization":
To some extent it has succeeded because of the general lack of familiarity of most evangelicals with its history, as well as its present teachings and practices. ... Doctrinally GCI would be able to sign any evangelical statement of faith in all good conscience--doctrine is not the area of contention. Rather, it is GCI’s methodology that is the problem.
There is always a chance GC could one day slip through the cracks and make it back into the NAE, as GC does look good on paper. I guess that's where ex-members need to make sure their stories are being heard by the Christian community.

[puff of purple smoke]

Here is one of the newspaper articles about this:

Note: Great Commission International (GCI) is the former name of Great Commission Ministries (GCM)/Great Commission Association of Churches (GCAC)

Great Commission church
withdraws from NAE
(The Daily Journal (Glen Ellyn/Glendale Heights, IL Edition, March 14, 1989)

By Frank Callahan
Journal staff

Great Commission International, the controversial church that opened a DuPage County parish last year and that some critics label a cult, has withdrawn from the National Association of Evangelicals.
The withdrawal precluded the possibility that GCI might be forced from NAE, a respected umbrella organization for evangelical groups and churches that is head-quartered in Carol Stream.
“We didn’t have to take any action,” said Rev. Billy Melvin, NAE’s executive director.
Six months ago, NAE postponed renewal of GCI’s membership in its national registry pending a review of complaints against the church.
Critics charge that GCI promotes unquestioning obedience to church elders and exercises tight control over its members’ daily lives.
Gci was invited to answer the allegations, and three GCI pastors met with Melvin and other NAE board members in late February.

FOLLOWING THAT meeting, NAE was poised to drop the church from its rolls on a technicality — that it misrepresented itself as an “organization” rather than a “church” in its original application to NAE, Melvin said.
He believes GCI’s application error was an honest mistake, Melvin added. “They believed they were doing it the right way.”
The church would be welcome to reapply for member-ship in NAE, but he doubts it will, Melvin said.
“They are aware that with the controversy that surrounds the group at this moment, that would not be wise,” he said. “If they applied to us as a denomination, we would start the process from square one…We’d get into a lot of things we did not get into previously.”
GCI officials declined to comment its withdrawal from NAE.
GCI has 60 member churches. One of the newest is the Grace Community Church, which opened near Glen Ellyn last September and solicited new members through a sophisticated telemarketing campaign.

CONTROVERSY HAS dogged GCI and its affiliates through most of the church’s 19-year history.
The Chicago-based Cult Awareness Network terms GCI a Bible-based cult.
Christian cult watchers stop short of calling GCI a cult because of its apparently orthodox Christian doctrine. But they do describe GCI in terms such as aberrant and quasi-cultic.
Wheaton College dismissed a part-time teacher last fall for recruiting students to join his GCI-affiliated church.

[randomous]

Great, I didn't realize this had made it over, there's still a little more from the old blog that would be good to carry over if possible.  So this is old news that those who follow Wikipedia are probably already aware of, but apparently GCC has been accepted into the NAE (National Association of Evangelicals). Thoughts?

[puff of purple smoke]

As quoted in the original post in this thread, the NAE has had some strong words to say about GC and any possibility of its future acceptance into it. If it is true that they've been allowed back in, I am highly suspicious that either they've lowered their admission standards since that time, or that they are unaware that GCC is GCI. I have written them expressing my concern, asking for a confirmation of GCC's acceptance, and asking for an explanation of what the approval process for GCC was. If others wish to do so, the contact information is located on this page.

[namaste]

Thank you for that information.  I will certainly write as well.

I'm also interested to see how they respond for informational inquiries.  They said previously that they had a file "six inches thick" about GCI.  I, for one, would be interested in getting my hands on that...and whatever documentation they collected in support of the approved application.

Heck, I'd loooove to get my hands on the application gc submitted this time around.

ETA: Well yeesh!  Now you can fill in the blanks on a convenient little webform, pay your membership fees by credit card, and you're all set to go.  :roll:

[DesiringTruth]

I'm not seeing Great Commission listed as a member on the NAE site.  Does anyone else?

[puff of purple smoke]

I'm not seeing Great Commission listed as a member on the NAE site.  Does anyone else?

The NAE doesn't seem to list them as a member on their website. But, on the GCC website they they have (apparently recently) added the text:

Great Commission Churches is part of NAE. The mission of the National Association of Evangelicals is to extend the kingdom of God through a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals, demonstrating the unity of the body of Christ by standing for biblical truth, speaking with a representative voice, and serving the evangelical community through united action, cooperative ministry, and strategic planning.

[sistanchrist]

That is interesting if GCC is claiming NAE membership and is not listed.  I wonder if this could be another false advertising, misrepresentation of information.  I am interested in what you find out, Puff.

[GD]

Listed under Organizations / Not Denominations

"Great Commission Foundation"

Looks like they will admit "conferences" or "assemblies" of denominations under the organizational banner.  

If the "Great Commission Foundation" is just a fundraising and consulting group as GCM has positioned itself (not GCAC) then it may not be that far of a stretch.  If the listing is up-to-date and teh "Foundation" membership is being "used" by GCM or GCAC, then it would be a very misleading step.

[puff of purple smoke]

A cursory search of google seems to suggest the "Great Commission Foundation" is the last known GC acronym not claimed by GCM/GCAC/GCI/GCC

It seems to be something associated with Campus Crusade For Christ:

From www.gcfoundation.net:
The Great Commission Foundation of Campus Crusade for Christ now offers you an opportunity to create a fund to assure that your support will continue beyond your lifetime...

[puff of purple smoke]

Well it's been 8 months since several of us contacted the NAE asking for an explanation of how/why GCC was allowed back in. And nobody has received any response. Given that, and given that the NAE website allows you to apply through a web form and pay online, I am guessing the NAE has lowered its admission standards. Plus, with the Cult Awareness Network gone, it probably doesn't receive any media backlash these days for allowing groups to enter with questionable policies and histories.

This may be a good topic to ask Larry Pile about. I believe he knows someone on the board of directors of the NAE, and he has at least been in contact with them before and received responses. Perhaps he could contact them and find out, since they aren't responding to "Joe Public."

[puff of purple smoke]

This may be a good topic to ask Larry Pile about. I believe he knows someone on the board of directors of the NAE, and he has at least been in contact with them before and received responses. Perhaps he could contact them and find out, since they aren't responding to "Joe Public."

I have posted to the Ask Larry Pile thread regarding this: http://gcmwarning.com:8080/decomm/index.php/topic,453.0.html

[theresearchpersona]

Here's the list of which shows Great Commission Churches:

http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=nae.members

And the church I've gone to for the past several years has claimed NAE membership through that time...at least one pastor did: and when I checked it wasn't there...though it is now. : (

Note that it's listed under "denominations".

[puff of purple smoke]

The online membership form (https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/NationalAssociationofEvange/Membership.html) seems like a pretty big giveaway that they don't really have the same admission standards they used to.. I mean, it asks you to check "I have read and agree with the Statement of Faith" and on the same page tells you how much you owe and asks for your credit card information. We could probably join GCMWarning to the NAE if we paid the admission fee.

[AgathaL'Orange]

Let's do it!   :lol:

[namaste]

Not to be unfair or anything, but obviously they don't have the same standards they used to.  Come on- these guys let Tim "meth-abusing-gay-sex-doing" Haggard be their President!

Sorry, I don't want to unfairly bash anyone, but I felt like the obvious needed to be pointed out.  :wink:

[theresearchpersona]

Do you think we could honestly all agree to the NAE statements? And who here could actually agree to it completely, and who couldn't? I've mentioned the statements about their loss of specificity, so that widens it that we could actually get more people...but it would be an issue to sign a doc that, say, the Catholic/Orthodox forum members couldn't agree to (points 1, 3, 4, 5 explicity without even getting into the different definitions used), and who would count as represented since forum members can come and go?

Just a few things to consider...and there would be great irony in joining through a form (if it's that easy), and I would think of it as humorous  : )    ...though very sad too.    : (

It's quite an idea, though...and one that has a lot of potential to make a needed point. Great Commission in NAE membership with De-Commissioned!

Here's the NAE statement of faith...kind of sparse, but here:

Statement of Faith

• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.


Thanks for bringing this up (Agatha and namaste), it's genius. I wonder though, and think they probably would do evaluations and such; but we could test it. Anyone know the fee?

[Angry]

Angry will kick in $10 towards the membership fee.

Angry

[puff of purple smoke]

The fee for an "Organization" is $250.

[theresearchpersona]

Good work Puff, how'd you figure that out anyways? : )

Also, we could set up a paypal account...better be someone who already goes by their name though, and is known.

On another note the NAE might want a belief statement of sorts...that could be impossible to make here. The standards aren't too high, though, as I'm familiar with former Worldwide Church of God members who were working toward doctrinal reform. When that group was admitted (and it was fully a cult from the start) they had some professors review it and give the thumbs up...but their documents aren't so "evangelical" and those who'd tried to reform the group are pretty disatisfied...they kind of parallel those here who seed doctrinal reform and repentence, it's really interesting, so GC isn't the only group admitted to the NAE that has raised questions before.

If however the basic statement they have on the site is all, then it might be possible to join without some of those issues, as it is vague. Yet it might be healthy to make GC think a moment...if they saw that.

They need to stop hiding the past and defending error...and stop determing practice on pragmatism and marketing, and worldly (rather than saintly) criticism...and repent. Of course some of ya'll know about the origins of much of the error (certain men) and that they need to deal with them personally and not just defend them out of "loyalty" to men rather than God (http://gcmwarning.com/Articles/GreggWaltersResignation.html).

But since it's only when criticism that might affect the effectiveness of the GC marketing strategy that produces anything (on the surface mostly, unfortunately) this might send a signal that there are saints unwilling to give up on them...and that it won't stop: truth must prevail; especially as so many were shunned-out and excised without proper biblical mandate or procedure.

I don't know...it could also be mis-guided. We should think it over and pray.

And besides that, "Hi GC leadership"! : )

One thing I like about this forum is that practically everything is out in the open to be examined and seen...maybe not the Rabbit Hole, though that's not the main thrust of the site or the important part to most here.