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Author Topic: What happened to the Colorado churches  (Read 3112 times)
jordan1984
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« on: November 24, 2019, 06:28:11 pm »

I’ve noticed that it seems like the Colorado churches have left GCX. Anyone know why? Seems like some of the Ft. Collins pastors have “moved on” as well...
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Huldah
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« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2019, 11:01:38 am »

I don't know anything specific about the Colorado churches, but it does seem as if GC might be splitting into several independent regional entities. There was a thread about this a few months ago, http://forum.gcmwarning.com/general-discussion/this-just-in/.
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jordan1984
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« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2019, 12:05:21 pm »

Thank you so much! 😊
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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2022, 05:12:29 pm »

When people who are concerned for the welfare of others speak up in order for them to be rightly informed and seriously concerned about anti-biblical and/or extra-biblical teachings and practices of their GCx Churches (including no longer “officially GCx”), they offer good news to weary souls that have been falsely weighted down by burdens that were never God’s instruction in the first place. A pastor who is truly concerned for the sheep more than his own ranking in GCx will point out the treacherous error.

This is from the brave resignation letter by Pastor Gregg Walters, distributed to some at Summitview Community Church, Fort Collins, Colorado, on March 16, 2004. Though it has been available on the GCx Web Library on this site for some time, it bears repeating. Below are some important highlights from this telling letter. It was written 13 years after the so-called “Weakness (Apology) Paper.”


To keep my resignation very simple there are two reasons why I am resigning:

1. Truth as I see it in the Scriptures has been lost.
2. I cannot help the pastors find it.
...

I feel that truth has been lost in the following areas:

1. There is a greater emphasis on authority than I see in the Scriptures.  I do not sense the pastors laying down their lives for the sheep, but an entrenchment.  Pastors work hard at defending each other rather than listening to the sheep.

There is an overemphasis on loyalty to the leadership team compared to the emphasis on loyalty to God.  When loyalty to God is equated with loyalty to leadership, the sheep become confused as to who God is – is it God or is god the leaders?  A distinction needs to be made between who God is and who the leaders are.  We are never told [in the Scriptures] to trust the leaders.  It is written that we are to trust God and not man.  I also think the line gets blurred when we say we are to trust God through the leaders.  This thinking begins to set up a clergy-laity system where men are the mediator between God and man. ...

1Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus
...

Members are motivated to serve the pastors. I was told that my growth would be that my wife and I would cheerfully serve the pastors.  I think this overextending what Jesus said:

Mathew 20:25-28  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. "It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Divisiveness has been expanded beyond the Biblical explanation in Titus 3.  Titus writes that anyone who shares something that one particular group of people (whether they embrace some specific teaching or based on ancestry) is blessed over another group should be warned and rejected from fellowship – having Jesus is our only basis of blessing.

Since there are consequences to violating any authority philosophy, perhaps a careful articulation of Summitview's authority philosophy could be added to the core values document.
...
Respect for the Holy Spirit in the individual has been lost.  I have not experienced a safe environment to share my concerns. Also as a church I feel that there should not be secrets about what is taking place. ...

I believe there is an over emphasis in Summitview on the immaturity of the sheep and a "putting down" of what they can understand and handle.  Some of the sheep have been discipled for over 19 years.  They have grown in maturity and discernment.  Summitview is their church as well. ...

A number of years ago, the entire church went through Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby.  In Unit 10 of the workbook, God's Will and the Church, a dynamic of interaction between the people, the pastors, and God himself is described that I really have not experienced at Summitview. I may have missed it, but everything seems very choreographed here.  Maybe I helped choreograph it, but I don't think it is right. ...


« Last Edit: April 10, 2022, 07:15:03 pm by Janet Easson Martin » Logged

For grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.        - Saint Augustine
Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2022, 01:51:23 pm »

I was told a schism is happening in GCC and John and Mark are in the process of starting a new association that will involve the west and southwest regions. In other words, a split is happening over the Darling situation. I sat on this info for a couple months, but, out of curiosity, today, I thought to go to the GCC web page and look at what churches remain.

Lo and behold, Summitview in Colorado and Rio in El Paso are no longer listed as GCC churches. In fact, Rio claims that they are part of the "newly formed M28 Alliance".

Once again, apparently GCx is morphing into a new organization. Good move to remove the GCx from the name! Very clever to refer to Matthew 28. I see what you did there, M28 Alliance. You kept "Great Commission" in your name without using the searchable words "Great" and "Commission" and "Churches".

- Linda, 2019


The link pages (Linda originally included) to some of these details have been deleted or “denied access.”



« Last Edit: April 11, 2022, 02:53:19 pm by Janet Easson Martin » Logged

For grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.        - Saint Augustine
Linda
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« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2022, 06:40:55 pm »

That "blahblahblah" person sent me a bunch of private messages regarding this. He/she insisted that John and Mark were not starting a new association together. This was contrary to what others "in the know" had told me. Blah wanted me to not copy his words, but communicate his/her thoughts. I don't do that. I told him/her that he/she was free to post.

Blah insisted that M28 was not a rebranding of GCC because "GCC is lost" and "they want a complete separation" and who am I to argue with someone named "blahblahblah" who sends me private messages and asks me to be his/her spokesperson.

As it stands now, GCC is done and M28 is pretty lame. No new blog posts for over a year. One thing of interest is that Anchored Faith church (a very small church that appears to involve a few former Rock members, and Mark and Kathy D were pictured in the group shot early on) is a part of the M28 alliance.

That other association, Lift Network, appears to have vanished and a few of those churches are now affiliated with some Baptist groups.

It's hard to keep up with the changes.
« Last Edit: April 12, 2022, 06:43:13 pm by Linda » Logged

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Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2022, 07:55:43 pm »

Linda, it seems there are about five Colorado churches listed under “M28 Alliance” according to the web page and map. I went to their websites and noticed at least a couple of the M28 Alliance churches in other states have not posted since 2021.

Do you or anyone have an idea of the number of attendees in any of these ‘dozen or so’ churches?



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For grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.        - Saint Augustine
Janet Easson Martin
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« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2022, 08:39:15 pm »


My GComm [GCx] church was the only church I've ever attended where if you tell a leader that you believe God is telling you to do something, instead of encouraging you and helping you fulfill God's will in your life, the leaders will actually have the gall to argue with you about it. Not because they think God is telling them otherwise, but simply because "God hasn't told me anything about that" or "You didn't seek enough counsel!" Last I heard, one of the names for the Holy Spirit was "Counselor." GComm needs to wake up and realize that being higher on the leadership hierarchy does not make you "closer" to God. We are all PRIESTS according to my bible. The whole purpose of a teacher is supposed to be to teach us how to develop our relationship with God so that we can better follow Him, not so we can follow them.

This belief that leaders are somehow standing in between God and us, and that in order for God to work in our lives he will speak to those leaders specifically about our lives first, is NOT BIBLICAL SUBMISSION. It is usurping the role of the Holy Spirit. Anything that usurps the Holy Spirit's role in our lives is crossing the line where "submission" ends.

- Escape From Summitview


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For grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.        - Saint Augustine
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