Entitled "A Time for Unity", Tom wrote this about 5 hours after the shock of Scott Barao's resignation hit. I had remembered (perhaps incorrectly since I can't find the email) that this was the second email that day.
It was better composed.
A few things that stood out were the insistence on a unified elder board. That wasn't really my worry, or Rebecca's. People disagree, they have problems. We couldn't figure out what had been so bad the Scott resigned in such hurt, so suddenly. That was our question. So Tom's answering a question we're not asking, and I'm not sure anyone was asking at that point. Mostly, normal people want to know why? And I'm not sure, for the moment, there was any pressing need to see we had a unified elder board. There was not other crisis facing us or the church. We need brethren to be reconciled for all our sakes.
But maybe that's a normal opinion. Maybe there's a real fear among others that we're looking at the beginning of a church split? This is assurance that no split is forthcoming? Maybe it's the elders projecting their fear that they could be looking at a church split. It's not us they're reassuring but themselves? Don't know.
Of course, the proclamation of unity rings hollow. You only had 5 elders one month ago, one left a week ago, and one just now resigned, and one is a very junior fellow with limited cache... unified is a real stretch. Half of your seasoned elders left within a week of each other. You want us to believe in some nebulous principle of unity, but this seems by definition disunity. Again, this reassurance felt weird. That's all. I'm not sure about including that the entire leadership is in sync. It seems unlikely that all the leaders were contacted that quickly... maybe... but this is more of an elder matter. We're not necessarily looking to the deacons for leadership because... that's really not how the deacons function at HBC.
Other than that... we allowed that Tom Leake could have been as shocked as anyone else, so, benefit of the doubt.
Published 9/25/2017, by Tom Leake
Dear Precious
Congregation,
We love you and feel for you this day. We were all shocked this morning to hear so suddenly of Pastor Scott’s decision to leave HBC. Though we were attempting to sort through some disagreements on the elder board, (as we have done numerous times in the past) we could not imagine Scott would leave in the manner he did with so little warning and just one day after we said goodbye to another beloved elder. From your end I am sure this news was unsettling.
The way Scott left cannot be commended and has left our church with a swarm of confusion as members text each other and wonder what is going on. It surely was not the proper way to communicate either with the Board of Elders or the congregation. Indeed Scott sent his resignation message out to the entire database so that even people in other parts of the country and world received it. That was not considerate of the church.
When departures like this happen in the life of a church, it leaves a wake of unanswered questions. I can’t possibly answer all your questions in one writing, but I thought it would be helpful at least to reassure your hearts that our elder board is unified and working together and praying. We love each other. We regularly talk to each other, and we work through problems the way the Lord Jesus would want us to. We speak face-to-face when there are misunderstandings, and this has allowed us to have very solid unity of mind for the majority of our 20 years.
Really the entire leadership - elders and deacons and women leaders are in sync. The leadership team is on the same page and continues to develop well. We all love Jesus and His word and know exactly what the Lord wants us to do as a church. We love you dearly also.
With that said, we urge you not to gossip or jump to conclusions or negative judgments about anybody, in leadership or otherwise. Gossip and lack of control of the tongue is fertile ground for the devil to work disunity. This is a time for being calm, speaking only about things you have the facts about, and not judging others quickly.
Tomorrow night we will hold a meeting at church to present some information, and to answer any questions you may have.
Love in Christ,
pastor tom for all the elders
We love you and feel for you this day. We were all shocked this morning to hear so suddenly of Pastor Scott’s decision to leave HBC. Though we were attempting to sort through some disagreements on the elder board, (as we have done numerous times in the past) we could not imagine Scott would leave in the manner he did with so little warning and just one day after we said goodbye to another beloved elder. From your end I am sure this news was unsettling.
The way Scott left cannot be commended and has left our church with a swarm of confusion as members text each other and wonder what is going on. It surely was not the proper way to communicate either with the Board of Elders or the congregation. Indeed Scott sent his resignation message out to the entire database so that even people in other parts of the country and world received it. That was not considerate of the church.
When departures like this happen in the life of a church, it leaves a wake of unanswered questions. I can’t possibly answer all your questions in one writing, but I thought it would be helpful at least to reassure your hearts that our elder board is unified and working together and praying. We love each other. We regularly talk to each other, and we work through problems the way the Lord Jesus would want us to. We speak face-to-face when there are misunderstandings, and this has allowed us to have very solid unity of mind for the majority of our 20 years.
Really the entire leadership - elders and deacons and women leaders are in sync. The leadership team is on the same page and continues to develop well. We all love Jesus and His word and know exactly what the Lord wants us to do as a church. We love you dearly also.
With that said, we urge you not to gossip or jump to conclusions or negative judgments about anybody, in leadership or otherwise. Gossip and lack of control of the tongue is fertile ground for the devil to work disunity. This is a time for being calm, speaking only about things you have the facts about, and not judging others quickly.
Tomorrow night we will hold a meeting at church to present some information, and to answer any questions you may have.
Love in Christ,
pastor tom for all the elders
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,with all humility
and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being
diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.There is one
body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,one God and Father of all who is over all and
through all and in all.”
(Ephesians 4:1–6 NAS95)
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