Why are you
starting a new school in Pensacola? And
have you done it with the approval of the
BRSM board?
We are not really starting a new
school in Pensacola. Rather, we are
honoring the commitment we made to our
current students to finish what we
started with them and to continue with
the vision that was established. We are a
family, not just a school, and it was
unthinkable to me as a father to the
student body, I would simply abandon them.
How could I walk away from students who
have openly wept in my arms, asking me
not to leave? How could I simply say,
"Don't worry. Someone else will take
over the school now" - especially
when I was not being dismissed because of
sin, but rather, in the words expressed
to me by the Board of Directors the night
of my firing, I was dismissed because of
differences in the implementation of
school vision?
Eight of the ten full-time faculty
members felt compelled to stand with me
after my firing. All of them were willing
to risk their livelihoods to continue on
with a new school in Pensacola, rather
than abandon the students who made it
clear that they wanted to be taught and
trained by us. To our student body we say:
The best is yet to come!
On December 17th, the school Board
offered to release me to begin a new
school in Pensacola if I would resign on
the spot, rather than be fired. This I
could not do, and I was fired. The school
staff was then informed by the Board
Chairman Monday morning, December 18th,
that I had been released to begin a new
school. While this language does not
appear in the Board's originally posted
official statement, I am pleased to note
that they have chosen not to oppose us.
Since the news got out about my firing,
we have been flooded with e-mails -
literally, hundreds in the first week -
from students, parents, graduates,
pastors, and Christian leaders urging us
to go on with the work right here and
now, and thanking me and the faculty for
our loyalty to Jesus and the student body.
We could do no other.
"Wasn't there any way to
avoid all this, especially in the middle
of the school year?"
The fact that this happened in such a
manner and at such a time has made life
terribly difficult for many innocent
people, and I find it inexcusable - as
well as shameful for the name of Jesus. I
extend my heartfelt apologies to the
extended BRSM family, including parents
who have entrusted their children to us.
I shed many tears before the Lord to stop
this from happening, experiencing deep
emotional agony over potential damage to
the student body - spiritual sons and
daughters to me. So many lives would be
hurt. So many innocent people would be
scarred. So much reproach would come on
the Brownsville name. I repeatedly
protested to the Board that it was
unjustifiable and unethical to fire me (or
force me to resign) in such a manner -
without notice, between semesters, and
while the students were away - but they
felt it was right and necessary, based on
their perception of the situation, and
certainly with all sincerity on their
part.
Before God, I did all that was in my
power to avert this, but it happened
nonetheless, despite much prayer and
fasting. I am trusting Him to turn it for
the good!
The Lord is my witness that my reputation
is not an issue, nor am I concerned about
the rumors and slander for my sake. But I
hurt deeply for the students and grads,
and I am so sorry that I could not have
done more to avert this from happening.
Yet I still believe with all my heart
that God is at work in the midst of this,
and that something of much greater good
will come out of it all.
This is what I wrote to the board of
Directors about this very issue in
response to their ultimatum that resign
on the spot or be fired on December 17,
2000:
December 18, 2000
Dear Brothers,
Since God has called me to lead the
Brownsville Revival School of Ministry
and has not released me from that
calling; since the school's Constitution
and By-Laws indicate that a director (in
this case, the president) can only be
removed if it is in best interest of the
school and there are not sufficient
grounds for such removal; since the Board
has not clearly stated [in writing, at
the Board Meeting of December 17, 2000]
that the issue is NOT one of sin but
rather of a difference of vision; and
since I believe it is unethical and
unjustifiable to force me to resign or
fire me in between semesters with no
prior notice given to the student body, I
cannot in good conscience resign.
I would once again urge the Board to
reconsider their present position, and I
affirm once more the will and desire of
the faculty to attempt to work through
the issues of miscommunication an
misunderstanding, continuing under the
arrangement agreed upon at our previous
Board meeting (held November 9, 2000)
until May. Anything less than that would
produce much needless heartache for
hundreds, if not thousands, of lives, and
since the Board alone has the power to
reverse its decision, I would urge each
of you to step back and slow down this
whole process, working a smooth and sane
transition through May.
As I stated repeatedly at the meeting
last night [December 17], there is no
justification for this move to be made at
this time, I urge you to reconsider - not
for my sake - but for the sake of the
kingdom, for the sake of the reputation
of Jesus, for the sake of the name of
Brownsville, for the sake of the student
body, for the sake of our faculty and
staff, and for the sake of the body of
Christ worldwide. There IS a better way.
In Him,
Michael L. Brown
The amazing thing about this whole
situation is that, given the suddenness
with which everything occurred, the
faculty, the staff, (many former staff
members are transitioning with us), along
with an army of students and grads are
coming together to mobilize and
transition in a matter of days. It is a
wonderful sight to behold.
So... on with it!
Do you believe in the
importance of submission to authority and
accountability?
Of course! I have always taught
that if you are going to do anything
radical
for the Lord, you must have a proven
track record of submission to
authority. Otherwise, what you call
radical might simply be rebellion. This
is something I have drilled home to
students and readers for years, and it
is something I firmly embrace in my
personal life. God does not need a bunch
of independent mavericks. He needs an
army under command. I believe this
with all my heart!
In my own life, I have several lines of
accountability. For the last four
years, John Kilpatrick has been my
pastor, and I gladly and fully submitted
to his leadership during these years. The
question of my submission to his
authority never came up once until he
gave me an ultimatum to join the
Assemblies of God or be fired. Despite my
great appreciation for the Lord's
work through the Assemblies and my deep
desire to honor Pastor Kilpatrick,
the Lord clearly spoke to me about this
matter and did not allow me to
become credentialed by the Assemblies.
Ultimately, this is an example of
having to obey God rather than man (see
Acts 5:29), with all due respect to
Pastor Kilpatrick as a God-fearing
servant of the Lord.
Within one week of my dismissal by the
Board, I contacted Ché Ahn of Harvest
International Ministries in order to get
information about coming under
their covering of churches and ministers,
since I was no longer under Pastor
Kilpatrick's covering. I wanted to send
out a loud and clear message that
submission to authority and coming under
covering has never been a problem
for me. As I said earlier, I embrace it!
That is why to the very last day of
my tenure as President of BRSM, I
affirmed in writing and orally my
submission to John Kilpatrick as my
senior leader. (I accept his judgment
that at this time, we are not able to
work together, remembering that such
things happened even to men of God in the
Word; see Acts 15:36-41. I should
mention, however, my surprise in finding
the word "accountability"
mentioned
repeatedly in the Board's Official
Statement on the Web site. I had never
before heard that word used in any of our
discussions, and it was never
mentioned once in the Board meeting the
night I was fired. The only issue
raised that night had to with alleged
"irreconcilable differences" in
the
implementation of the school's vision.)
There are other lines of accountability
also built into my life. I am
extremely accountable to my faculty, and
we really function as a leadership
team. They often speak into my life, and
we only move forward together when
we have harmony in the Lord. I am also
ordained by a local church in New
Jersey with whom I stay in close contact,
and one of their pastors is on my
ministry board. My ordination can be
removed by them for reasons of sin or
doctrinal error. The board of ICN
Ministries also has power to vote me out
or remove me or shut down the ministry.
On a more personal level, there are
many leaders whom I relate to closely
around the world, and I often come to
them for counsel and input, asking them
to be ruthlessly honest with me.
I also believe it is essential to have a
proven track record of
teachability, being willing to receive
and submit to correction. The Word is
clear on this too! For more on this, see
pp. 42-46 of my book, Let No One
Deceive You: Confronting the Critics of
Revival (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny
Image, 1997; forthcoming in a revised and
expanded edition, The Revival
Answer Book: Rightly Discerning the
Contemporary Revival Movements [Ventura,
CA: Renew, 2001]).
I would encourage all of you who want to
be on the front lines of the Jesus
Revolution to carefully check your
hearts, ask the Lord to purge you of all
rebellion and stubborn pride, and be
quick to hear the voice of godly
correction. For more thoughts on this,
see my Jesus Manifesto: A Call to
Revolution (available for free download
from our Web site), or read the
chapter "Subversive Speech"
from my recent book Revolution! The Call
to Holy
War (Ventura, CA: Renew, 2000), where I
deal with this subject at some
length.
A letter from Dr. Brown's pastor, Pastor Walter W. Healy, concerning Dr. Brown's accountability, credentials and their long-standing relationship
December 28, 2000
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter will serve to verify that Dr. Michael Brown is a fully
credentialed minister of the gospel under the government of The Church of
Grace and Peace, Toms River, NJ. Our relationship of approximately fifteen
years has been marked by mutual respect and accountability which ultimately
led to this formal licensure in which Dr. Brown is fully accountable to the
church Elder Board.
Further, let it be known that Dr. Brown has our fullest respect for his past
and present integrity in ministry to the Lord and His church in both
spiritual and practical aspects. We recommend him as one in pursuit of the
kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Yours for the Truth,
Walter W. Healy
Senior Pastor
Have you ever thought of taking
legal action against Brownsville Assembly
of
God?
God forbid! That is completely
unscriptural, according to 2 Corinthians
6:1-7. The thought of legal action has
never occurred to me, and I have
retained no legal counsel of any kind
since my dismissal or prior to my
dismissal.
When asked by the church to respond to
the Board's first Official Statement
for their attorney's review, I wrote that
the statement as it stood was
libelous, meaning simply that it
contained false, defamatory information
in
writing. (Slander is false, defamatory
information in spoken form; libel is
false, defamatory information is written
form.) That was not a threat, nor
was it intended is as a threat. (I am the
son of a lawyer and a Ph.D., and I
try to communicate with precision.)
As to the Board's revised statement (posted
December 24th, Christmas Eve), I
say this: May the Lord Jesus shine His
face on my friends and co-workers at
Brownsville Assembly of God, and may we
bless one another as we get on with
the work of world redemption. Souls are
dying without the Lord, the needs
are urgent, and the hour is late. Let's
encourage one another and go and
give the devil a black eye.
|
