The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Recent scandals have shown these bodies can fail miserably when it comes to holding pastors accountable. But Driscoll, MacDonald, and Loritts differ from Ortberg in that their failings clearly were not confined to one situation, but a pattern of behavior thats been repeated over time. John Ortberg, senior pastor at California's Menlo Church, is under fire for allowing his son, John Ortberg III, to work with minors, despite knowing he is attracted to https://www.charismamag.com/blogs/prophetic-insight/44236-prophetic-word-for-2020-my-church-will-burn-brightly-in-the-coming-darkness. Only because if reports like yours will these men and woman feel some accountability. John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Church, has come under fire again for his actions surrounding a former childrens ministry volunteer who confessed that he experiences sexual attraction to children. Neither the church, denomination, nor investigators found that Johns offense rose to the level of requiring a restoration process. Therefore the sentence, Yet there needs to be some processif for nothing else, to assure the public that Ortberg is in a good place and qualified to lead, places the author as the arbiter above those who actually did the investigation. And voil, hes back. Then I reached out to eco leaders/again. (RNS) that after speaking with Ortberg, I became convinced that my parents do not have my brothers best interests at heart. Lavery then sent the email to the church and broke with the Ortberg family. The main claim of the article that there was no process of restoration is false. John Ortberg Isnt it sad that so many people jump to a pastors defence, rather than examining what was stated. Morris stated at the time that Driscoll was going through a difficulty that most of you have probably read about. Morris then claimed that not everything on the internet is true and added, There are some pastors, myself included, and some others that you would know, that were speaking into his life and hes listening., Heres the article: https://julieroys.com/megachurch-pastors-mark-driscoll-stop-abuse/. And there are many traditions within Christianity where in such situations the clergy is supposed to extend an assurance of pardon to the penitent and keep it confidential. I reached out to Ortberg, the Menlo elders, and the ECO, asking if any such restoration was done, but did not receive a response. Saying Ortberg doesnt deserve mention was not a good choice of words. However, I dont disagree with their point of view. Our seminaries do not help people to navigate how to leave a Christian ministry, and find work elsewhere, if (for whatever reason: good or bad) they need to leave that Christian ministry. Lets raise the bar. (The last Lavery learned about when his grandfather gave him a copy of Bulfinchs Mythology in sixth grade. Excuse me while I grab my cane; for I too walk with a limp. If you need craft and culture training youre in the wrong job. John Ortberg And it was less about fearing the rapture than about being mentally prepared for it, steeling his 11-year-old self for being left behind by playing DC Talks cover of I Wish Wed All Been Ready and attempting to summon the proper feelings of remorse. How is it that anyone else gets to define the level of any of these peoples badness and determine what is acceptable for their accountability and redemption. She told HuffPost that John Ortbergs resignation is the right next step toward accountability, reconciliation, and healing. But Morehead said the elders need to be held accountable, too. Parks added, Were hopeful that might lead to getting (Ortberg) in our pulpit every now and again.. I have been lucky to talk and find support from Daniel Lavery, Ortbergs son. At that point, it became clear that an initial investigation Menlo had commissioned had been woefully incomplete and the elders ordered a new investigation. He and his wife, Nancy, have three grown children. Let us rejoice. Bachler now says thats no longer the case. Lavery said he did not want to name his brother but ultimately felt he had no choice. Silence. However, concerned over what Lavery believes was an inadequate investigation, Lavery decided to reveal the volunteers identity: I make this public in the absence of institutional accountability, so that members of the community can create a democratic, transparent process for investigating this volunteers history of unsupervised visits to, trips with, and work involving children.. I feel a certain repulsion to it afterwards.. To donate, click here. The elders were careful not to reveal the identity of the volunteer as the church has a moral responsibility to protect the confidentiality of confession, especially when it pertains only to thoughts and not actions, the board wrote.