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71 Year Old Woman Arrested at Church… Who’s to Blame?

Orginally published on Monday, July 02, 2007 at 6:55 AM
by Todd Rhoades

“If I hadn’t heard of so many other similar situations in churches in the last few years, I would be tempted to ignore stories like this,” writes Ingrid Schlueter. Ingrid is reporting over the weekend on a story at the popular Christian leader watchdog site SliceofLaodicea.com about a 27 year-old pastor who “had an elderly member removed from a Sunday morning church service and arrested for objecting to his strong-arm tactics, including taking control of the church’s finances.” She reported the incident from a story cited here.

Why was a 71 year old woman ripped from her church?  Ingrid continues her commentary, seeming to blame Rick Warren and the Purpose Driven philosophy for this pastor’s offense:

“It seems that the pastor had been making big time changes in the church, just like Rick Warren suggests pastors do if they want to grow, including dismissing the entire deacon board and church officers. Then he took control of financial accounts. This guy was a man with a plan, and that plan didn’t include a 50-year, giving, faithful member of the church. This appalling story illustrates what happens when 20-somethings, armed with church growth manuals and their heads full of plans for greatness seize little churches that were once peaceful places of worship.”

Ingrid also quotes a personal friend of the woman that was arrested, Sara Robison, who says that the new pastor is a “big overweight person who came to ruin this small but wonderful church...”

Darn you, Rick Warren.  Darn you, Purpose Driven, seeker-sensitive, culturally relevant pastors who are taking over our ‘wonderful churches’.  Darn you big overweight young pastors.

Only one problem.  The 27 year-old pastor in question, Pastor Jason Burrick, is actually a graduate of Hyles-Anderson University (about the farthest away from a Purpose Driven school as you can get!)

If you re-read the link to the story used for this Slice post, you’ll find that Rick Warren and Purpose Driven were not even eluded to.  I’m not sure where Ingrid got that from, other than the ‘many other similar situations’ she’s aware of (that have absolutely nothing to do with this story).

So, as a result of the new finding of the pastor’s school of origin, Slice updated their post later in the weekend to say that “This certainly adds a new angle on the story.” Uh… yeah… it TOTALLY CHANGES the story.

Not to worry… because, according to the updated Slice post: “the church abuses from THIS (italics added) crowd certainly rival that of the Purpose Driven universe.” Ingrid then goes into a long bash of Hyles-Anderson founder Jack Hyles.  “The significant thing in the eyes of the college,” according to Ingrid, “are the numbers and scalps on a belt—how many got saved in all. How many saved in a week. No mention of discipleship whatsoever.” In other words, they’re just as bad as the PD folks.

Well, now the updated post is gone from the website altogether.  No correction.  No apology.  No clarification to the readers.  In fact, there is nothing left of this story on the website at all. It’s like it never happened.

A short “My apologies to Rick Warren, for implying his teaching had something to do with the demise of this church; but after checking the facts, he/it didn’t.  I was wrong” would have been nice.

A few observations:

1.  As a blogger, you have to be very careful before you press ‘submit’; because once you press ‘submit’, your words go live on the internet and there is no taking them back.  They are visible in everyone’s feed readers; and a near-permanent part of Google.

2.  As a blogger, it’s very important to get your facts straight before you blog.  In the original article referenced by Slice, there was no mention of what kind of church this was; no mention of the facts of why the woman was asked to leave; and no mention of the details of the case whatsoever.  We all know what happens when we ‘assume’.

3.  As a blogger, if (and when) I make a mistake or misreport something in a post here at MMI, I will do my best to correct the mistake and update the original post as needed.  I’m by no means perfect, and want to be trusted by the readers of this blog.  I’ll do whatever I can to maintain that trust. 

And if I’m wrong on this one, you’ll be the first to know… smile

Thanks for reading… Any thoughts?

Todd

PS—Here’s a little more on this... This could be point 4.  Because of the way the blogosphere is set up, it makes it even more important that we check our facts only because people on other blogs will quote what we say.  And if we’re wrong, it’s really hard to stop.


This post has been viewed 2166 times so far.



  There are 16 Comments:

  • Posted by Bryan

    When you left for the church office this morning, what was the one sentence you didn’t think you’d read today?  Answer: “Darn you big overweight young pastors”. 

    Thanks, it made my day!

  • Posted by Rick

    Todd - as always great stuff but I couldn’t find the original post referenced in slice ... is it me or is it gone?

  • Posted by

    Here’s the link to the google cache:
    http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:OptxA-TzotwJ:www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=375+A+27-year-old+pastor+had+an+elderly+member+removed+from+a+Sunday&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

    Interesting, I hadn’t read the comments at the bottom.  Here’s an additional comment by Ingrid:

    “Had I not learned of so many of these cases over the years, I would dismiss this. But the pattern is always the same. The similarities are a result of pastors essentially reading from the same set of instructions handed out by men like Rick Warren. They literally provide lists of things to do to change your church into a happening place. That’s why these cases look so similar, regardless of where they take place.”

    I have the ‘revised’ post on my bloglines, but it doesn’t show up at google yet.

    Todd

  • Posted by reGeN

    i agree with your points...i dont like it when bloggers pull a matt drudge by mixing apples with oranges to make them appear as if they’re all one and the same...a slice of deception is what that is…

  • Posted by Gary Sweeten

    Todd, here is my beef with your post. 1. Did the event actually take place? Was the woman actually arrested or removed from the church? 2. The mis-statments got all the press rather than the event itself. 3. Add a fourth point to the bloggers’ creed: Report the main thing as the main thing and do not go off on rabbit trails that obfuscate the main thing but also report the ancillary issues.

    It seems to me that the issue of “leaders’ whose plans for leading do not include respect for the members is a main thing. Whether the Pastor was overweight or skinny is not an issue. It is a rabbit trail designed to get either sympathy or disgust.

    Too often the discussion are focusing on “the Church” as an organization rather than an “Organism”. In this case, if reported accurately, the Pastor’s attitude was, “God loves you and I have a wonderful plan for your life” instead of “God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life.”

    As a consultant and coach to Christian leaders I say, “Leading is an art that demands wisdom more than knowledge.”

  • Posted by Leonard

    With all due respect Gary, “It seems to me that the issue of “leaders’ whose plans for leading do not include respect for the members is a main thing.” I disagree.  The issue is of importance but there is not enough infomration to make that the main thing.  I think this was Todd’s point, that before someone blog’s about an event they should check the facts.  The point is that someone at Slice filled in blanks that were simply not there to support an agenda that is important to them.  That is the main thing for this piece.

  • Posted by Chris Elrod

    At my church we aren’t taking any chances.  I just gave all of my elders a copy of Warren’s new book, “Purpose Driven Police Force”.  All of our host team now carries guns, tasers and handcuffs.  We’re automatically taking down anyone over the age of 60.  grin

  • Posted by Daniel

    Todd, when you said “not even eluded to”, I’m sure you meant ‘not even alluded to"… right?  grin

  • Posted by

    Yes, Daniel… the only thing worse than overweight young pastors are stupid Microsoft spell checkers.  (Or people like me who can’t spell).

    smile

    Todd

    BTW, Ingrid just posted a fascinating piece over at Slice on how innovative pastors are kind of like the reclining leather chairs in the theatre at the Buzz conference. smile

  • Posted by

    Okay, let’s look at it more critically. By way of a very public comment, Ingrid made a connection that didn’t exist (in her knowledge) in order to press a point (again) that she makes over and over again whenever she gets a chance, it being one of her driving forces.

    She lied.

    Simple as that. Made a connection with Rick Warren to continue to be critical of his “methods” and philosophy at any cost. The ends justified the means. Her point-of-view defined and determined the story she printed. She was wrong and bad. An apology is due. Step up! I no longer believe any of her news stories until she does.

  • Posted by Phil DiLernia

    Thanks Peter.  I was waiting for someone to call it what it is - A LIE. 

    This problem of making things up (oh yeah ... lying or sinning!) is rampant in our churches when it comes time that leaders (called by God according to Romans 13:1-3) do what it is that God has placed on their hearts to do and others just plain ole’ don’t like it.

    What a shame.  It is no accident that God’s church - with it’s ga-zillions of steeples - isn’t having the impact on our nation that it’s numbers would suggest considering that God is the head of His church providing the power and results to those He chooses to.

    Without making it a “one for one” thing - I can certainly suggest that God gives His church the maximum impact when they are the most obedient.

  • Posted by

    my, my, my!
    i have heard of those who commit adultery and are ‘excommunicated’ for unrepentance; those who are causing a trearing apart of a church or those who are unruly and cannot be physically controlled and bring a physical dnager to members, but a 71y/o?  Was she carrying ‘heat’ or did the pastor really see his mother in her and due to his immaturity and pastoral infantile behavior, couldn’t handle critism.  wonder how he ever graduated cemetary - opps seminary school (by the way I am a seminaly grad as well....).  what is goint to happen to him when he turn’s 71.  Maybe he should listen to Paul Mcartney’s “when i’m 64” a few times and spend a month in a nursing home!
    tsk, tsk, tsk on this younger generation who think they can do it all by them selves.  Even Jesus communicated with the Father and the Holy Spirit on a daily basis

  • Posted by

    Pastor Bill,

    Is is possible that ou’re “making up” just as many details about the story as Ingrid did?

  • Posted by

    As a newer subscriber and a computer illiterate please allow for my lack of knowledge of the entire situation concerning the woman arrested and removed.
    I have tried in my 25 years of pastoring not to get caught in the trap of the newest, biggest, best. I learned long ago that God is interested in size and in quality. We, as men and women of God should find God’s purpose and follow that. I stopped trying to build the church when I really read what the manual actually says. Jesus clearly states, “I will build my church!” What we do is Shepherd the flock ... Large or small, wealthy or poor, we must do the work we are called to. There are too many “How to” books being written and acted on. We need to go back to the owners manual and do what He says. Things like this will not happen when we allow for Jesus to complete his work in us. I didn’t mean to write an essay, sorry. I just get my hackles up because as men we think we know more than our creator.

  • Posted by

    This is the story as we read it in the news papers...Monday, June 25, 2007
    Church Politics Send Woman to Jail

    Last Sunday, Karolyn Caskey decided that since she just returned to town from her extended winter stay in Florida, she should attend church. She put on her Sunday best and arrived in time for Sunday services at Allen Baptist church in Allen, Michigan, a church she has been attending since 1959. But on Sunday, June 17, Karolyn Caskey became the victim of church politics.

    As Mrs. Caskey told me in a recent phone conversation, the problem revolves around the hiring of a new minister for the independent Baptist church. After hiring the new minister, Pastor Jason Burrick, the church members noticed some immediate and troubling changes. “One of the first things he did was do away with all of the deacons and the officers of the church”, Caskey explained. She also shared that the business meetings of the church, once a place to fellowship and share ideas for the church, had become a dictatorship where no ideas were welcomed and silence was the rule. Pastor Burrick, whose Allen Baptist church job was his first, began to rule the church with an “iron fist” and consequently, “drove away members to neighboring churches in the area”.

    After a heated argument with the remaining deacons, Pastor Burrick took control of the church accounts and book keeping. For Caskey, this was the final straw. She sought legal advice to determine what she could do protect her church. It was at this time that Mrs. Caskey was told, “This is against the church and church matters should be kept within the church.” After receiving a registered letter in December, forwarded to her winter-home in Florida, she was ordered to a church disciplinary meeting on December 27th. According to Mrs. Caskey, she contacted her lawyer and asked her to represent her in the meeting at the church. The meeting was not held, and through friends in the small town of Allen, Caskey was told that “they were going to try and dismiss me from the church.”

    Having just returned from Florida in mid-June, Mrs. Caskey returned to church on the 17th of June and was approached by a deacon who asked her to step outside the church. According to Karolyn, “the deacon then asked me to please leave the church and told me I was not welcome here anymore”. When Caskey demanded to no why, the police were called and Karolyn Caskey was subsequently arrested for trespassing at the request of Pastor Jason Burrick.

    According to Sheriff Larry Burchardt of the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office, Mrs. Caskey was arrested for trespassing as she refused an order to leave the church by church officials and a police officer. In a phone conversation with Burchardt, he told me, “The fact is, this was private property, and if someone in charge of private property asks you to leave, it is breaking the law not to do so.”

    After a trip to jail in handcuffs, the 71-year-old Caskey says she was ultimately released after paying a $62 fine. Caskey, still shocked by the events of Sunday, June 17th said, “It’s a good thing I did not put that into the offering plate or I couldn’t have gotten out of jail!”

    Multiple telephone calls to Pastor Jason Burrick and deacons of the Allen Baptist went unreturned. Karolyn Caskey has a court date on June 26

  • Posted by

    I have been reading about this church in Allen Mi in our local paper for months.  It is a very upseting situation.  As a Christian myself I feel this has cast a shadow on God Himself.  After all for the nonbelieving public this just adds fule to their fires of nonbelief.  After all if a so-called pastor can act this way what does that say about his christian beliefs? 

    The people kicked out know the truth and can go on in another church.  I really feel sorry however for those who chose to stay.  I never stop being amazed at people who blindly follow.  I guess there will always be those who can not read their own Bibles and think on their own.  That is why there are cults.  These people need to be prayed for.  God will answer prayer and has the power we don’t to solve this situation.  We must remember that instead of wrath the pastor needs our prayer too.  In order to move on the christian thing to do is to forgive and pray that God will intervien and resolve this problem

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