I went to the Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM) website to see if they had released a statement about the newly filed amendment which was filed on Friday (new details in this excellent article). I could find no statement, but found an article on the front page by Stephen Altrogge: A Step-by-Step Guide for Killing Your Church, dated January 12, 2013, ironically, the day after the amendment was filed. Read the first paragraph:
It’s really not that difficult to kill a church. Don’t believe me? Just take a look around. The carcasses of once-vibrant churches are scattered across the landscape of America and Europe. These churches were once spiritually energized, disciple-making, gospel-spreading churches. They were churches that sprung out of the Reformation, the Great Awakening, and the Jesus Movement. They were earth-shaking churches that were making a dramatic impact in their local communities. And now they’ve been reduced to almost nothing. Nothing more than spiritual embers, barely clinging to life. What happened? What went wrong?
As of today, I believe the last count is that 13 Sovereign Grace Ministries churches have either left or have voted to sever ties with SGM. Not only are people walking with their feet, whole churches are “walking with their feet.” But Mr. Altrogge really wasn’t talking about SGM churches when he wrote the article, he was talking about churches in general.
He goes on to say that the reason why churches are being killed is because of the gospel. Altrogge says people who kill churches: Assume the Gospel, Neglect the Gospel, and Reject the Gospel.
He says we’re killing churches when we “Assume the Gospel. We can’t assume that we have complete understanding of the gospel and we must remind ourselves daily of our need for the gospel. Secondly, we neglect the gospel by busying ourselves with ministries which keep us from focusing on the gospel. And finally, when the first two steps have proven true – when we’ve failed by neglecting and assuming the gospel, the natural conclusion is a rejection of the gospel – the gospel which at one time was precious to us.
And then at the bottom of the article is a shout-out to the Transfer Conference, whatever that is.
Listen – I don’t know who Stephen Altrogge is. His bio says he is a pastor, a worship leader, an author. His intentions are probably good and fine. This article is not really about Altrogge personally, but when I saw his article, I wanted to scream. Has he or other leaders heard the survivor stories? Have they listened to someone as they tell the details of what happened to their child who was abused and no one from the SGM leadership assisted in an appropriate manner? Does he and SGM leaders see the spiritual and emotional death and killing in his own family of churches?
I fail to see the gospel portrayed SGM. I see gospel talk – oh yea – it’s all over the place. I’ve been reading enough survivor stories to know that these people do know the gospel. What’s missing is what the gospel is all about: L.O.V.E . It’s the kind of love that lays down one’s life for another, is sacrificial, even when it means that reputation is on the line. It’s the kind of love that says, “I will go after and rescue the hurting sheep until I know they are safe and secure and in green pastures.” Where is this kind of gospel love – love in action?
SGM leaders – you have failed in gospel love. Repent from protecting your image and doing damage control. As I read through the pages and pages of notes of how church leaders covered up, interfered with authorities, prevented parents from reporting by threatening, telling victims they were in sin, it disgusted me. More effort was on protecting perpetrators than helping victims. Your gospel message is just empty words when there is no love. It is a false gospel if your actions aren’t lining up. It destroys people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sovereign Grace Ministries cannot be delivering the true gospel amidst chaos, amidst broken families and lives, amidst sex scandals and abuse, cover-ups, and lies.
Please, listen to this song. What is the proof of your love? Let the lyrics go over and over and over and over in your minds. The true gospel is about love and Christ’s sacrifice for us and what He did for us on the cross and resurrection. It’s a kind of love that has feet in action. Where is this kind of gospel love being played out for the victims of abuse at SGM? What kind of gospel love is being displayed for the world as you deny and defend yourself publicly? Please search your hearts.
Spiritual Sounding Board 
I can imagine for those reading about SGM from the outside, it might be easy to read this post and not quite get what’s so strange about the wordage Julie Anne is pointing out. At first glance, it’s all about the gospel, right?
The very strange thing within SG though is that “the gospel” becomes a mantra that is used waaaay too much and therefore becomes stripped of its meaning. The gospel not a cliche; the life death and resurrection of Jesus should never become old news to a Christian. And so, when you read such blog posts and whatnot, it sounds like that’s what they’re saying- never grow tired of thinking about and talking about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
It’s hard to describe exactly what happens until you are inside that culture, but within SG, you rarely actually hear the word JESUS in the same sentence as JOY and FREEDOM and LOVE. The concept “the gospel” becomes very abstract and formulaic. SG obsesses over “gospel-centered” families and “gospel-centered” relationships and “gospel-centered books” and “gospel-centered” way of doing church…. What the heck does that even mean any more? As it plays out, it means, you ascribe to this particular group of churches particular way of doing church, and follow all of the rules, or you are not living in a “gospel-centered” way.
And ironically, part of SG’s “gospel-centered” way of doing church includes an almost allergic reaction to ANY sort of programs that they deem as distracting from the gospel. They overtly caution members about other churches that are “over programmed” and thus are not focused enough on “the gospel.” They focus so much on the Sunday service and the preaching and the mandatory (yep) small groups, that anything beyond that is seen as a distraction from “the gospel”. So what results is a bunch of churches doing little to no outreach or caring for the practical needs of the people in the communities around them, in an effort to do this “gospel” thing.
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Thanks, Recovering, for helping my readers who may not be familiar with the SGM environment what this gospel-saturated environment is really like. They seem to have lost their first love along the process – – – as well as basic common sense and a moral compass as well.
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Where’s Chuckles been hiding?
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Hey Julie Anne. I loved the song…very beautiful. I am overwhelmed by the amount of abuse out there. I have to admit, I have to research a lot of churches and ministries that you talk about…I apparently have been more shelterd than I thought. So, it is helpful in that I can gain more understanding of abusive churches/ministries. The interesting thing though, I know I have seen abusive church patterns on a smaller scale. Your posts help confirm that. But, I think part of me gets worried that I have been “duped” by more Christian peeps/ministries/churches than maybe I realized. I don’t know. I may email you or comment sometime and ask about one “bigger” church that I HOPE is not on your list of those to “watch” or expose. However, I may just come to that conclusion on my own now. I’m learning and growing…always.
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Tammy- you’re in good company! I have the same concerns of being duped once again, but am choosing to press on and not give up on the concept of church altogether. I too have found one that seems healthy, and I am trying my best to worship Jesus, and see the church as ONE way to do so, rather than the other way around.
Ug, not to belabor the point, but I’m reading the Altrogge post on the SGM Plant and Build, which itself is a bit strange, considering that SG itself is shrinking by the minute, yet somehow is still viewed as being “gospel centered” from within the inner circle.
I am NOT joking, i counted 26, yes TWENTY SIX times he says “the gospel” in that short post, not including the paragraph headers!!! The word “Jesus” is used only once, prefaced of course by “the gospel of”, twice if you count “Savior” and once more in reference to the “Jesus Movement.” This really irks me. It is not only cookie cutter in its language and could’ve been easily written by any number of other SG pastors, right down to the “don’t get me wrong”, “hear what i am not saying” SG lingo, but more importantly, it is SO telling of where they have gone WAY wrong in such a subtle, yet upon close examination, really not so subtle way.
These guys are really convinced they do church the right way, and that all others have forsaken the gospel. Altrogge warns about the danger of “moving beyond the gospel” which again sounds good, but in SG land, translates to doing much of anything besides preaching and discussing the gospel. No room for creative ways of entering into the lives of people who aren’t interested in being preached at. No room for connecting with the practical needs of the community. Somehow those are deemed the social gospel and moving beyond the gospel.
This statement in Altrogge’s post (his one Jesus mention) sums up the heart of the problem I see in SG:
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only engine that can sufficiently drive a church forward in doing the work of God.”
What about JESUS, like the actual God/man JESUS being the one who drives a church. Not the idea, the concept, the word.. the actual Jesus! He really is quite amazing, I’m coming to find out 🙂
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Recovering Pharisee,
I have actually experienced a church where the “cookie cutter” phrase was PART of their repetitive cultish language. Meaning, the pastor accused other churches of that and thought her system was better and the same type of sentenced would always come out of her follower’s mouths.
If I would’ve heard it from her once or twice in terms of “we don’t want to be a cookie cutter church” and then, they moved forward, it would’ve maybe been ok. But, it was always accusatory and always blaming other churches for “doing it wrong” because they were “doing it right”…pride. And, in different and various conversations with people in her church, they would always talk just like she did and accuse with the same terminology….there were a few I questioned(in my head) as to whether they even knew what that meant. I just don’t like when people can have so much control over others that no one has their own individual opinion and voice…or, they are afraid to use it.
But, I am tangenting on something a tad different.
It sounds like SGM has an extremely controlling system that breeds control and image rather than love. It also sounds to me like there would be no room for grace there…only shame and guilt for “failing” to live up to their controlling standards. Those are just a few of my “observations” from reading. And, obviously, the worst part in the whole thing is the abuse. I have a hard time understanding how they can be so flippin’ worried about their image as to hide child sexual abuse. I hope and pray some loving advocates are in there with the vicitms…which it sounds like they are now. But, the church should’ve been their advocates and reported it before it came to these extremes.
This(SGM) is definitely a horrible church/ministry and needed to be exposed.
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“I see gospel talk all over the place…” Yes, this is so true. It is truly heartbreaking to see SGM and others speak the name of Christ, but not live in the name of Christ.
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THANK YOU!!!!! Yes, that is exactly why I got all worked up about that article. I have more to add, but have to cut it short – – just had to thank you for your excellent comment, RP!!
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julieanne-
I didn’t want to leave this over at SGM Survivors concerning parents spanking teens…but you can check this out. Sick in my opinion
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Thank you so much! I’ve got it saved for a future post.
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This is exactly right. We have a whole lot of people in ministry today who are promoting idea, doctrine, right positions, who have no real Jesus. They become brutal, proud, and abusive.
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Yes, Ingrid – – with no love. No shepherd would abandon abused, hurting sheep to defend a sexual perpetrator. These actions are unfathomable. This is NOT what Christ would have done. Better for a millstone . . . . just sayin’
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Tammy~ i hear ya with the lack of individual voice and/or fear to use it. Sure hope i never fall into that again… so far, the church I’m at now seems to interact with several other churches of various backgrounds in the area, and (knock on wood) I haven’t heard anything about what other churches aren’t doing quite right.
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Recovering Pharisee, thanks for hearing. 🙂
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