As I write this post, I am on vacation in the Bahamas. I’ve been looking forward to getting some down time and relaxation from my daily caregiving rituals with my god-sister who has dementia. This morning I was awakened by an extremely loud “wake-up call” that I did not request. I looked at the clock, it was 7:30 AM. Once I’m startled awake it’s almost impossible for me to go back to sleep.
Since I was awake, I turned on the television. It was on CNN who along with other reporters and cameras were camped out on the New Birth Campus waiting for Bishop Long to speak to his congregation. According to reporters, people began arriving at New Birth Church about 5:30 AM to hear what Bishop Long had to say about the allegations of sexual misconduct.
The purpose of this post is neither to defend nor condemn Bishop Long. I don’t know the facts and I have no idea what “evidence” will be presented when this case goes to trail. At this point only Bishop Long, the accusers and God knows what happened. What I do know is how it feels to be part of a congregation that has to endure public scrutiny of its pastors, leaders and the ministry.
Unless you’ve experienced it, there are considerations we don’t think about during these trying times. The public and the media want the story. If it means running stories without the facts – so be it. If it means basing the story on speculation – so be it.
Essentially, Bishop Long is the story – not his wife, not his associate ministers and not his congregation. However, Bishop Long and New Birth Ministries have an international reputation and are receiving international coverage. Because of this, whether Bishop Long is innocent or guilty, there will be a great deal of collateral damage.
What Collateral Damage?
The effects of this scandal reach further than just Bishop Long. When a ministry experiences any type of scandal it affects many people.
- Wife, children and family
- Close friends
- Church staff
- Church members
- People who benefit from New Birth’s community work
These people will be inundated with comments, questions, whispers and stares. Some will experience personal ridicule and teasing and criticism from people they know and strangers. They will endure the ugly gossip and conversations that goes on in barber shops and beauty shops.
The internet has changed the way we receive information. What we get now is in real time. It may or may not be accurate but it is dispersed immediately. This scandal was the number one trending topic on Twitter for several days. I scanned the comments the first day but some of them were so ugly that I just stopped reading them. It was disturbing.
What Can We Do?
Pray for everyone involved: Bishop, family, friends, staff and congregation. I guarantee you that this is very stressful and confusing. Pray for the organizations that are supported by New Birth Ministries because sooner or later New Birth will suffer financially and the organizations involved will suffer financially as well.
I don’t know how this will play out. I am concerned for all involved but I am most concerned for the Church. No matter how you look at it – if Bishop Long is guilty or if the men made it up – it makes the church look bad.
With that in mind, we should also pray for the status of Christianity and the church. What are your thoughts?
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Tags: bishop Eddie Long, Eddie Long scandal, New Birth Baptist Church, New Birth Ministries
When asked if you have been exposed, what comes to mind? Do you think of being exposed to the elements like rain or snow? Does your mind turn to exposed as in naked or partially nude? Or, do you think of being exposed as in caught in bad behavior or a scandal coming to light? I’m not alluding to any of the aforementioned references but another kind of exposure that some ministries don’t think about.
Here are a few definitions that I found for exposure:
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disclosure
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revealing or unmasking
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presentation to view
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subjecting to influence
What, you ask, does this have to do with the church? It’s one of the ways to learn what’s going on in ministry outside of your own realm of influence.
About once a year our staff schedules a visit to a local church that is different from ours. Last week we visited The Church at Chapel Hill in Douglasville, Georgia. Last year we visited North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. In previous years we visited World Changers Church International in College Park, Georgia and New Birth Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia. By visiting with these ministries some of what we learned was:
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different ways to think about television production
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ideas for our academy
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the value of a good creative team
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excellence in hospitality
Exposure is good for any ministry because there is always something to be learned. Even though our ministry is open to learn from other ministries, we also have ministries or pastors who schedule visits with us because they want to gain some insight from us. There’s always someone who does something better than you.
Church visits are just one way to gain exposure. Other ways include, but are not limited to:
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attending conferences
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mission trips
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volunteering with other churches during disasters
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inviting people to share with your ministry leaders
During the Atlanta floods in September 2009, my daughter and I volunteered with HopeAtl, an effort initiated by Pastor Shaun King of Courageous Church. We were impressed with the people we met who came from around the country to help Atlanta’s flood victims. Neither my daughter or I had been involved with an effort like HopeAtl. We were blessed by the experience and gained new friends.
The whole point of this post is to encourage ministry leaders to learn from and share with other ministries. Your denomination, race or income level should not matter. What matters is what we as Christians can do for each other and for the community.
Take the challenge and expose yourself. I promise you won’t feel naked.
Tags: church leadership, churches sharing with other churches, learn from other churches, ministry exposure
. . .Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14)
This passage from the book of Esther has been my favorite for a long time. As I began to reflect on Mother’s Day, it put a few more parts of my life into perspective.
It has become a cliche for people to say that God works in mysterious ways. But when I look at my current life as a caregiver for my god-sister, Gladys, I know that God does indeed work in mysterious ways and He orchestrates our destinies in ways we can’t fathom.
Background
My mother graduated high school in 1948 and moved from Tennessee to Philadelphia where she met Gladys. Mom and Gladys became friends and when I was born Gladys’ mother became my god-mother. When I was five years old, my mother went back to Tennessee to take care of her mother who had cancer. Since Mom had no job, she left me with my god-mother where I lived until I was 11. Despite our age differences, Gladys and I were raised as sisters.
After my Mom moved me to Tennessee, I continued to spend my summers in Philadelphia until I got married.
The Mystery
Where’s the mystery in all of this? God is omniscient and He knew that Gladys would have no siblings or children to take care of her in her old age. He knew that my family would be her family and that we would be her caregivers. I marvel sometimes that my mom and Gladys are about the same age but my mom is in good health and of sound mind.
Gladys has many physical disabilities and she has dementia. She thinks she still lives in Philadelphia. She knows who I am but she calls me by my daughter’s name. Sometimes she has flashbacks and calls me “sister.”
Why I Chose to Share This
We don’t know what the future holds for us but it is possible to prepare for the unexpected. Every Sunday our pastors tell us to get our lives in order. Of course they are talking about salvation and living a godly life. However, we also need to get our lives in order with a will, advance directives, and a power of attorney in case we become unable to make decisions for ourselves.
I was surprised when I received those documents from Gladys’ attorney in 1993. I don’t know how she had the foresight to execute the documents but they sure came in handy in 2005 when she had a stroke and couldn’t make her own decisions. God had already worked it out.
I hope this post will encourage you to get your life in order and execute the necessary documents to take care of your future. I also hope to encourage someone to look out for elderly family members and family friends who need help navigating through old age.
Enjoy your Mother’s Day!
Tags: advance directives, caregiving, Elder Care, God works in mysterious ways, prepare for old age
