Author: The Diaspora Editors

Actually this is false. He has never met with us as a group, even though he promised us he would. When, at the last minute, he delegated it to the board, the board never arranged it. He did offer to meet individually with just JD, but JD desired accountability and a reasonable number of witnesses at the meeting, as it is our whole group who is bringing up these offenses, not just JD. KP agreed to that group meeting with representatives, but he never came through on it.

You can read phone conversation transcripts and email exchanges to get a full understanding of the communications between KP and this group on the Communications History page.

We have no evidence that KP has taken adequate steps to address our concerns. We do know, however, that the leadership has dismissed our concerns and has not admitted publicly to specific wrongdoing on any of the points we addressed. The few times they have apologized for “misunderstandings” or “hurts” are not adequate when we are dealing with specific sins that includes lies to raise money, false teaching, and shunning other believers.

If that grievance was an offense we had done to them, a busy schedule or important roles would never excuse accountability before God to obey the Scriptures and repent when confronted after sinning against someone. Jesus takes this so seriously, even for a “small” sin, that He says, “If another member of the Church sins against you, go and point out the fault … if the offender refuses to listen even to the Church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15-17)

For leaders who sin, James says, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:19) and “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” (James 3:1)

Having a bad day does not excuse sin. Everyone—leaders and laymen alike—are accountable before God and His Church for sin. God is holy, loves us, and desires that we repent.

KP’s abusive behavior has been documented in the testimonies and spans over a decade by our accounts alone. This length of time and pattern of behavior can not be attributed to simply having “bad days”.

James 4:11-12 speaks of not judging a brother. The context here is judging for the purpose of condemning a brother by speaking evil. But judging to cause correction and discipline is not evil speech, and is promoted by scripture.

Church leaders are not above reproach and can be accused of sin by another leader or fellow believer. See 1 Timothy 5:19-20: “Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.”

This passage says that charges against an elder or leader in the Church are admissible if there is evidence from at least two or three witnesses. We have brought charges against KP with seventy-five witnesses, and yet KP has dismissed us as wrong and misunderstanding, and persists in his sins. If he continues to persist then he ought to be rebuked by the other leaders in the presence of all, according to this passage. Oh that they would have the courage to do this.

If someone believes something to be biblical, it does not excuse them if it’s wrong. Would you say that leadership is excused from lying if they believe it’s biblical to lie to increase donations?

Many sins are committed out of ignorance. It doesn’t mean we don’t repent of them once we realize what we’ve done. Think of King Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23. All that time, Israel was living without the law, but when they found it and read it, Josiah tore his clothes. He grieved deeply. It didn’t matter that the nation of Israel had sinned out of ignorance. What mattered was that they had sinned, and now they needed to repent and fix it.

Also observe Jesus’s words in Matthew 20:25-28: “But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” And we are to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21).

Even if the military chain of command and the way they “own” you 24/7 is analogous to Jesus’s total authority over our lives, it is not analogous to how elders and bishops (pastors) in the church are to lead.

“Biblical authority is limited by the commandments of Scripture. Your spiritual leaders have no authority over you beyond what the Bible demands. For example, if your leader demands that you and your spouse have only one child, or that you entrust to his care all of your possessions, or anything not commended in Scripture, you are free to respectfully decline. God, not man, decides the parameters of authority.” from Walter Henrichsen’s Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man 

Causing conflict and disunity among believers would indeed be sin if it is done contrary to biblical doctrine (Romans 16:17). In this case, you are blaming the victims of sin for causing conflict, not the one causing it. If KP is sinning (e.g. lying to donors or teaching damaging false doctrine) should not those who take notice of it biblically confront KP by approaching him privately and then if he doesn’t hear them, take him before witnesses and even the whole church? (Matthew 18:15-17) Are you saying we have not taken the biblical approach or are you saying that KP has indeed repented? We have not seen evidence for either position.

Also KP has instituted shunning at GFA. Does that not cause disunity among believers, especially when a wife is shunned and cut off from her husband’s ministry? This has been the case with the wife of a current GFA staff person for over a decade. Love in the body of Christ does not shun and divide, but seeks resolution and unity. This is our aim, but until the sin is dealt with, there will be conflict and disunity.

KP might think he can not resolve these issues, but he can! All he needs to do is repent of his sin and make a genuine apology that includes admission of the specific wrongdoing outlined in our initial letter. This will, of course, lead to much change in how the ministry conducts itself and how it communicates with donors.

KP could indeed quit or be fired, but there is another option: change.

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.” -1 Sam. 15:22

We want Bro. K.P. to repent. That is our earnest desire. His senior leaders – Daniel P., Pat E., John B., and David C. – will also need to repent as they were complicit in carrying out these sins and abuses. And if he needs to quit or be fired in the process, that does not excuse him from his obligation to repent. God will take care of the details if we will simply obey Him. Please don’t make excuses for Bro. KP. He needs to face his sins, humble himself, and repent.

Whether or not KP repents at this late hour, whatever fallout comes to him and his ministry will be from his own sin. Had he been innocent he would have been able to make an adequate defense long ago. We, who have simply shined the light on it, will not be the cause.

We aren’t clear on the nature of this question, however, perhaps what is meant by a “cross-continent group get-together” is our request for a Skype type of meeting for the convenience of board members and others who do not live in the Dallas area. We thought this would save time and money in travel. The plan to record it was for accountability purposes and review, NOT for public distribution. Even so, if a person is telling the truth and has nothing to hide, he should not be afraid to speak and have it recorded. Those of us in the GFA Diaspora were not afraid.

If the question was why we created this website cataloging all our communications with KP and shared it across the continent with you, indeed its purpose is to bring into the light all of these hidden things to cause godly sorrow leading to repentance (2 Cor. 7:9-10).

Also, it is not our intention to have our efforts please Satan but to please God. We know God is pleased when we bring our deeds into the light, that they may be clearly seen to have been done in God (John 3:21). God desires that we walk in the light as He is in the light so that we can have fellowship with one another (I John 1:7).

Sometimes the end is good, but not the means. God desires truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6), and though it’s easy to fear what will happen if these deeds are exposed, we know He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We serve a God who is able to redeem, but if we make decisions based on fear of what the Enemy might do, we are not walking closely with our powerful God.

If indeed KP is at fault, then his primary concern should be repentance, not the damage it might do to his reputation. Let God deal with the fallout. KP’s responsibility is simply to humble himself and repent. In fact, that is KP’s best chance of leaving a good legacy — repenting publicly for the record and implementing real reform in all five areas of sin that we raised in the  letter.

As leadership has often said, “God doesn’t need us!” People don’t need money to be saved, but they do need the Holy Spirit.

GFA and Believers Church may be a vessel the Lord uses, but it is elitist to think that without GFA, the gospel will not get out. There are many healthy mission organizations doing God’s work. How much more effective could GFA be if they repented and began walking in the light and freedom?

This is not ammunition we have created, but rather the lies and deception that have come from GFA itself. Find out for yourself if donors and supporting pastors are OK with the photos and information on www.believerschurch.com.

One of the Diaspora ex staff says, “The four pastors I spoke to about [the Episcopal identity of GFA] were very troubled that GFA did not let them know about  it. When I first started at GFA in 2010, I was instructed to tell Calvary Chapel pastors that the churches we were planting in Asia were like little Calvary Chapels. Now that has changed. Those Calvary Chapels—and all supporters for that matter—have a right to know and GFA has a responsibility to tell them so they can decide if they want to continue supporting the work. Not only is GFA not telling them, but GFA takes measures to conceal it. This clearly is deceptive. Core value number two, ‘Being a people of integrity and excellence’ needs to be removed or changed.”

These measures of concealment are well-documented in Joe and Cari’s testimony.

When people lie, it catches up with them and their reputations are destroyed. How many lives are we putting at risk by not taking this issue of integrity seriously? If GFA would admit they have a problem, slow down and do whatever they need to fix it, they would be showing the world that integrity is important to them. They might suffer by admitting their faults, but it would be less painful than having others expose it to their supporters.

We are not making demands. We are simply following the biblical model of dealing with sin in the Church. If GFA leaders refuse to repent, we are not excused from continuing to follow the process to deal with the unrepentant sinner. In the case of institutional sin among the elders of a church (or leaders of an organization that acts like a church and calls itself a church), we have an obligation to warn others in the Church and expose the sin before all. If we fail in this, we will be held accountable for that by God.