This letter is written by Michelle Proctor Stembridge, a Seventh-day Adventist Member in Michigan.
RE: The need for a Constituency Meeting to discuss the treatment of Elder Ron Kelly, Elder Conrad Vine, and the Village Seventh-day Adventist Church in Berrien Springs.
“To our brothers and sisters in Michigan:
Two main things guide our decisions and actions: principles and perceptions. Our principles are anchored to God’s law and love – guiding us to know right from wrong. Our perceptions are more pliable – they can change and evolve based on personal views, opinions, and from gaining new information and knowledge.
We come to you with an appeal to principle and pray you may consider this situation from the perspective of the Village Seventh-day Adventist Church and its hurting members.
Whatever your current perception is of the Village Seventh day-Adventist Church (VSDA), Elder Kelly and Elder Vine, please suspend any personal perceptions and opinions surrounding them, or the events held at VSDA (such as events regarding COVID, vaccines, LGBTQ, etc.). Whatever your perceptions of the Michigan Conference Executive Leadership may be, please allow us to examine this situation without bias.
While the VSDA church has received overwhelming support from church members worldwide, there are some here in Michigan who question the need for a Constituency Meeting. Please consider: Asking for transparency, accountability, and an opportunity to discuss and review what has transpired in Michigan is not divisive, it is not hateful, it is not un-Christian. It is what is required when we are trying to be responsible, faithful, and true. It is because we care about the Church and this institution that we feel compelled to pursue accountability.
No evidence has been provided by the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (MISDA) to show that Elder Kelly or Elder Vine committed any moral failing or have spoken heresy; the absence of such leads us to question the reasons for or the validity of such drastic measures taken against these two ordained men. These two men have been the subject of gossip and their reputations disparaged – all without any evidence and without the benefit of addressing their accusers.
Sadly, there are other pastors in Michigan who have been or are currently being treated in an unjust manner all stemming from this issue at VSDA. We must address these serious grievances.
Our claims of being a Bible-believing brethren ring hollow when injustice and error prevail unquestioned. Furthermore, we can have a forgiving spirit while simultaneously requiring accountability; these two things are not diametrically opposed.
Asking for constituency meetings, asking for votes of no confidence, or censure are all part of the proper church process; it is not operating outside the bounds of the church. They are tools to be used and were put in place for a reason.
Principle: The big question some ask, was there an error, or violation of principle, committed by the MISDA?
Sadly, yes. VSDA elders, board members, pastors, and other members are willing to testify that coercion, blackmail, and lies were employed by the MISDA against the Church, Elder Kelly, and Elder Vine. These violations call for a public review at the very least. A Constituency Meeting is required so we may discuss openly what has transpired, explore the possibility of church discipline, and discuss how much authority the Conference should hold over a church, its pastors, and its members.
Authority: Doesn’t the MISDA have the authority to remove pastors and ban speakers at their discretion?
While the Conference does have the power and authority to move pastors, it is an abuse of power to remove a pastor who is in good standing, who has not been disciplined according to procedure, who is preaching and teaching the Good News, and is faithfully executing his duties as pastor. A pastor who has not violated the Bible, who has not spoken heresy, who has not committed a grave moral failing cannot be fired because the Conference does not like him, or because they don’t like his opinions, or because he held meetings at the church without first asking permission from the Conference President.
It is an abuse of power to blackmail a church to have one elder removed from his duly elected church office and banned from speaking. It is an abuse of power to silence someone merely for disagreeing with GC policy statements (not doctrine). If you have not watched the full remarks of Elder Vine regarding tithe and the parachurch, please watch the full remarks in context; otherwise, we perpetuate misinformation.
Are we comfortable allowing the Conference to ban speakers based on personal opinions? Shouldn’t a ban be reserved only for those who speak heresy?
Too Public/Divisive: Are we airing our “dirty laundry” in public?
No. Great effort was made to avoid this public process, but that does not mean using the tools within the Church Manual makes us hateful or divisive. Nor is it inappropriate to discuss this publicly. Matthew 18 instructs us to take the case to the whole church (Matt. 18:16-17). This is precisely what we are now doing. Jesus publicly rebuked Peter (Matthew 16). Jesus could have waited, taken Peter aside later and spoken to him, but Jesus chose not to. He publicly rebuked Peter. Jesus publicly rebuked many – from religious leaders to a fig tree (Mark 11). Jesus had harsh words for the religious leaders of His day, calling them names such as hypocrites (Matthew 23, Luke 11). He modeled that some situations call for public appeal and public rebuke.
Anger: Anger is a natural feeling, and anger alone is not sinful. It is how we behave in anger that can cause us to sin. We may have righteous indignation, but we are not fueled by anger or hatred. Jesus exhibits righteous indignation in Matthew 21 when He overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple.
Forgiveness: Doesn’t Jesus admonish us to turn the other cheek when we are treated badly? If someone abused one of your children, you would never offer them a second child to abuse. If someone commits murder, we do not offer more victims. The very notion is absurd. God expects us to use our principled judgment when faced with questions of how to respond to injustice. What damage has been done, or will continue to be done, by sweeping errors under the rug and calling for peace and unity at all costs?
Turning a blind eye to error causes others to stumble and it is our duty to be truthful, ethical representatives of Christ. In Galatians 2, Paul confronted Peter publicly, noting that Peter’s hypocrisy had caused others to go astray.
Rebuke and Witness: It is because we care about this church, its members, and this institution that we ask for further action. We do not want others to stumble. We do not want our fellow brethren at the MISDA to stumble. We do not want Elder Kelly or Elder Vine to feel the injustice committed against them is acceptable – causing them to lose faith or to become bitter.
Money was donated in vast sums to further mission work VSDA was accomplishing, specifically the medical missionary work. It was precisely this medical missionary work that was used as a point of coercion by the MISDA, in the form of withholding liability insurance until Elder Vine was removed unilaterally by Elder Kelly (a violation of church policy, church procedure, and of principle). What witness are we to those donors now that their money is essentially held hostage by MISDA? How can we ever expect anyone to give money when a handful of administrators can derail a project and the ministry of a church? Is this the kind of absolute power we want Conference administrators to have? Can we reasonably expect people to continue to faithfully return tithe to the MISDA when such behavior has been employed without so much as a public rebuke?
Please consider: Who has benefited from the actions of the MISDA to fire Elder Kelly and ban Elder Vine? How has this helped? Have more souls been won to Christ? How have these actions advanced the preaching and teaching of the Good News of Jesus Christ?
In 1798, John Adams wrote, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Our church structure is much the same. We have operated in good faith believing those in leadership roles will not abuse their power and are co-workers with us in advancing the Good News of Jesus Christ. What do we do when we encounter errors or abuse? What may have worked 100 years ago, may not be suitable today. We may need to examine how much authority we are willing to bequeath to the Conferences without checks and balances, without a process to appeal decisions, and without accountability.
Please vote to hold a Constituency Meeting so we can have an unbiased, critical review of the actions imposed upon our Church by the MISDA Executive Committee and Officers.”
Sincerely,
Michelle Proctor-Stembridge
Village SDA Church Member, Berrien Springs, Michigan
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Please visit https://michiganspecialconstituency.com/ for more information and to get involved. This website is under construstion, and will be completed soo. Keep checking.
Scriptures
“But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin” (1 Timothy 5:20).
“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).
“Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8).
“A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding than a hundred blows into a fool” (Proverbs 17:10).
“A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy” (Proverbs 29:1).