In 2011 I started apprenticing to be a small group leader in my campus ministry at Colorado State University, The Rock. One of the leaders of my small group, Dani Larsen, sent me this sermon over winter break last year. In this sermon entitled, “Grace and the Adventure of Leadership,” the Holy Spirit speaks through C.J. Mahaney, President of Sovereign Grace Ministries in Louisville, Ky.
A year later, I stumble upon this sermon in my iTunes list. Through this sermon, God revealed to me a very ugly, very hurtful attitude that I have been carrying around with me. It brought me to tears.
I had had a new post written up, but I don’t even think it’s worth sharing now so I’m posting this sermon instead. I pray that this talk will break you like it broke me, breaking you free from any anxiety, pride, contempt, self-righteousness, exasperation, or weariness you feel as a man or woman of influence — whether “leader” is your formal title or not.
Click here for a link to download CJ Mahaney’s “Grace and the Adventure of Leadership”
Have you seen what was recently revealed about CJ Mahaney? Documents were released in July that showed CJ Mahaney blackmailed Larry Tomczak and Mahaney hid this sin for over 10 years.
Here is what Larry Tomczak posted about this:
http://larrytomczak.com/Docs/departure_sgm.pdf
Brent Detwiler also released documents that contained emails exchanged within SGM. The documents showed that Mahaney didn’t practice a lot of what he taught and imposed on others.
Some other blogs of interest are:
http://www.sgmsurvivors.com
http://www.sgmrefuge.com
http://www.brentdetwiler.com
What you posted may have some wisdom but realize that Mahaney appears to be someone who doesn’t practice what he preaches.
Oh. Don’t forget now C.J. Mahaney and his group SGM has been sued in a class action lawsuit for their poor handling of children being molested in their churches.
Wow, Steve240… I had no idea about these claims. I looked at your links (though the first one won’t open for me). It sounds like a lot of people have been burned, oppressed, or brought astray by the conduct of this leader and others in this movement. Although I have not been a part of SGM, I know that our Father reserves harsher judgment for any of those who are entrusted with His sheep because the fruit of sin-laced leadership can be so dark. It’s scary when powerful leaders encounter the enemy and fail to protect those in their flock. I’m at least thankful that the sovereign Lord Jesus is our chief shepherd.
I have seen firsthand how a strong, homogenous culture can bring both unity and dissention at the same time. It’s sad when even a single individual falls through the cracks in a church because the (extrabiblical) rules and customs weigh so heavily… and I’ve watched it happen before. These customs are founded, I believe, in the desire to help people walk out a wise path, but they are often superimposed onto God’s unique and vastly complex plan of grace for each person’s diverse situation. We end up feeling judged, isolated, and trapped — rather than loved, washed, and welcomed as sinners on a journey with our Savior.
Thanks for working to expose the darkness and bring it to the light. Proud to have you in the body of Christ.
Meg
Sorry to have been the one to show this sad side of C.J. Mahaney. I am sure he started out well but apparently his position went to his head.
Larry Tomczak has taken down the document that explained his departure from PDI/SGM.
Sadly in some churches there is “group think” (you can look it up in Wikapedia last I looked) and it explains some of what can happen in various churches.