Contents

Attachment Two:

To: Board of The Milwaukee Outreach Center
Copy to: Mike Rintelman, Program Director
From: Jack Brown, Founder and Executive Director
Subject: That a dialogue might be opened
Date: October 7, 2002

Choices.

To remain quiet would be cowardly of me.

To lambaste would be fleshy and just plain wrong.

To tell the truth means vulnerability and transparency. That sounds risky!

Is there any real choice as a follower of Jesus? I offer the following to help you know what I think and feel after all that has recently transpired. My thoughts are rough, perhaps crude at times, but from my heart to yours.

Let me know what you think. Your perspective and how you feel needs to be laid on the table. I'd prefer your response in writing. In this way you can pass on a copy to other Board members as well (addresses enclosed or I'll distribute if you direct me to). I personally find the written word is usually easier to understand and mull over. A phone call will do though. But...

Silence would be cowardly. To lambaste would be fleshy and wrong.

Tell the truth and you'll be vulnerable, transparent and at risk of being misunderstood like all who travel this route.

Prophecy

"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I commanded you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgements, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.

But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.

I call heaven and earth against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the Land which the Lord swore to your fathers..."

Deuteronomy 30:14-20

My Confession

I think I have shared with you before that my wife Linda says I always sell myself short. She is usually right about me. Almost always. Okay, she's always right about me. I do know that scripture admonishes us, "not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think soberly..." Romans 12:3 (Italics mine)

Honestly, I have never viewed myself as a natural born leader. Others have said they see leadership qualities in me, but let's face it. If I were really the kind of leader I would like to be and need to be, it is doubtful things would have gotten to where they are today. The Board is in disarray and fragmented. Communications between the Board and staff are poor.

I tend to trust people to a fault. Love runs the risk of believing in people and desiring to see them excel and be all that God has called them to be. In believing the best about people I often overlook their faults.

I am non-confrontive in nature. It runs against my grain to discipline people unless my back is against the wall. I am too concerned about hurting people's feelings. And far too worried about being a nice guy.

I'm insecure. Jesus is my crutch and only Avenue through which I can find a place of confidence in my mind, heart and life.

When presented opportunities to simply trust and obey, I talk back to the Lord and find myself saying things like, "Lord I'm not eloquent. I am a slow thinker and a slow talker. You have better choices before you for this assignment. Please ask someone else."

I have only an average to low IQ. I recently received a pastoral e-mail from Christianity Today. And I quote, "Spiritual leaders sometimes underestimate the role of IQ. This is pretty much a God-given factor. It does not reflect education, but rather a capacity to process information. Put low-IO people in demanding situations and you'll overwhelm them. stressing them out and frustrating others. (Emphasis is mine.) Place people with higher IQs in simple roles and you'll bore them to death." Boy am I overwhelmed. Stressed out. And frustrating to you.

We could fill up many pages here, but I think you get the drift. And it only gets worse. It hurts when the Board starts hammering on the obvious: my inadequacies, poor judgement and inability to come up with solutions that satisfy you. I thought when you first met me you were able to see these things and signed on anyway to be of help to me. That's what I thought the deal was.

I guess the point is, that in spite of it all. God has paradoxically and undeniably placed me here to lead for this season at TMOC. It is a task way beyond me. He does work in mysterious ways.

My View of the Board

I have held a high level of respect and admiration of each individual Board member. You have been so gracious during my recent illness to allow me to have extra time off for rest. I'm deeply grateful for this.

I don't mean to be judgmental, but collectively you too, have fallen short. Indecisiveness has us in limbo. I'd much prefer you were either 95% for me or 95% against me. At least I'd know where I stand. I think you're standing on middle ground. Just as you have your ideal of how I should be functioning, so to I hold in my heart an ideal, vision if you will, of how the Board can function. We should talk honestly about this at some point. I'd like Mike to be in on the conversation.

If you have a problem with me, please come and speak to me face to face. I'd rather not hear for the first time about your problem in the context of a Board meeting. Is this reasonable?

I am annoyed by private meetings. It is helpful to me to know the thought processes behind decisions that effect the ministry. Can you trust me to be big enough to process information that is still in the rough until I would prove myself untrustworthy? Or perhaps I already have.

Let's view ourselves as servants and allow this attitude to permeate our hearts and the meetings. When I spoke of the "heavy-handed-ness" of the Board, I apologize. The last thing in the world I want to do is to cut people with my tongue. I will say that if hands are not being lifted up, the load lightened, encouragement brought, the reverse will be true. I need you.

My friend Bob Books was gifted at making up for my inadequacies. He has referred to himself as my "armor bearer". This shows the true Spirit of servanthood since he is superior to me in every respect. I had really hoped the Board would continue in the example he set as our first President. Again, I need you.

There must be healing and unity restored or I am concerned that the Board will polarize and a blood bath will ensue. This is why the above prophecy must be taken to heart and acted upon by all of us, dear brothers. We have some choices to make.

Since the last Board meeting, in private conversations with individual Board members, I have tried to unravel the mess. (I will not disclose to whom I have spoken.) There are divisions among you. It is apparent that people have made statements and drawn conclusions that are based on a body of erroneous information. I believe as opinions have been expressed, they have been spoken sincerely. However, if opinions are not rooted in truth they are rooted in lies. I do not believe anyone, staff or Board, have purposefully lied. It's just that we have been broadsided and deceived by the Father of Lies. We must take stalk of this spiritual aspect of our difficulties and defeat the enemy by understanding his tactics, guarding our tongues and fervently loving one another.

Here I preach higher than my level of attainment.

My Position

Personally. I continue to place before you the real option of firing or laying me off if you conclude this is necessary for the perpetuation of the organization. I do feel that this would have very serious ramifications across the Christian community with an exodus of support away from the center. The Board has made it clear that you are not satisfied with my level of performance. This is understandable in the light of my health problems extending back to November of last year, but otherwise mystifying to me because none of you really know what I do or do not do in totality. I'm sorry, but the tasks on my "job description" fail to capture the essence of what I bring to the Center. Primarily, I serve in a spiritual role at TMOC and in the city. Keeping in mind Romans 12:3. my influence sometimes extends beyond what we are accomplishing here at TMOC. I don't talk a lot about this...... because I just don't. (See Luke 17:20,21)

Whatever your reasons, which have not been made known to me, raises are WAY OUT OF LINE for this time period. Increasing wages, except for giving Mike a cost of living bump, make no sense to me. May common sense prevail. I have consistently recommended to the Board to allow my salary to remain flat. Your disregard of my recommendations has led me to take a $5,000 gross reduction in my salary which was effective with the pay period beginning September 9, 2002. Linda and I are considering an additional $5,000 reduction in salary as I have just learned that health insurance costs will be increased by about 32% in February of next year. (Reference Pat Korth of United Health Care.) Sacrifices are in order.

Corporately. I think it will encourage our hearts if we can hear what the Master says. Two things: "Come to Me you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. And, "A seed must fall into the ground and die to bear fruit."

Could we possibly rest in the Lord about our financial problems? What does this mean? Let's consider the worst possible scenario in the light of God's Word. Say we did all we knew how to do to make adjustments, but the dollars just did not come in. And we go under. I know I could close up shop with no guilt or regrets. Our season would have ended. The seed would have been placed in the ground for God to care for and cause fruition beyond what we see. From a human standpoint, brothers, this is the worst scenario. And yet this doesn't sound catastrophic to me. Does it to you?

A companion thought to all this is that if the community, in the final analysis, does not support us, then perhaps they don't deserve us. However, I would be very slow to make this judgement. I am aware, more than anyone, that we are literally spending "the widows mite". Many have sacrificed to keep us afloat. I would have no bitterness in my heart about the community. Still, they would suffer loss.

I find these thoughts to be the Good News. They liberate me from my fears. They can you too.

My Position (continued)

I have decided to discontinue my push to elevate Mike. Not because he is not worthy of it, but because I am weary of the Board's resistance. I will cooperate and answer any questions you may have about my motive and perspective, but the time approaches for you to decide. Of course your decision can be "Yes." or "No." or "Not at this time." Or a combination of all these.

Whatever you decide, I believe I should remain in Spiritual authority over the ministry. This does not mean Mike would be rendered impotent by not having proper jurisdiction should you favor him assuming the role of Executive Director. I believe we can co-lead for a season until the proper time comes. I am also not advocating a reduction in my workload. Where this idea crept in, I am not sure. In fact, since the Board does not feel we can afford new staff, my workload will likely increase at a time I would rather be slowing the pace a bit. I'd like your permission to instruct Mike to transfer to my supervision six of our twelve programs. This would not be done immediately, but over the course of the next twelve-month cycle. I need to be re-oriented to the details of procedures and key players involved in each program. I have managed these programs before. I can do it again. I can also ask him to transfer to me the Operation Blessing checkbook through which all our benevolence dollars are expended. In this way he can be freed up to focus on fund raising and more interface with community leaders. I too am stepping up my church visitation itinerary (schedule through the end of 2003 available upon request).

I ask you not to minimize the level of disunity that currently exists at a Board level.

I would appreciate your thoughts on Hebrews 13:17.

"Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

Do you feel this does or does not apply to our relationship (the Board and me)?

Bob Books is willing to accept the responsibility talked about in this passage. So is my pastor Lee Heyward. Also Dave Hebert, but to a lesser extent now that he has relocated to Steven's Point. I personally do not believe this applies to the Board of TMOC. Do you really wish to give an account to the Lord for my soul?

My desire is that you stay with the practical aspects of governing the ministry as my peers. There is a dimension of me needing to both obey and submit to you from the heart. I do my best and will do my best in the future as long as your decisions remain congruent with the voice of the Spirit as understood by Jack Brown. Heaven help me.

My Request

Let's cool down. I'm working at it and getting there. Let's do whatever we need to do to draw together and reconcile our differences (I Peter 1:22)

Could you appoint someone within your ranks to schedule Board meetings? We must meet a minimum of four times per year with the November meeting devoted primarily to approving the next fiscal year's budget. Answer this question. What do I need to do differently prior to Board meetings to bring you up to speed on issues? We simply lack the time in Board meetings to adequately wade through all the laborious details and nuances of any given issue. Could the Board design a process for qualifying and placing new people on the Board?

Pray for one another. Pray for Mike, Gary, me and our families.

I hesitated to include this request. You'll not hear it from me again. If my health should take a turn for the worse, in the event of my death please do what you can for my widow. But I believe I shall live and know in a deeper way the power and goodness of the Lord.

My Vision

There seems to be some worry and concern about my vision versus Mike's vision. Mike can speak for himself. Here's mine:

I do not know how to put it more clearly.

My God

He too, can speak for Himself.

My Prayer

That we will listen.

Book Review: The Leadership Paradox

Author: Denny Gunderson Published by: YWAM, Seattle, USA 1997 Reviewer: Danny Martin (mailto: Danny@AsiaCenter.ac)

We all know that the Bible isn't a leadership manual, Jesus was certainly a leader, but he didn't teach much about leadership did he? Well Denny Gunderson thinks he did. That's what this book is all about.

The thesis of the book is that Jesus Christ was indeed the perfect model of leadership. Whether we work in business or in ministry, Jesus is the model we should follow.

Here are some of Denny's insights that challenged me.

  1. I need to spend more time with non-Christians just like Jesus did. He modeled involvement in the community by refusing to be captive to the wishes of his followers or the religious community.
  2. "The true servant leader, with nothing to prove and no vested interest, takes joy in seeing others grow beyond himself." p-32
  3. From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus charged those who experienced his power to say nothing about it.
  4. "The enticement of success and popularity can easily delude a leader into believing that fallacy that opportunity and guidance are synonymous." p-45
  5. "The servant leader seeks to help others grow, not by attempting to straighten them out, but by establishing a relational base of love and acceptance. The attribute of acceptance emanating from the leader often becomes the sole means of rescue for the despised, rejected and hopeless people of the world." p-57
  6. "Tolerance is the attitude of those who do not believe in anything." G.K. Chesterton p-63
  7. "Preparation for ruling and reigning with Christ does not begin with ruling and reigning. It begins and ends with service." P-74
  8. Submission must always be both ways. The principle of "covering" is used by Christian leaders to get others to submit to them. Jesus always asked leaders to submit down the chain of command, not up.
  9. Paul earned money to help support others and to be a model to others. Today, Christian tele-evangelists prey on the Christian public. The average viewer is a 55-65 year old widow or divorcee living just below the poverty line.
  10. "... humility is the willingness to be known for who we really are." p-113
  11. "It is always upon human weakness and humiliation, not human strength and confidence, that God chooses to build his kingdom; and that he can use us not merely in spite of our ordinariness and helplessness and disqualifying infirmities, but precisely because of them." p-122 God uses us for our sake, not his.
  12. It's difficult for charismatic personalities to depend on God because they have so much natural. God-given talent.
  13. Jesus entrusted his mission to a bunch of losers. We often demand perfection from our subordinates before we allow them any responsibility.
  14. "The goal of a leader-trainer is to grow people beyond himself. Jesus said to the disciples that they would do even greater things than he did." p-146

I think that this book has serious implications for Christian leaders. If we're following God instead of promoting our programs, Christ will get credit for what he accomplishes through us.