Decelerated Trust

So much to process. I woke up thinking about how GFA is trying so hard to hold on.  I feel for them, I want the ministry to function again but I fear it will not.  Gayle nails it that KP has a scorched earth policy. 

1. Your response was and still is a “scorched-earth” approach that is willing to burn down anyone and anything in the way of your own conclusions and status.  
   (From a letter he wrote to KP which you can read in it's entirety on Pathos)
   

When I had the opportunity to meet the founder of Hope for the Heart, she used gentle words but she said much the same thing.  I'm paraphrasing here but we talked about how in a spiritually abusive situation the abuser will bring someone under his wing. Will raise them up, give them favor, and then one day they will not fade away, or move on, but rather crash and burn in a ball of flame. Here again we see that reality, Gayle speaks of it in his letters to KP found at This link at Patheos. KP claimed when J.D. left he would always be "a part of the GFA family."  maybe he was really saying it this way "apart from the GFA Family." 

Gayle Erwin Resignation  is dated October 3rd. From GFA's CC letter  posted October 28th 
In retrospect, we realize that we have should have sought experienced outside counsel at times to help us in dealing with the complexities that come with a ministry of our size. To strengthen our ministry and further improve our processes, we are working hard toward becoming eligible to re-apply for ECFA. GFA’s eight board members are standing strong and aiding the ministry in these matters.

The above excerpt has been getting on my nerves for a awhile now. Firstly Gayle Erwin resigned on October 3rd, Who replaced him? How did they get 8 board members if one resigned over the fact his voice, his concerns were not heard! The Diaspora warned them, Gayle warned them, one of the staff that quit after the "talk to the hand" Response Letter to The Diaspora also warned them to seek outside help. It is all so disingenuous.

Last November my husband and I listened to Stephen Covey Jr's books in the car ride to my brothers house.  He got so excited about these ideas that while we were at a gas station he emailed the contact person over at Speed of Trust and asked him about materials. Within 15 minutes the company had called My Knight in Shining Armor back and was sending him all the documents to be able to share these ideas with a larger group. At no charge!  Free! They want healthy work environments for people.

Look at our naivete we actually thought we could foment change  at GFA from the bottom up. We discussed how different GFA would be if it had a trust based working environment. We were excited about the possibilities of being people who could help cut through the miasma of control. The culture that GFA had become was no longer a great place to work. Our desire was to see change, for trust, and grace to grow. Tom offered up this idea to KP.  Lets introduce the book (from the leadership library) in a seminar format to all co-ordinators and senior leaders.  KP suggested he do it at the General Assembly.  My husband then put together a shortened version of the ideas in the Speed of Trust and took it with him.   While at the General Assembly it was never mentioned. When he returned it was not implemented. It was just a carrot on a stick.

KP says "What a good idea!" to your face but then inhibits the action, it smacked of manipulation. We did not want to leave our beloved ministry. We wanted it to grow, change, develop. I have said it before it is like GFA is in it's adolescence. I now think GFA is in arrested development. No organization functions well without change, growth, moving with the times. If a ministry today relied on news papers and letters in our digital age they would fail. If you keep acting like it's a Mom and Pop shop when you have 100 franchises your business will fail.  Micro managing, not trusting people leads to more work, not less.

I sit and wonder has the massive exodus of staff this year caused leadership to trust where they would not normally trust? This could be a healthy thing that allows growth, but is this growth like a forced bulb in a hot house... if you expose it to the realities of the weather will it shrivel up and turn black?  Sadly I do not think an environment of grace and trust can abound at this time.  Unless they truly move forward get help they speak of the in the CC letter. Remove people who cannot change, adjust the thinking of those in leadership and perhaps change the core value "Reaching the lost at any cost." to the one in India that is softer which can be found here...  oh look the GFA india site is down for maintenance.  Can we say the USA is now blocked from seeing what is happening on the India website.  Way to build trust and show transparency in a digital age GFA! Or we can give them the benefit of the doubt and say its truly is down for maintenance.  But wait I have a screen shot from Believers Church.  See how the Core Value #9 is Being a people with passion for souls.  A very different message from reaching the lost at any cost.

My hearts cry is still Yahweh-Rapha.