Descriptions and Analysis of the Events at Takoma Park
The Epic, Pts. 1-85
September 30, 2008 –
May 20, 2012
A detailed, step-by-step account of the events at the Takoma
Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, from the factors that precipitated the
change in governance and how the change was accomplished to the lasting effects
on the congregation
Paul Borden Report
September 30, 2008
The document that started the trouble
“Code of Ethics”
June 26, 2009
A policy document introduced by the pastors to control the
lay leadership
“Code of Ethics”
Analysis
July 9, 2009Exactly what it sounds like—an analysis of the “Code of Ethics”
To Keep It Holy
December 28, 2009
A look at whether it’s appropriate to hold church business meetings on Sabbath
Sins of the Conference Pts. 1-5
September 30, 2009 – March 1, 2010
A detailed look at how the Potomac Conference mishandled the appeals process
Double Take
April 5, 2010
Analysis of the presentation made by Takoma Park’s senior pastor to the Potomac Conference Executive Committee
Us and Them
July 16, 2010
A consideration of appeal protocols and authority within the Adventist Church
Letter and Spirit
September 17, 2010
Analysis of how the Executive Committee’s recommendations were handled by Takoma Park’s pastors
A Look at the History of Adventist Governance
Our Roots, Pts. 1-48
January 23, 2009,
November 10, 2010 – November 6, 2011
An exploration of the history of Adventist governance, the principles behind it, and how the present system of organization came to be
The Lessons from Our
Roots
January 28, 2011A highlight of the attitudes with which the founders of the Adventist Church approached the concept of formal organization
The Principles of
Organization
March 2, 2011
A list of the principles embodied in the original form of
organization adopted by the Adventist Church
Principle Over Form
July 1, 2011
A look at how the original organizational principles
continued to be central in the reorganization of 1901
Conclusions from Our
Roots
November 13, 2011
The take-aways of how this history lesson applies to the
present reorganization attempts embodied in the Growing Healthy Churches Initiative
Gospel Order, Pts. 1-8
November 20, 2011 – January 29, 2012
An article series published in the Review and Herald in 1909 in response to attempts to change the organization of the Adventist Church in ways not endorsed by the Spirit of Prophecy
Examinations of the Philosophies and Strategies of the
Healthy Church Initiative
Bullseye: (14 Posts)
April 12, 2010 – June 11,
2010
The church growth philosophies of Paul Borden form the core
of the Growing Healthy Churches (GHC) Initiative. This series examines those philosophies as
laid out in Borden’s book, Hit the
Bullseye.
Structure vs.
Evangelism
October 8, 2008
GCH contends that present Adventist governance structures
impede local evangelistic potential. Is
this contention valid?
How does the new
structure work?
October 19, 2008The nuts and bolts of the altered governance system at Takoma Park
Appearances: Obedience is Better than “The Healthy Church Initiative”
April 24, 2009
A perspective on following our own bright ideas vs. the expressed will of God
Hoarded Authority
March 25, 2011
An unmasking of the power play behind GHC
Responses to Issues Raised by Commenters
Fairness…But With Honesty, Pts. 1-8
October 6, 2009
A response to varied accusations made by an anonymous
commenter
In His Own Eyes
January 7, 2010
An examination of whether the Church Manual is mandatory or merely a guideline
The Enormous Tiny
Word
November 13, 2009
An examination of if and how the counsel of Matthew 18
applies to public church policy disputes
Examinations of Other Issues that came up Along the Way
The Lord’s Anointed, Pts. 1-3
November 17, 2009 – December 4, 2009
Does the biblical counsel to “touch not the Lord’s anointed”
mean that lay members cannot voice disagreement with their pastors?
Church Discipline, Pts. 1-3
October 4, 2010 – October 13, 2010
Is church discipline warranted when members disagree over
matters of church policy?
What is Unity?
April 18,2009Does the maintenance of church unity require uniformity of thought and action?
What is Unity? (conclusion)
April 24, 2009
A continuation of What
is Unity?
Change
January 22, 2010
Is change a good thing or a bad thing?
The Right Way
February 1, 2010
How the Church Manual
says local church governance ought to operate
What Has Been Done
All Along
July 21, 2010
Does the General Conference overreach its authority by what
it stipulates in the Church Manual?
Because God Said Not
To
November 29, 2010
Why not borrow good ideas from other denominations?
Omega
December 11, 2011
A list of indicators of apostasy within the Church
Advice from the
Spirit of Prophesy, Pts.1-37
September 28, 2008 –
May 6, 2012
Collections of statements made by Ellen White which pertain
to the assorted subjects addressed in this blog
A Word From New
Zealand
April 29, 2009
An account of what happened in an Adventist congregation in
New Zealand when they adopted the church growth philosophies of Paul Borden
How to get a Church
Administrator’s Attention
July 25, 2011 Tips for bringing a local problem to the attention of church administrators in a way that will make them sit up and take notice
Parts of the Whole
February 12, 2012
A look at the relationship between the individual member and
the church body, specifically considering whether a member should shut up or
speak up when they disagree with the actions of church leaders
The Tools of Upper
Management
March 11, 2012What administrators from the higher levels of the Church can and cannot do to address local problems
