SMYRNA, Tenn. The seven people presumed dead in a Saturday plane crash on Percy Priest Lake were all leaders at Remnant Fellowship Church in Brentwood. They should be called out and the repentant will not run away from what they have done. Shame on Mr. Loritts for injecting race and twisting racial stereotypes to make a point. "Our worship pastor, Rick Trotter, who is also the PA announcer for the Memphis NBA team, secretly videotaped me, and a host of other women and children in the restroom of the Fellowship Memphis church offices and in his home when he was on staff at the church as the worship pastor," wrote the victim. After being in a church where the pastor was a serial adulterer and all I kept hearing was he was such a good preacher, my current churchs approach has given me much more confidence in the leadership. (How many times are we hearing narratives on what a black person did to deserve being shot?) These men do what other narcissists do which is to deflect so there is no actual sorrow or repentance over their own evil. This is not rocket science. The Membership Process You belong at Fellowship Memphis. Hi. This will allow us all to separate facts from rumor.". Trotter was Loritts' brother-in-law at the time. Rant over we need to cut it straight. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A well-known retired Memphis pastor has died after being hit by a car while riding his bike Tuesday evening. The answers to those questions would shed a lot of light on both perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. At the same time I personally want nothing to do with national ministries or megachurches anymore. And even Loritts doesnt offer any evidence other than his own musings. Police reportedly found videos on Trotter's church-issued laptop showing him kneeling behind at least four women during worship service and recording under the women's skirt or dress with his cell phone. who claim to speak with the authority of God are graceless, and just as abusive as many of those they condemn for being the same. . The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the victims Wednesday, confirming the identities already released by Harvest Church. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. John Bryson, Lead Pastor of Fellowship Memphis Richard Rieves, Lead Pastor of Downtown Church While both churches are circling the wagons and covering their asses with numerous layers of legalese, one of Trotter's victims is accusing John Bryson and Fellowship Memphis of covering up Trotter's crimes. I felt very scolded. His legacy will live on through the family of brands he created by continuing to handcraft saddles and accessories for all types of riders and horse owners, Circle Y Saddles posted on Facebook. And though Loritts has left that church, and tried to put the allegations behind him, major questions remain. Timothy Russell, 62, was Second Presbyterian Church's pastor to middle . And if we pressed charges, it would ruin Rick Trotters life and the video would be played in court. Pastor of Harris Memorial Church in Greeneville, Tennessee from 1976-1979. Speaking for myself, I see how a lack of grace plays out across church demographics but in very different ways. He has taught classes for men in the church and at Downline Ministries on how to stand up to women, their mothers and their wives. Crimes stay on your record for good in spite of the fact that God forgives his children completely and forever. While I appreciate some of what Bryan Loritts is trying to say with regard to grace, he unfortunately came across as a bit of a scold. DEATHS. As our brothers and sisters in Christ grieve, we stand with them - not without hope, but recognizing the fragility of life and the promise of eternity. And over the past several years, Loritts has spoken at events sponsored by Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Moody Theological Seminary, and the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. M H I think youve missed the main point of this article, although you did pick up on one supporting point and mistook it for the main point. But the church did not report Trotter to authorities. "I am greatly bothered by the complete misinterpretation of a Mother's Day gift as a 'dish rag' and something that was meant to be hostile to women. John Bryson, former Acts 29 networkboard member and lead pastor of Fellowship Memphis, a popular multicultural church he helped found in Memphis, Tennessee, said he has hired a private investigator after allegations surfaced that he covered for one of his former worship directors, Rick Trotter, who was arrested earlier this month for "making upskirt videos of church members. Mr. Loritts, stereotypes are crutches for a narrow mind.I hope you seek healing for your enfeeblement. Should we? IMO, this toes the line, especially since you show no proof of Loritts wanting to silence anybody. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was a graduate of the University of Memphis. Jarrid Wilson, an associate pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, died by suicide on Monday, September 9, at 30 years old. That, and other stereotypes, should not be dragged into a discussion of predators in the pulpit. *The last two paragraphs were added after the initial posting of this article. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. His brother-in-law, Rick Trotter began to serve as worship pastor there in 2005 and remained on staff until 2010. . Who sets these rules? Interestingly, Ulmer recently hired Luke MacDonald to serve as the associate pastor of preaching and outreach at Faithful Central Bible Church. Skilled in teaching, communications, organizational strategy &. "We. God is full of grace and mercy but he is also a just God. Im grieved that Patrick took his own life, if that is indeed what he did. thx pastor, he wrote. Back in the early 90s, when a couple of celebrity pastors fell from grace, Chuck Swindoll published an article answering the question if pastors caught in adultery could ever serve as pastors again. Jarrid Wilson, a pastor with the Harvest Christian Fellowship Church, tweeted earlier in the afternoon that he was preparing to officiate the funeral of a Christian woman who died by suicide.. Has it occurred to you that bloggers may really care about the victims of pastors who sexually, physically, and spiritually abuse women, children, and other groups of people who are often marginalized by society? Funky, dog-haired bch, how dare you try and tarnish my motherfing homeboys reputation, punk motherfer., Snoop Dogg also threatened King, saying, Respect the family and back off bch before we come get you.. It should be obvious and expected that men have accountability if they pursue a calling to ministry, especially ministry leadership. It is in no way the bloggers fault. Each year our church offers gifts on Mother's and Father's Day. If there are qualifications it follows that a leader who has a major failing in any of these items has disqualified himself from leadership in the church. I think we can find black churches that are graceless and white churches that are graceful. Jarrid Wilson, 30, was a pastor with the Harvest Christian Fell - Martin Luther King Jr. But the last few decades have seen such a flowering of corruption in the evangelical world that it has left many of us with spiritual vertigo, embarrassed of our tribe, and no longer knowing what Christian radio station we can listen to, what church we can join, or what Christian institution we can attend that we are confident will not be run by a cabal of greedy men with little integrity. This tragedy is unfortunately being exacerbated by people taking sides and digging up dirt on one another. "These are minors whose minds. Church, Inc. 7 Followers. She did not even scratch the surface on this. Rather, I think working through racial injustice, racial inequity, and segregation in American churches is cheapened by injecting race into the question of predators in the pulpit. Pharisaical bull and worse. Please note that, actually, Loritts said white evangelicals lack grace. Bryson dismissed that allegation however as a complete misrepresentation of his church. I knew nothing about the Lorrits/Trotter events and wont comment on them. Specifically, a single incident of Trotter recording people in a bathroom was reported. Gwen Shamblin Lara (February 18, 1955 - May 29, 2021) was an American author, founder of the Christian diet program The Weigh Down Workshop and founder of the Remnant Fellowship. Not their job. Secondly, and more to the heart of the matter, Loritts actually let the cat out of the bag during his segment on pastors needing to have safe places to process their own weaknesses, struggles, and sin. Loritts also admitted in the video that when he was in his 20s, he committed a sin so serious that his pastor had every right to fire me. But Loritts said that his pastor, Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer of Faithful Central Bible Church, said instead, We dont do that over here.. "Our church is still in the Acts 29 network, but I rolled off the board in July because my term was up," said Bryson, reiterating a similar statement provided to CP by Acts 29. The Roys Report seeks to foster thoughtful and respectful dialogue. Doesnt mean I agree with or support Lorrits at all. In other words, no where am I telling Loritts (or you) to sit down and shut up. What sort of pastor cosigns on the likes of Snoop Dogg? . Similarly, The Commercial Appeal reported on August 11, 2016, that four of Trotters alleged victims told the paper that Bryson and possibly other church officials discouraged the victims from going to police. Luke. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Rather, it should be a humble calling. Its 2020, people!! The man is a 50 year old gang member who endorses smoking drugs and paraded several women around on their hands and knees on leashes. Dr. Johnny C. Bachus died on Tuesday, his family told WREG. He was also fired from his position as the voice of the Memphis Grizzlies as a result of the arrest. 033 286 7646: Rafal . Love Fellowship Ministries Im so over evangelical church- covering up aggregious crimes, obviously sins- but are crimes no less than any other place where innocents are taken advantage of. Instead, why cant that pastor (or elder or deacon, etc.) Patricks rebuke by his church four years ago was public as 1 Tim. It is not my intention to silence you at all, but to shed light on common reactions to arguments that include phrases like playing the race card. I actually think there arent enough white men who speak up on matters of race, so I do applaud your willingness to do so. Do you agree with him that bloggers are like white churches: Suffering from the malady of being graceless? I think there are churches where sexual sins are not taken seriously (thats obviously the case with Loritts Sr and Jr, and then it becomes a pattern. On February 17, Abundant Life Pastor Gary Anderson, apparently shaken by Lorittss sudden resignation, expressed dismay about Lorittss departure. One of the alleged victims, who was only 16 at the time of the recording, told The Commercial Appeal that Fellowships leaders discouraged her parents from going public. While I appreciate her reply and it was helpful I dont fully agree with her approach here. She also failed to point out that Lorrits was the last person in possession of Trotters recordings which took place at the Lorrits home, Trotters home and the church. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. Another alleged victim, who was 15 when she was recorded, said her family left Fellowship when they found out what lengths the church went to cover (Trotters crimes) up and keep it quiet., At that time, August 2016, Fellowship Memphis and Downtown Church issued a joint statement, claiming that the individuals victimized in 2010 were all adults and that none of the victims chose to press charges., However, about two weeks later, Loritts tweeted that Trotter had recorded a family member of his and claimed, We did immediately report to police and DCS.. 4,148 were here. If an unbeliever told me that the church, as they see it, is a clown show, I would have to agree with them. King had the audacity after Bryants death to mention Bryants 2003 rape charge when interviewing WNBA star Lisa Leslie. Teaching Pastor at The Donelson Fellowship in suburban Nashville, where he served for over 40 years. Visitation for Peggs will be held Friday, Feb. 19, 12 pm. Prior to the pandemic, we were in four locations (Downtown, East Memphis, Germantown, and Collierville) with five services. Why is that the only sin people can be called out for? The church is listed under a registry of Southern Baptist churches and was founded in 2013 by Vaughan. Of course there may be additional facts that we were not aware of in 2010 when we terminated Trotter, but to ensure we do get a clear understanding of the true facts, we have hired an outside firm to conduct an independent investigation. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. First, my deepest condolences to the Patricks family in their loss. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? Yet you want grace for BL, yet dont give Julie the benefit of the doubt. If there are few individuals like that, well, good. He seized this tragedy as an opportunity to blame innocent parties for Patricks death while also garnering sympathy for himself. But what Loritts did was unconscionable. He also noted that the current allegations regarding Trotter has nothing to do with his removal from the Acts 29 Network's board. Though Loritts said he doesnt condone threatening people, he said Snoop Dog did something beautiful when he rebuked King. So was Patricks restoration. Perhaps the crux of the matter isnt whether or not someone should be allowed to remain in ministry. It was then that a victim told The Christian Post about Loritts involvement in the alleged coverup of Trotters crimes in 2010. He was a resident of. Im getting really discouraged as we learn of one after another spiritual leaders who fail and fall. Could it be that by subtly playing his race card, Loritts really wants Julie Roys, Dee Parsons, Todd Wilhem, et al, to sit down, shut up, and keep their questions to themselves? We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. Springer, 36, according to Facebook, had family in Texas. "The individuals victimized, all adults, by this incident were notified of Trotter's misconduct, made aware that he had been terminated, and asked whether they wanted to press charges. As I tried to be respectful to you, please return the favor and give me credit for writing exactly what I mean and for having some basic intellectual understanding of the maladies of the white race and its institutions in American. Ill never walk away from or give up on Jesus and hope no one else does either. Crimes should be reported to civil authorities immediately. Tucker, 64, a church elder and pilot of the plane, was owner and president of the Yoakum-based Circle Y Saddles. One is trying to lead two different lives, while at the same time purporting to be the spiritual feeder/caretaker of the flock. Loritts and Bryson served as lead pastors at Fellowship Memphis. Morgan Parks, 61, was the associate pastor at Collierville. Did we refuse to let Patrick overcome his sin? In 2010, Trotter placed a hidden camera in a church bathroom to record voyeuristic videos. @JulieRoys Thank you for your response. This year, the female hospitality directors chose to order nice, new dish towels with room fragrances wrapped in them with a card attached to be offered as gifts on Mother's Day. Gwen Shamblin Lara. The church generally is soft, compromising, celebrity worship driven, worldly, not grounded in the Word, psychobabble crazy. This initial post is lacking; other posters agree and actually provide better context than Ms Roys. Maybe you would better understand whats really at stake if you took the time to research the facts and issues mentioned in this article. Im trying to understand the point of this post. So I wonder why Loritts is spouting such nonsense. Fellowship Memphis is a multi-site church currently hosting two services in two separate locations and online. He mentioned a pastors bad porn habit. He was 30, according to Religion News Service. Tell them you cant believe how they labor and care and give. You mentioned nothing about Darrin Patricks victims. Moody and Chris Brooks celebrating him and his writing? (Scroll earlier and you can see for yourself what I said wrote in my comment on May 14 at 3:05 pm). Well, I wrote in an earlier comment before my comment on yours that I am taking a risk, as a white man, in even trying to comment on matters of race. 5:20, But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. Loritts said that lack of grace is the malady of the white church. It should be a warning .you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Yet Luke was the first person to comment on Lorittss Monday Instagram post. He is pointing the finger and judging others that take issue with dirty old men treating Christ like their whore. In a statement shared via social media, Pastor Young said LeeBeth, 34, died Sunday night. However, police confirmed to multiple media outlets when the story first broke that no one from Fellowship Memphis had reported Trotters alleged crimes in 2010. Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. Like, theres a whole industry out thereblogging, Christian mediathat that exists and thrives off of fallen leaders. Where a weakness has been exposed wisdom may suggest that in some circumstances relinquishing a particular service is needed to protect potential future victims and, for the sake of the larger body, to stay above the possibility of suspicion. Too many of them are toxic. Four years ago, Loritts was accused of covering up sex crimes committed by his brother-in-law while both men were employed by a church in Memphis. A church where everybody is somebodyExperience Worship, Family, Fellowship, and Agape Love. The Remnant Fellowship Church, founded in 1999, reportedly has more than 1,500 members in 150 congregations around the world. That is the issue. Seriously? HBO's The Way Down traces Gwen Shamblin Lara's career from the outset of her Bible study weight loss program in the '80s to her 1997 book "The Weigh Down Diet" and eventual establishment . Loritts, on the other hand, left Fellowship Memphis in 2015 and took a job at Trinity Grace Church in New York City as pastor of preaching and mission. I happen to know that he did not blame me for what happened. The victims. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. Join us online on Youtube. 5:20 indicates it should be. Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you Ms. Roys for your perseverance and courage in exposing corruption. Jarrid shared the news with his followers on Monday at 11:01 a.m. writing . And Trotter, who also was the announcer for the Memphis Grizzlies, worked part-time as the worship pastor. I reached out to Loritts multiple times, asking for an explanation, but he did not respond. People of all color can discuss race; if that is not possible, then no healing of racial inequality and prejudice can ever occur. Join us online on Youtube. B Loritts is a total clown. We worship together each Sunday at 10:00 am. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. In 52 years of ministry, I have never had one of my associates fail in these sexual ways. I do agree this report was lacking significantly in detail. "John Bryson often preaches about the role of women and mothers that lead to men being persecuted, weakened and turned into women. Unfortunately, churches remain VERY segregated, so it is difficult to discuss the state of the church today and NOT discuss race. Looks to me that if anyone is out of pocket it would be Bryan Loritts. Keep yourself pure., It says much about how the heart is cloaked in sin. Fellowship Memphis, Many of you have received the tragic news of the loss of several leaders of Harvest Church in a plane crash today. Loritts and Bryson served as lead pastors at Fellowship Memphis. Is that helpful to a discussion of predators in the pulpit being caught and then restored to the pulpit to the horror of their victims? So it would appear that Loritts was aware that some of Trotters victims were minors. When asked about the accusations, Bryson, who was part of the Acts 29 Network board that ousted co-founder Mark Driscollover his personal scandals, said: "I do, however, want to be emphatically clear that I never destroyed evidence or discouraged anyone from going to the police. I implore us to prove Loritts wrong and show grace under those circumstances and not deflect or dig up dirt in response. The agency has not yet responded. As a preacher and teacher, Tom is known for his accuracy, clarity and practicality. No one is asking any of these people to be perfect but how about stay within the bounds of what is moral, ethical, and oh yeahLEGAL. Likewise, I would ask you why you DONT see race as playing any role in it. Has Lectured frequently at Fackelbrana, the Torchbearer's School in Holsybrunn, Sweden. His own underage boys were recorded, along with his own sister, still he never reported it.