Trust Deed Clause Abuses

(Church Euthanasia)

March 27, 2007

The Trust Deed Clause is required in the Free Methodist Discipline to be inserted into the property deeds of all local churches.

This Clause affects not just abandoned properties as Resolution #910 proposes, but makes local churches captive to their conferences. They are not “Free” Methodists.

Contrary to General Conference resolutions #907 and #908 proposed by Great Britain which point to a “protection” of local churches from being taken over by bad influences, the Trust Deed is now used with malice and hostility by conferences against local U.S. churches. It keeps local churches from being effective in making disciples and planting churches because of frequent conflicts with conferences. It is sometimes used to enforce the Appointment System by forcing a church to take an ineffective pastor – or else. It is sometimes used to enforce bad Judicial Decisions from MEG boards by forcing a church to accept the outcome – or else. Between 1996 to 2005 (or 2006), 348 churches were closed and property seized from many XLS. While exact statistics are uncertain due to errors in the Yearbook data, perhaps tens of millions of dollars (maybe $50 million) was seized or lost between 1996-2005. With this evidence, Great Britain would be within their rights to invoke their “escape clause” because truly a “doctrinal shift” has occurred regarding this Clause:

WHEREAS, when the Free Methodist Church in England was established in 1971, the Directors of the Free Methodist Church of North America gave a written undertaking that if the Free Methodist Church of North America moved away from its historical Biblical position the Trust Clause would be null and void so far as the United Kingdom is concerned.

Free Methodists now use the Trust Deed Clause to close living churches, seize the property, bank accounts, and other assets, and drive the remaining people away. Then the property is often sold and money distributed to other churches. Often people who make the decisions to close churches and seize properties are part of churches which have benefited in the past from this money, or will benefit in the future. Thus there is an irresolvable conflict of interest, and sin, that is part of every closing and seizure of a living church. Conference and denominational leaders violate Christ’s command to “love one another” by practicing hostility toward many local churches. They really should repent of this, or face eternal judgment.

Some churches have been closed as part of a systematic Rebirthing Policy which I call Church Euthanasia. This destroys living churches for the benefit of others much like killing a relative through euthanasia to take the inheritance early.

The Policy and one story of 107 people driven away The Resolutions to GC 1999

The desperate attempted appeal to General Conference in 1999 was ignored by the bishops and the GC delegates. The church that grew to 107 attenders from 29 members was ultimately closed. The pastor was expelled, his parchments declared “Null and Void” by the Southern California MEG over a local church personnel staff matter. After the failed attempt to appeal at the General Conference, the Southern California MEG board demanded an apology for even attempting the appeal. It made them look bad to speak the truth presented here, but without truth ALL appeals will be prevented. Injustice will multiply upon injustice.

My own company (and many government agencies) has a “no retaliation” policy that there can be no retaliation against a person who raises an ethical issue – even if the issue is later decided to be insignificant. It is a firing offence to retaliate against a person trying to speak the truth, and the company does this to promote honesty and integrity that would never occur if whistleblowers could be easily punished. Not so in Free Methodist conferences. Retaliation occurred to me, my church, and my pastor.

Free Methodist church seizures also happen in New York State. I personally (David Bicksler) received a written testimony by a pastor and his wife who attended a MEG meeting where there was another attempt to close and seize my new church’s property. This time the church was saved through months of prayer, and the leader threatening the church was moved to another conference. No other witnesses were permitted at the meeting, even though a request to have them present was made in advance to the Superintendent. This was a “secret” meeting which leaders now “don’t remember” and didn’t keep written minutes – all except for the pastor and his wife.

It doesn’t always have to happen this way. Resolution #910 speaks of the Hawthorne church which was allowed to leave the denomination with its property that it brought in after settling financially with the conference. In that case, Southern California is to be commended for not crushing to death yet another church – leaving just an empty building.

The Discipline provides for church closures when there are less than ten members. This covenant (or contract) is violated when churches with 10 or more members are seized and closed. At least 3191 members, 5755 attenders, and 1010 converts have been affected by these closures, including 101 with 10 or more members. Resolution #910 lists full statistics, and the XLS file has details on churches.

It is only due to the grace and forgiveness these offended people have given conference leaders hostile to them that churches have not sued conferences for Breach of Contract. The Discipline forms a contract that if violated puts the conference into the Breach. Courts enforce broken contracts in the U.S. every day, and a lawsuit could eventually force conferences to repay the millions of dollars unjustly gained. It only takes a smart lawyer willing to enforce the law – and not forgive and show grace. This would bankrupt the conferences, and the denomination, for whom the property was held in Trust. The other local churches within those conferences are bound to suffer such a loss also.

George Patterson’s model in Resolution #910 could make churches which self-pastor, and not be shut down so easily. If these churches rent property or meet in homes, they will avoid the unpleasantness that comes from the Free Methodist Trust Deed Clause – before that Clause is reformed or abolished for good.

Beware of Resolution #901 proposed by the national Board of Administration. It would insert the word “permanently” into every Trust Deed Clause, and shut down even more churches. The Hawthorne church which in 2002 had 415 adult members, 350 worship attenders, and 210 converts would have been seized and turned into an empty building, and perhaps the congregation would have not been able to leave their building and survive through the hostility. This would grieve the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ who died that churches might multiply disciples. One church congregation in Holiday Florida in 1998 did leave an empty building when their pastor was convicted by a MEG board, and the congregation believed him over the weaker answers given by conference and denominational leaders. My wife’s grandfather heard those answers he called weak and was part of that church. Free Methodists have no speedy appeals process to overturn MEG board errors and preserve churches. So the pastor left without attempting a 3-4 year appeal, and they built another building to grow as an independent church.

It is truly evil to seize properties this way and force churches which bring their properties into the denomination to leave empty handed when the conference thwarts their ministry vision. Pray for each BOA member by name, including the 4 bishops and superintendents and lay people, that their hearts would get right with God. Seizing property this way is ugly and unChristian - something followers of Christ should never do. No New Testament church was closed and seized in this way. Yet they approved and proposed this terrible resolution to the General Conference 2007.

A test in Annual Conferences and the General Conference is to ask each leader:

Do you support seizing the properties from living churches with 10 or more members, and driving the people away?

If their answer is not an unequivocal NO – people who do that should not be in leadership!

Then please vote for more worthy candidates to conference and denominational leadership, including for the superintendents and bishops. The future of many churches hangs in the balance.

A second test for leaders who justify closing churches are the following questions:

1. Did you or anyone else from the conference or denomination go and disciple the local church board, taking the weeks or months that would be needed to bring them to maturity?

2. When you knew the current and previous pastors all failed to disciple people within the local church, why did you let that continue?

3. Why did you then just blame the people and not the failure of the MAC and other leaders to appoint proper pastors?

4. If you had a problem with the pastor, why did you consider it “none of the local church’s business” and keep them away from your discussions with him or her? Did you really think this would effectively enlist the local church in welcoming the changes you would propose?

5. A year or two before you considered closing the church, why didn’t you meet with the church board regularly to explain what the pastor and church were failing to do – and solicit help and advice on how to get the church making disciples to add new converts, attenders, and members?

Godly leaders will help our denomination to grow. They take personal responsibility for outcomes to match the authority given them.

UnGodly leaders will cause it to fail – like it is doing now. They shirk personal responsibility for the bad outcomes under their watch.