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Statement of Repentance


My wife and I have called Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago our home church for 23+ years. We have seen God do great things in and through Harvest in that time. We have served as small group leaders and coaches and continue to do so. We have been blessed to invest in many couples through newly married small groups. We have led mission trips to help sister churches in Romania, Moldova, and Haiti. We enjoy it all and count it as service to our Lord Jesus. This statement is about my service as an elder at Harvest Bible Chapel. It is a personal statement, not a statement on behalf of anyone else. It is not a statement on behalf of the church.

I served as an elder on the larger elder board from 2010 through 2015 (i.e., two consecutive 3-year terms before a mandatory roll-off). I was off the board for the three years between December 2015 and late December 2018. I rejoined the board in late December. Up until a few weeks ago, I counted it a privilege to have served as an elder at Harvest Bible Chapel, a church God has used to multiply believers, multiply leaders, and multiply churches. But information that has come to light recently has made me rethink my involvement. There have been many tearful and sleepless nights, much prayer, and conversations with my wife and dear brothers in Christ. I have seen my sin for what it is and must repent of it. I am convicted to act on that now.

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:3-5)

  • I apologize for not listening to those who tried to bring issues to light. I should have made it easier for brothers and sisters who called Harvest home to come to me. Please forgive me.
  • I apologize for vilifying people outside Harvest who tried to bring issues to light. Please forgive me.
  • I apologize for agreeing to place three of my fellow elders – i.e., Dan Marquardt, Scott Phelps, and Barry Slabaugh – under church discipline and excommunicating them in 2013 when they raised concerns. (Dan/Scott/Barry – Please forgive me. I look forward to a time, hopefully soon, when I can sit with you and express this in person.)
  •  I apologize for signing a statement of “unconditional support” for our former senior pastor in December. I was wrong. Harvest congregation – Please forgive me for causing confusion. (I could do my best to unconditionally love someone – i.e., Harvest’s 5th pillar. But I cannot realistically pledge unconditional support of any man.)
  • I apologize for not holding our former senior pastor accountable for his actions. I apologize for being OK with a structure that did not allow the visibility needed for real accountability. (I could tell you all about the structure and the part it played. That may be another statement.) As I have said to many of you in person recently, I am so sorry. Please forgive me.


I am sorry for the way I have handled my duty as an elder. As soon as men are identified to serve as the new elders to lead our church forward and we can conduct the needed transition, I will roll off the board. For now, I want to help our church rebuild. I believe we have taken some solid steps in that direction over the last few weeks, including reducing the board from 30+ to 9, getting outside help, and other steps. However, it is not enough. There is more work to do. More changes are needed and are needed soon. If our congregation will allow me, I desire to help redirect and change Harvest, to position us completely back toward Jesus Christ alone. I pray as the Third Day song, “Lead us back where we belong.”

I am speaking only for myself. I am speaking differently than some others. I may be speaking sooner than some others. But I remain hopeful others will follow. That is between them and God. In the end, I am convicted to act in repentance now. I am hopeful my doing so will help break down the old Harvest culture and start to move us to a new, open, honest, gracious, forgiving, loving culture in the first year of what I pray will be a newly revived church.

O, Lord, we desperately need your help! Have mercy on us.

Sincerely,
Dan George

Comments

  1. ChandaFebruary 22, 2019 at 7:01 PM

    Thank you. May this not be the only statement like this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dan georgeFebruary 25, 2019 at 7:21 PM

      I pray that it will not be, that others will follow soon.

      Delete
  2. Lori RidderFebruary 22, 2019 at 9:33 PM

    Dan - I’m very thankful to see this statement. Although we left HBC a while ago, I’ve followed the situation closely and was actually disappointed when your “unconditional support” signature appeared. It was not immediate and therefore I held out hope that you would be the man that would Rise Up. Regardless, I am encouraged to see you do that now. I will pray as you help to rebuild. There is much good at Harvest, once the cancer is removed, and I believe that you are part of that good. Thank you for being courageous and faithful to God.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jo Anna RiegerFebruary 22, 2019 at 10:44 PM

    “Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.

    The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions...Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves...”
    ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭7:6, 10-11‬, 13

    This is Hope rising from the ashes. Praise God for your plea. Brother, you are forgiven.

    We all “fed” the “cancer” with whatever resources we continued to offer HBC when the Holy Spirit was banging on our hearts. We are one body and the call for consecration/holiness falls on us all, not just our leadership.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2019 at 12:57 PM

    thank you

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownFebruary 24, 2019 at 12:12 AM

    Having just left Harvest after 18 years as an active church member I am grateful that at least one of the elders is acknowledging the sin. In your post you stated "For now, I want to help our church rebuild." May I respectfully suggest you consider not only seeking repentance but consider taking action by stepping down immediately . The Elder board has failed us and therefore should not expect to be allowed to rebuild and redeem the church.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dan georgeFebruary 24, 2019 at 12:59 AM

      Thank you for the reply. I am stepping down from the board. I will stay only long enough to transition to other men who will lead our church going forward.

      Delete

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