EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK:  Flowers Among The Stones

We should ask not just “what happened?” We should ask “what can we learn?”

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in this column that you would see some subtle changes here at MinistryWatch in 2025.

One of those changes would be in the way we cover stories that relate to what we might call the “brokenness” in the world. It’s not enough simply to say what happened. We want to do a better job of saying why and how something happened, and to be more explicit about the lessons that we can learn from that story.

We published a couple of examples of that approach in the past two weeks.

Modeling Transparency

The most recent story is one of a church staff member in Tampa, Fla., who embezzled nearly $900 thousand.

As our reporter Jessica Eturralde wrote, “In November, a federal judge sentenced church employee Heather Darrey, 45, to 27 months in federal prison for wire fraud after she pleaded guilty to stealing from the parish she worked for.”

The investigation revealed that for five months Darrey spent the funds on mortgage payments, car and boat loans, and credit card bills for clothing, restaurants, vacations, and concert tickets—totaling $875,323.19.

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The fact that these actions took place over a five-month period is significant, because she had been a faithful employee of the church for 26 years. What happened during those last five months that caused her to change completely her behavior? We don’t know, but we do know that people are…well…people. When we forget that fundamental fact about ourselves and others, when we let guardrails fall into disrepair, when we get lax regarding transparency and accountability, disasters of this kind often ensue.

Another reason we wanted to do this story was to highlight and praise the vulnerability and openness of the church’s Finance and Operations Director Wendi Peña, who wants other organizations to learn from their experience.

And what are those lessons? Peña said, “It doesn’t matter how long staff members have been there. Everybody should have the same way that they’re looked at, the same protocols, and the same security around them. Pastors change, biblical thinkers change.”

Taking Responsibility

A story we published last week also had a dimension – and a lesson – that we rarely see. First, some background:

The story by Kim Roberts explains how a former youth pastor at The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, is now the subject of nine civil suits. Victims of Jackson Gatlin, 36, have sued him, the church, and its parent organization, Vineyard USA.

In November, Gatlin entered a plea agreement that requires him to serve 13 years in prison for sexually assaulting teen girls ranging in age from 11 to 16 between 2007 and 2010. Gatlin’s parents, who were involved in leadership at the church, also resigned from the church.

This story is horrific, and – unfortunately – far too common. MinistryWatch has written similar stories dozens of times over the past two years alone.

What is different here is the church’s posture.

In a statement on November 6 about Gatlin’s guilty plea, The Vineyard Church in Duluth said it welcomed the lawsuit.

“No one ever wants to be sued in civil court. Yet, we welcome this case and pray that it can bring healing and justice for the victims. Further, a case like this can help determine the relative responsibility of various parties,” the church statement said.

It’s easy – and not wrong – to say that this is exactly what the church’s posture should be. But my experience is that few if any churches in a similar situation would make such a statement. Churches too often circle the wagons, “lawyer up,” and go silent.

I don’t want to give the church too much credit. For too long it apparently tolerated staff and a culture that allowed the victimization of children. But now, with new leadership, it’s doing the right thing, or at least it seems to be making a sincere effort, and by that effort is showing a way forward for other churches tangled up in similar circumstances.

Restoring All Things

We live in a broken world, but God is in the process of restoring all things to himself. We get to participate – if we will. It is my prayer that the examples of these two churches will show many more the way forward.