Why I left the Wesleyan Church in 2006
This is something that I have debated about writing for over 15 years. The first church I ever attended as a Christian was a Wesleyan Church and I was a licensed minister in the Wesleyan Church from around 1998 through 2006. Many people have wondered why we suddenly left the Wesleyan Church in 2006 and began worshiping and serving in a Vineyard Church. Moreover, a larger question is why did I leave the pastoral ministry, begin working at Verizon, and stay out of the professional ministry for so long. I might add that I'm writing this as the thoughts come to me, so apologies for bad grammar or repetitive sentences.
To my Wesleyan friends that read this - please understand that I am not attacking the Wesleyan church nor am I discounting the overall wonderful journey I had as a Wesleyan. I follow the global Wesleyan movement quite closely and am in alignment with almost all of the tenets of Methodism. In many ways, I am still a Methodist in the purest form. However, certain views in the Wesleyan Church (denomination) are what I had discovered that I could no longer be compatible with. As I write this, I want to make it clear that I am not interested in any debates regarding spiritual gifts (or any legalistic rulesets) - that ship has sailed and I’ve landed squarely where I have landed. We all must come to a point where we recognize where we are compatible and where we are not.
I’ve been asked by many people over the years - in 2006 why did I leave the paid ministry as a pastor in the Wesleyan Church, begin volunteering at a Vineyard Church and begin working a secular job? I could list many reasons. The church where I was pastor (Dice Wesleyan) was actually doing well and we had seen good growth over the course of 5 years. Was I burned out? Had I reached a spiritual plateau? Did I need a higher income to cover the costs of our growing family? These are all partially true. Back then, in my late 20’s and early 30’s, you couldn’t really tell me I was wrong about anything. I knew that I was far from perfect and frequently confessed various issues I dealt with to my spiritual mentors, like any good pastor should do. All of those questions could be answered with a “partially yes - all of those contributed toward my hiatus from professional ministry.” However, there was one larger issue that ultimately led to the decision to exit my denomination. I’ll get to that in a moment, but first - I need to talk about the biggest failure of my ministry career.
The process of me confiding in some people that I was going to be transitioning out of the Wesleyan church should have gone better and the tensions were completely my own fault. I was still very immature in many ways and did not communicate my intentions clearly with everybody that should have known. I ended up resigning more abruptly than I wanted to, and if I could go back - I would have done things much, much differently. As a part of my transition, I took a job at Verizon while still pastoring the church on a full-time basis without fully explaining what my plan was. This was a big-time error on my part. This caused confusion and caused significant concerns about my commitment to the church. There were some hard feelings and some heated arguments as I left and I did not fully explain why I was leaving. Even the new district superintendent got involved, and he chided me pretty hard about how haphazard my process was. There were some wounded people and it was my fault. He was right. I should have been fully up-front about what my motives were and let my key leaders in on my plan. People were getting mixed messages, and I fully understand the stress this caused. What most people did not know is this: the issue of spiritual gifts was my primary reason for resigning. Brutal honesty is usually better than leaving important things out for the sake of being nice. My clumsy exit process from Dice Wesleyan Church was the biggest failure of my ministry. When Dice Wesleyan closed for good in 2020, I felt that I was partially responsible and have cried many tears because of this. I feel like a spiritual hole was created in Freeland with that church's closure. I pray that the next steps in my own ministry will help fill that hole, God willing.
I was out of the pastoral ministry from 2006 to 2018. I did not intend to stay out of pastoral ministry for so long. All I can say is that time speeds up when you're raising a family! I had many conversations with my pastor about getting back into ministry, but I was in a season of waiting and growth. It was so hard to be patient for God's direction! I was blessed to be assigned back into pastoral ministry, this time in the Vineyard, in 2018 and to be officially ordained in 2020. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to serve the Lord in this capacity once again!
Now, to the core reason that sparked my exit from the Wesleyan church and ultimately led to my time away from pastoral ministry...
The Wesleyan Discipline 265:10 reads as follows:
I actually agree with much of this paragraph. I have never believed that the gift of tongues is the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit or the proof of any particular subsequent work of grace. While this is something my classical Pentecostal friends believe, this is not a view that I have ever held. However, in 1996 after receiving prayer at a church in Nicholasville, Kentucky - I began speaking in tongues. It’s difficult to explain this experience - it certainly freaked Tiffany out at the time (and me)! I began pouring through my Bible and reading New Testament scholars in an attempt to reconcile this experience with responsible, well rounded, and solid scriptural understanding.
The problem was that in 1996 I was so young in the faith and my denomination had a clear statement forbidding the promotion or teaching regarding even personal or private use of tongues (quoted above). I was conflicted and confused. Yet, I concluded that my understanding of the scriptures and my personal experience disagreed with that of the Wesleyan Church. Over the course of the next couple of years, I had wanted to move to a Vineyard church even then. I had been exposed to John Wimber’s books and the books of other Vineyard leaders and felt right at home with their core theology and practice. I wanted to be a part of a church family that would allow me to freely share about this experience or preach what I believed the scriptures taught on the subject of tongues, but at the time Tiffany and I could not find unity in this choice, so I stayed Wesleyan and kept my experience to myself. Over time, the urge faded and I let it go. I did grow significantly under the teachings of Wesleyan scholars such as Charles Carter and Wayne Caldwell. I also enjoyed the mentoring of many loving and caring leaders and pastors in the North Michigan District of the Wesleyan Church. I will always be grateful for them and am friends with many of them to this day.
However, during my tenure as a lead pastor at Dice Wesleyan, somewhere in the around 2004-2005 I had started running out of gas, spiritually. During my private prayer time I once again found myself moved to pray in a language I did not know. I resisted, but ultimately felt permission from God to do so. It was, for me - a beautiful experience. I felt life and freedom flowing into my faith again. Yet, here I was in a denomination that was not compatible with this experience. I was not going to stand up and protest or raise a fuss. At some point, I knew that something would need to happen - I was no longer compatible. I knew that I needed to make a change, and at this time - Tiffany was on board and was also sensing God’s call for a transition. As I explained earlier, this is where things got rocky at our church. I checked out mentally and was looking for the best way that I could transition without offending anybody. I didn’t tell people why - I just did things - and this, again, was my biggest failure. As a leader, I should have been up front and honest about my motivations. Even if it hurt some feelings, it would have been far better to be up front and honest and develop a transition plan.
Since 2006, being under the leadership of Don Milton, my pastor at New Life Vineyard, has taught me so much about responsible leadership, functional structures - and most of all - being straight up honest with people, no matter what. Don has demonstrated this time and time again. I’ve watched leaders transition in and out of our church and the process has always been up front, open, honest, and as leaders come and go - there has always been a process of honoring and blessing these transitions. Even as Don is transitioning out of the lead pastor role, and moving to a pastor emeritus role this year, the process has been patient with full communication and cooperation. Witnessing the honorable and up-front process of transitions has been more valuable to me than nearly any class I’ve taken in my life. This is why I needed to be at this church - I needed to get this lesson through my thick skull!
Now, back to tongues for just a sec - to this day, praying in tongues is an important part of my own devotional life. While I agree with Paul, who wished that all could speak in tongues, I have never used it as a badge of superior spirituality nor do I push that people ever fake something. To this day, some of the most holy people I know do not speak in tongues and I do not think less of them for it. Yet, my own experience was undeniable. Both of these things can be true at the same time! While I do not think that someone should ever reject a gift of God, but if they have sincerely sought everything that God offers them and in God's sovereignty has not given a gift, who are we to question God?
In conclusion, I wanted to jot down my thoughts as to why I was no longer a Wesleyan - again, not to bash the Wesleyans - I love the Wesleyans! I hope this has offered some clarity and perhaps answer some questions as to why we are where we are and after 16 years I’m on the verge of moving pack into a lead pastor role as a church planter.
With all my love and appreciation,
Mike
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