No room for abuse in the mission of Jesus

I hate reading and hearing the news today about Potter’s Field Ministry and MudMan Burgers. While I don’t know all the information, I have personally talked with some who have shared their story with me. Here is how I am responding:

1. I personally grieve over and with those who have been abused. This is never OK and should never happen. It upsets me that anyone would be treated as a less than. A statement we have at Canvas is that “ministry doesn’t happen at the expense of the volunteer.” There is no room for abuse in the mission of Jesus. NONE.

2. I personally grieve over the tarnishing of Jesus’s name today. When a ministry who says they are representing Jesus falls in a public way, the name of Jesus takes a beating. Today in the Flathead Valley the mission of Jesus will take a step back. Churches and other ministries will be attached to this failure and the name Jesus will be bashed and bruised.

3. I personally grieve over the failure of leadership. Leadership that cannot be questioned will do questionable things. Unchecked power is never healthy. EVER! Power, money, and lust corrupt. When those who are in leadership are not checked and leaders do not submit to authority it often becomes their downfall. Accountability is a welcomed friend to those who want to finish strong.

4. I personally grieve over the lack of financial accountability. Receiving donations of any kind comes with a high sense of responsibility to be the best stewards of those gifts. Today will cause people to think twice or three times before giving to a work that Jesus is truly blessing. I can’t and don’t blame them. When trust is broken both parties lose, but mostly the giver.

5. I personally grieve over Mike and Pam. I do not know them personally. I have met them only a couple times. Why grieve for them? Because I choose to believe that what probably started out as a genuine heart to reach and help people somewhere along the way got side-tracked. Somewhere they outgrew their leadership ability. Somewhere the ministry stopped being about Jesus and became about them. I never want to see anyone fall. It hurts.

6. I personally grieve over MudMan Burgers. It was my favorite hamburger. I loved the bacon and huckleberry shake. I loved the chili in my beard and after every bite having to use a whole paper towel to clean up for the next bite.

7. Tomorrow I will have a Five Guys burger. Tomorrow I will work harder than ever to share the goodness of Jesus. To be thankful for a leadership board that loves me enough to keep me in check. To honor every donation I am responsible for and most of all to value every team member for their gift that God has given them for His purpose.

Kevin Geer is lead pastor at Canvas Church in Kalispell.