No Secrets

We sometimes need to be reminded of why we do ministry.  The calling on my life was given to me when I was 21 years of age.  There were no words that any individual could have given me to persuade me to enter the ministry, or to stay out of the ministry.  When God tugged at my heart to follow Him into full time service for His kingdom, it was only because of His call.

To this day, I look back over the 28 years of ministry, and without a doubt, if my ministry work was for anyone one or anything other than God, I would not do it.  I serve an audience of One.  With that being said, I want to share with you some recent media attention that Lisa and I have received.

A local reporter has spent what seems to be a great deal of time investigating me concerning my integrity as the leader of Fellowship Church.  We have not seen the piece that was aired, nor will we give credence to it by watching.  We do know that the report is scathing and creates the idea that I, along with my wife Lisa, have been dishonest in our business dealings and with our use of Fellowship Church as a means of obtaining personal wealth.

The reporter sent an email request for information, but refused to give us any details or information that he obtained from an anonymous source.  He only said that he has spoken with former staff members about us. But we have no verification of who he has spoken with.  We do not know his source(s) and it is irrelevant to us.  What we do know is that this report was made based on fragments of information gathered out of context and anonymously, and that it disregarded documented information that the Board of Directors for Fellowship Church is privy to and that is known by legal counsel and accounting audits.

The piece insinuates that I keep secrets from the congregation of Fellowship Church and that I use Fellowship Church to create personal wealth. Let me say very clearly, Lisa and I have no secrets. 

My life is lived in an aquarium, and I am not ashamed of that fact.  Do I share every detail of my life with the congregation of Fellowship Church?  No.  But it isn’t because my life is secretive.  It is because there are details that the proper people know, hold me accountable to and make the decisions based on what is best for Fellowship Church and its ministries.

I have never claimed to have lived a perfect life. I do, however, claim to live a life of integrity. I don’t make that claim lightly. 

Before God, the Board of Directors and the legal and financial accountants have governed the workings of Fellowship Church and its staff.  We operate in a manner that is “worthy of the calling of Christ Jesus” and have no apologies, nor would we change anything that we have done on behalf of the unbelievable ministry of Fellowship Church. 

Ironically, the reporter told a Public Relations spokesperson for Fellowship Church that this story was set to air during sweeps week, as it will be of high interest. 

Well, every week is sweeps week for Fellowship Church. And we will continue to do ministry with those who are far away from God in mind, and we will work tirelessly to make sure that the message of Jesus is at the forefront of everything we do.

The past 20 years have exceeded anything we could have ever imagined. Yet, at the same time, we truly believe the best is yet to come! We hope to see you this weekend as I begin a brand new message series called "Influence”.

Comments

[jordons]

we tithe and we see a change in not only our lives but in the lives of others who do so and a lot of this great change is because of your leadership. Thank you for being so honest with the church we will continue to pray. And it is like you mentioned when you go for the target you become the target. Last year was great, the fast was incredible and it is no shock to me that this happened. We will continue to pray and I ca not wait till C3!

[Judy Holzworth]

I had never heard of Ed Young Ministries until Oct or Nov of 2008. I have watched and listened to your (Ed's) sermons as often as I could since then. I have told my 2 youngest children who are 26 yrs old and 24 yrs old about your ministry and encouraged them to watch it. My son is walking on the fence and my daughter, the youngest, does not know Jesus Christ. I praise God for your ministry because I believe you, Ed Young are anointed by the Lord, God Almighty for preaching and teaching the Word of God. I believe God uses you for the younger generation and I know He has used you in my life and I am 49 years old. I praise God for His faithful shepherds who continue to serve Him no matter the cost. My paraphrase, it has been granted to us to believe in Jesus Christ and to suffer for His sake. To God be all the glory, honor and praise forever!!! A sister in the Lord Jesus Christ, Judy

[Teri]

Pastor,

I want to thank you for addressing the highlights of the recent negative media about you and about our church. I respect you very much for standing before God and the church and speaking the truth. Thank you very much. God Bless as He leads you.

Teri Fittz

[ChapaBNC]

the word says dont judge or critisize my people for you invite the chastizment of the LORD keep doing what God has called you to do GOD will protect you your family and your ministry

[Ben Barnett]

Ed and Lisa - I know you two are strong and you and the Church will pull through this as you always have. But more than anything my concern is for the many "non-saved souls" that will turn away from the Church and Christ because of this news break. I say we all pray for them and ask Christ to help us reach those lost sheep that desperately need a Savory.

Ed, Fellowship Church and Owen Goff will always hold a special place in my wife's and my hearts.

[Oscar Banks]

Keep pressing and keep preaching. God is with you and I love to hear Him speak through your messages. The same way Jesus warned the Peter and the Disciples, it is true for us as pastors, Satan desires to have us and sift us as wheat. But keep standing for what you know is right and you will continue to strengthen those who are coming under you.

Grace and Blessings,
Pastor Oscar Banks IV

[Samantha]

I admire your and Lisa's strength and wisdom. My family and I attend FC Miami and the work that God is doing in that city is AMAZING!
We serve, we tithe and we see a change in not only our lives but in the lives of others who do so and a lot of this great change is because of your leadership. Thank you for being so honest with the church we will continue to pray. And it is like you mentioned when you go for the target you become the target. Last year was great, the fast was incredible and it is no shock to me that this happened. We will continue to pray and I ca not wait till C3!

[Jeffrey]

My wife and I have attended Fellowship Church since May of 1998 and we really enjoy the learning environment that Pastor Ed and the Church provide. We have been tithing for some time now and feel that is what we should do and are called to do.

This expose/story has raised some questions though regarding potential pay to Ed. It was mentioned in the weekend services that you don’t make a Million dollars. However, there was no mention of how close or far away from that your salary is. Also, there was no mention of the Parsonage. If the salary and parsonage amount are even close to what was stated, it sends the wrong message to those that we serve in our church, our missions, and around the world. If Ed isn’t making close to that amount then stating it would send a good message. Otherwise, if our church is paying Ed that much than they need to rethink what they are doing and the message they are sending and those funds could be used to help the less fortunate in our community and around the world.

We have no issue with Ed making a ton of money from books, speaking engagements, etc. Also if he wants to spend his money on a large home on the lake there is nothing wrong with that either. However, it does send a potentially conflicting message that our pastor lives in such the lap of luxury when so many have so little around the world and it doesn’t necessarily set a great example. Who is to say what is too big or too little? However, 7800 sq feet or 10000 sq feet seems a bit much for a family of 6 people. Especially since 3 of the 4 kids will be out on there own very quickly as they cleave from the family unit.

We will continue to attend Fellowship and believe that Ed’s messages are exactly what we need and our world needs.

Regards,

Jeffrey

[Rob Lovelace]

Ed,

I have been married to my wife for 3 years (well almost 3 years). Before we were married and afterwards she tried diligently to get me to go to church, and frankly I wasn't interested.

You see, I had issues with God, and although I now know, He didn't have any issues with me, I still felt He was responsible for some things that had happened in my life that I will not discuss.

I am a VERY quiet person, when it comes to talking about my feelings, so won't go into much of "why" I felt angry toward God.

About 6 months ago, Kimberly (my wife) said, Rob, let's go to church....and for whatever reason, I said okay.

She brought me to Fellowship, and although we had a guest pastor, the environment, just 'dragged' (in a good sense) me in.

Since that time, we have been at Fellowship on a regular basis. I felt I was moved to tithe, and have been doing that on a regular basis.

I am also a business owner, in an industry that really likes our privacy, so can appreciate your privacy as well.

It wouldn't matter to me (or Kimberly) if you made $100,000 or $10 Million. You do good work!

So be it that you have made some good investments, you deserve it. Don't let the naysayers bring you down. Again, keep up the good work.

The way that you provide the message and the environment at Fellowship is what keeps me coming back, and if you can keep ME coming back, it has got to be a good thing!

Hang in there!
Rob L. and Kimberly

[Ralph Shelton]

I have been going to fellowship church for about a month now, because I felt God telling me to get my children into the church, as well as my wife and myself, people seem to forget why we go to church. It is not to judge or be judged, Pastor Ed Young delivers a fantastic sermon and I nor should anybody else judge him or his family, That is for God himself to pass judgement. Thank you Pastor Ed for delivering his message each and every week.

[Andy Nagel]

Fellowship Church is a freight train and dogs always bark at freight trains. I'll ride your train any day, brother! You are supported 100%!

[Cindy Guadagnoli]

My husband and I were there today and will be there every weekend to come as will our children.

We are praying for you, your family and the church as a whole.

Thank you for what you do as leader of Fellowship. What you are doing now and what you will do in the years to come.

[Marti]

Ed & Lisa, THANK YOU! God has blessed you both with the ability to touch so many people's lives. See you next weekend and every weekend after that.... God Bless you and your family and may you continue to do what you do!

[edward mehlhaff]

Thank you for standing up tonight and addressing the Channel 8 story. I know that it was probably very hard for you to do that, but it was something that needed to be done and you did it like you always do,with class and humor. I believe that this trial and attack by the evil one is a defining moment in the life of Fellowship Church and that we will strengthened by it. To paraphrase you, by God's grace, we are moving on to another "whole nother level"!

[Andy]

I'm sure there are those who will read Ed's words here and think they need more info. And while I'm glad our Pastor doesn't climb down from the wall mudsling, the point-by-point answers he gave tonight would be enough to silence any critic. If you missed it, you're chance for answers is tomorrow at Fellowship. And more than that, this is you're chance to hear a message that will change your life. Preach on, Ed!

[Nick]

Ed and Lisa,
I have attended Fellowship for the last several months, and quite frankly I know you better from sitting 3 rows away from where you speak every saturday night then I would from any other stance... You have been 100% honest about everything and You have the calling, God has done alot of great things and has spoken directly to me thru you on many occasions. So let them drink their hateraide and really it'll only get better from here! Thats all I'm going to say.

[Tim and Sheri]

We will see you this Sunday and the next and the.......

[Sherri]

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for tonight's service. You handled this situation gracefully and with dignity. I appreciate your frank honesty and for having the opportunity to hear from some of the board. Thank you again, Ed.

[Brandon]

So disappointed to see that my comments from before were censored. I am not surprised though. It is clear that the decision has been made to avoid dealing head on with this issue and to avoid any negative vibe here and on Facebook. Disappointing to say the least.

[Alan]

Ed and Lisa, You are a beautiful couple with a wonderful family. You have been an inspiration to thousands and a blessing unto this world. In the eyes of God, few people upon this earth have ever carried and spread his message with such conviction and enthusiasm.Bless you for that. Your personal achievements and rewards are to be admired and respected, not villified. My wife and I have been members of fellowship for years and we rejoice at being part of such a dynamic and bible based church. We have always been taught that being Christians was no piece of cake and that trials and tribulations are to be expected.Sadly, this promise continues in todays world and is only amplified by television and the liberal media. We believe in you,we believe in Fellowship, and we believe in Jesus Christ. See ya Sunday

[Jana MacKay]

My husband and I are so proud to be a part of a church that rattles the devil's cage so vigorously!!! Thank you for the emotional sacrifice that doing what you do brings. We will pray for your peace through this situation.

[Brandon]

I appreciate the response but hope to hear more this weekend because the "No Secrets" post also contained "No Answers" to the accusations. I agree that petty false allegations do not deserve the time of day. However, not addressing accusations like this head on while asking people to "trust you" is actually a sign of distrust in those who are under your leadership. Is the trust only supposed to go one way here? I support my pastor and believe him - at least I want to believe him. But vague answers in the face of accusations such as this are disappointing. If all of it is 100% true and it is admitted to, I have no problem with it. However, not answering and leaving doubt in the minds of FC members/attendees is cause for concern. What's worse there are non-Christians who we have been trying to get to FC who have looked at both sides and said "I don't want to be a part of a church or a belief system where the leadership tries to hide things." Quite frankly, I don't blame them. Praying for God's penetrating spotlight to expose the truth in all of this so that he alone may be glorified!

[Brad]

What a huge impact Fellowship Church has had on my life. The size of my pastor's house is as irrelevant as the news report itself. It sure seems like thriving,large churches get the criticism and media attention. I've seen firsthand just how much FC gives to missions and to the poor and needy. There is no business more important than the local church. Thank you Ed for your leadership.

[Kasie Kinman]

Is all I know is I have never walked into a church and had my heart changed in one service. In my opinion if you attend the church you understand how great it is and how great Ed and Lisa are. It just breaks my heart for the people that might have thought about coming and now they are influenced by this rediculous accusations. God will work it out! We appreciate everything you and Lisa do.

[Tracy and Mike Wright]

Ed and Lisa, I thank you for bringing myself and husband closer to God. FC has helped us to change are direction in life. God has blessed you with great wisdom and understanding to spread his message to people throughout the world. Thank you Ed, Lisa and the staff at FC for everything you do.