Dear Pastor Don,

It is with deep sorrow in our hearts that we send you this letter. No other man has brought more benefit to us in God than you have. We all commend you and will forever be grateful to you for your many years of excellent and sacrificial Christian ministry to each of us .

The elders (not including the senior elders) voted unanimously to put you out of the church, and made that recommendation to the senior elders who will themselves vote and act on it. The facts requiring this action are so overwhelming that we had no other option. Every man on the committee diligently analyzed the facts of your case in light of the Scriptures on excommunication, and the reasons for disfellowshipping stated in our by-laws, and the January 16, 1987, Counseling Center memo on the subject. We found at least eight reasons stated plainly in the Bible that require us to put you out of the church. Our church by-laws state three typical reasons for disfellowshipping, each one sufficient by itself to put an individual out, and you qualify to be disfellowshipped under all three reasons. The January 16, 1987, Counseling Center memo on the subject shows that you qualify to be disfellowshipped on a dozen different grounds. Don, we sincerely searched our hearts to see if there was any less severe action that we could reasonably take. We are very sorry, but to a man we found no alternative.

This letter is to inform you of the main reasons why we took this action. We believe these reasons are consistent with the Scriptures and the disfellowshipping policies used by our church for years. Regarding elders who sin, the Bible teaches that we must show no partiality and no favoritism (1 Timothy 5:21). Therefore, we are forced to disfellowship you because we have put others out for far less than what you are being put out for.

Following is a list of charges against you which you have admitted to be true, or have been proved to be true. We have factual examples of each of these errors (in some cases very long lists of them), but we will not include the specifications under each charge. Suffice it to say that it has been proved to us that you are guilty of all these things and more.

1. Refusal to hear heartfelt appeals and loving reproof from the lowest to the highest levels.

Matthew 18:15-17 "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

2. Misuse of pastoral authority in many ways.

3. Rebellion against Scriptural authority.

1 Peter 5:5 "Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject to another, and be clothed with humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to tho humble."

4. Lying and dishonesty.

Colossians 3:9 "Lie not to one another, seeing that you have put off the the old man with his deeds."

5. Continually displaying an unrepentant, defiant, uncooperative attitude.

6. Breaking the special status you were required to follow by the senior elders.

7. A large number of incidents of sexual misconduct of various types involving many women (including numerous adulteries with several women).

I Corinthians 5:11,13 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among you yourselves that wicked person."

8. Diminishing the seriousness of your sins and their damaging effects upon other people.

9. Mental abuse of your wife.

10. Causing division, contrary to sound doctrine.

Romans 16:17,18 "Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."

11. Teaching false doctrines and heresies to the church.

Titus 3:10,11 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

12. Offending others and stumbling them by your sinful behavior.

1 Corinthians 8:13 "Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend."

13. Refusal to follow church standards.

2 Thessolonians 3:6,14 "Now we command you brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him that he may he ashamed."

Many members of the congregation will feel that disfellowshipping the pastor is an extreme action. They will wonder why we did this, and whether we had proper grounds. You have told the congregation that the elders are acting out of personal hurt, that they are enacting a power play, and that they are demonically deceived and motivated. None of these are the real reasons we did this. The real reasons ore the thirteen reasons listed above. The elders were not motivated to do this because of personal hurts. We did not take this action as a power play. We did not do this because of demonic influence. We did it to obey the Word of God, to treat you without partiality, and to hopefully cause you to recognize the seriousness of your problems.

Because you misrepresented our true position to the congregation, we are providing this to them.

The following is a brief synopsis of the history of events that led to this action. This account reveals some of Don's sins, attitude's , lies, etc.

1. After learning that Don had been in adultery for six months. Jerry Zwack reproved Don many times between the fall of 1986 and the spring of 1987. Don refused to hear Jerry's reproofs and continued in adultery during these months and afterward.

2. Lanny Peterson went to Don in February of 1987, and warned him for two hours as a brother and a friend, that any sexual misconduct he committed would become public information. Women had been coming to the Counseling Center for help after being stumbled by Don's sexual conduct with them. Therefore, Lanny warned him that what he was doing in private would continue to become known. That very evening in the Friday night service, Don gave a pastoral order forbidding people who had been wronged from going to any counselor or elder aoout these matters. Instead they were forced to go only to the one who had wronged them. This was a cover-up attempt to prevent his own sins from being exposed and to stop those stumbled and hurt by his own excesses from obtaining the help they needed.

3. Russell MocKenzie went to Don one time in June of 1987, regarding Don's improper conduct toward women. Russell wept for twenty minutes as Don justified himself and blamed others for his sexual sins. Don continued to commit adultery after this reproof.

4. Scott Hartley and Lanny Peterson went to Don several times between May and August of 1987, attempting to counsel him about his marriage and personal sexual sins. Don adamantly refused to listen to them about his sexual problems, and insisted they deal exclusively with the marriage only. However, Barbara had moved out because of Don's adulteries, so it was impossible to counsel the marriage without dealing with his sexual sins. Don refused to hear reproof, and continually blamed Barbara for his problems.

In Don's sermon of February 28, 1988, he attempted to explain away his many lies with the statement that he did not owe Lanny and Scott that information and that he was only talking to them about his marriage not his personal life. The truth is that the major reason for this counseling at all was Don's ongoing adultery. Lanny and Scott's first meeting was with Don alone on May 27, 1987. Don had already been in adultery for six months from April of 1986 until. November of 1986 before they counseled him. That adultery was broken off by Jerry Zwack. Don had also been in adultery with another woman. He did not admit to either of these adulterous relationships until the women came to the Counseling Center for help.

Don's adultery with the second woman had broken off, but in April of 1987, Don went to Hawaii with her alone. This was especially hurtful to Barbara because Don had said that he was going to Hawaii with a group. The woman later confessed to repeated adultery with Don.

In a letter dated June 25, 1987, in his own handwriting Don promised, "... if I still fail, I will cut off all alone time with connections." Another affair began in late June or early July of 1987, and Don did not place himself on any form of restriction like he said he would. This new affair began during the counseling period when Don's marriage alone was supposed to be discussed, and not his sexual conduct.

On June 19, 1987, Barbara left a letter for Don at the parsonage stating her reasons why she was moving out. His counselors did not publicly state the real reason to the church. Rather, they referred to "certain deliverances the pastor needed." Don has complained that Barbara's moving out while he was gone on vacation was a violation of Scripture, and that her counselors were wrong to allow it. In reality, when Barbara moved out, Don was committing adultery that very week while on vacation. Barbara's letter states as a reason for moving out, "... to eliminate the continual devastation I experience by being aware of your actions."

During a counseling session on July 9, 1987, Don said that he did not see any reason for Barbara to stay out there because, "I'm holding the line." On July 13, 1987, he informed his counselors that everything was OK and that he had done nothing sexual in a long time. Later, the truth came out that he had committed adultery earlier that very day.

On July 27,1987, he said that he was in the best place regarding sexual areas that he had been in for a year and a half. But, Don continued in adultery with the woman he was involved with when Barbara moved out. On August 2, 1987, Don wrote concerning Barbara that, "I feel like I've been ready the whole time (ie., to repair his marriage)." On August 3, 1987, the last woman said, "I can still feel the demon between us."

On August 6, 1987, Lanny told Don that Barbara had Scriptural grounds to divorce him. Don gave him six objections. Lanny told Don that he knew Don was practicing adultery. Don got angry and accused Lanny of being insensitive, etc. Don then argued for twenty minutes that Barbara had no grounds for moving out of the house.

On August 8, 1987, the last woman refused further adultery with Don and broke off the affair with David Motherwell's help. Don accused this woman of ruining his marriage and said that eventually she would have to be put out of the church.

Don's last counseling session with Scott and Lanny was on August 17, 1987. In the meeting, Scott read a transcription of a statement about Barbara from Don's sermon of August 2, 1987. Don erupted, called both his counselors names, accused them and walked out. Later that day he called the last woman saying "I really miss you, you know what I mean."

After a staff meeting in which Don felt attacked, he wrote in a letter to George Bowker, "In our last staff meeting two accusations against me were launched - both blatantly false and very misleading- One gave the impression that I sleep with connections on vacations - I never have. Just setting the record straight with my music director and friend." Knowing all that had occurred up to this time, the eldership committee is convinced that this letter reveals an intent to deceive.

In a letter dated October 28, 1987, Don threatened Barbara, "If you do not come back in some reasonable period... I would be forced... to file for divorce on the grounds of desertion." In reality, Barbara has more than sufficient grounds to divorce Don because of his mass of adulteries, while Don has no Scriptural grounds for divorcing her.

5. Between September of 1987 and February of 1988, David Motherwell went to Don many times as his counselor, but Don could not follow David's directives.

6. Several members of the congregation have gone to Don about his sexual problems and have not been heard. In some cases they were rebuffed by Don.

7. The senior elders wrote Don a letter on February 15, 1988, placing him on special status, an action which was based solely on Don's own confessions to the committee of elders, not based on accusations. Don refused to hear the senior elders and openly defied them calling the restrictions legalistic. He told his counselor the day he received the letter, "I am not going to comply."

8. The elders, not including the senior elders, wrote Don a letter on February 23, 1988, unanimously supporting the senior elders special status letter and imploring Don to follow it for the safety of the sheep and himself. Don refused to hear all twelve of the elders.

9. The entire eldership committee of sixteen men composed a theological letter for Don. Although the letter was written specifically to answer questions Don had asked the committee on February 3, 1988, one intent of the letter was to give him reasons why he should submit to the special status and the findings of the committee. But he misconstrued this to be an unscriptural act of rebellion to elevate our Scriptural interpretations over the bylaws. Don refused to hear this appeal also.

10. Finally, on February 29, 1988, Greg Theil, on behalf of the entire eldership committee, offered Don an open invitation to meet us anytime, anywhere, and told him that we really wanted to do this. Don refused to hear this final appeal and told Greg that unless each elder submitted an individual letter to him repenting of the wickedness they committed in the Friday night service February 26, 1988, there was no basis to talk with us.

Our purpose in writing this history is not to throw mud on you, Don. It is to set the record straight. You stated in your Sunday, February 28, 1988 sermon, that your sermon was entirely true and that our Friday, February 26, 1988, presentation was entirely false. Practically the exact opposite is true. After your best attempt to refute our presentation, it still stands intact. Your claim that our presentation was "totally full of misquotes, twisted information, exaggeration, lies, forcing of Scripture and faulty logic," forces us to reveal enough details to prove that you are wrong. The proof that we are not mudslinging at all is that we have omitted the most embarrassing details we know about your sins.

All of this history proves that you were lovingly reproved one on one several times by different people, then two on one (Lanny and Scott), then three on one (by the senior elders), then twelve on one (by the elders), and finally sixteen on one by the entire eldership committee. You refused to hear our warnings, even when they have been proved true.

For example, Lanny and Scott wrote you a letter on June 8, 1987, which predicted the following:

"If things are left as they are the following appears obvious to us. Difficulties will continue and get worse. Excesses on your part will continue. Your wife will move out of the house. This will help some things and hurt others. Exposure and/or physical collapse will occur with a good chance you will be out of the ministry for a time."

We believe these predictions were accurate. With this in mind, we are compelled to issue the following warning:

If you refuse to humbly submit to this act of disfellowshipping and refuse to seek treatment, we believe that the following things could happen to you in the future.

1. You will fall into further spiritual deception.

2. You will lose your marriage and wife.

3. Your personal sexual problems will continue and be exposed periodically- You may face lawsuits and prison because of your sexual conduct.

4. You will claim to receive special revelation from God to defend your sexual errors as true doctrines.

5. Your dependence upon drugs may increase.

6. Your problems of fear and unreality will grow worse, and you will become less and less in touch with reality.

7. You will lead a religious group characterized by heavy fear and overcontrol, be regarded idolatrously by followers, refuse to be accountable to anyone, and function contrary to the Christian Church.

8. Your followers may have sexual problems that they cannot overcome. Your followers will be greatly hurt, eventually disillusioned, and may lose their souls.

9. After having preached to others, you may become a castaway and lose your own soul.

Don, this letter constitutes a warning from God about the seriousness of your problems. You are a sick man who needs help from God and man. We hope you will avail yourself of both. Once again, we affirm our great love and eternal gratitude to God for you. We are sorry that your heart has become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin we pray to God that this is not the final chapter of our relationship with you.

Sincerely,

Jack DuBois
Jack Hicks
E. Scott Hartley
A.R. MacKenzie
George Bowker
Lanny Peterson
Ralph Alskog
Ronald Myrick
Donald Lockrem
John Harold
Gerald Slaminski
Gregory Thiel
Mark Yokers
John Bergin
David Motherwell
Christopher Matthews