Smarmy Thesaurus XPastor recommends readers take special note of the resources provided by Watermark about the issue of Care and Correction. That church is huge and has 2 campuses (at least) so I find it hard to believe you even know these elders yourself. Considering thatRead more , Dave It is disingenuous to minimize someone elses experience just because you did not witness it yourself. Why all the allusion? He counseled my former fiance and after several meetings with him my fiance broke up the engagement and I was left devastated. Its where two or more are gathered not where two or more thousands are gathered. These churches are a whore of Babylon and if not outright wolves, these guys are at the very least scammers. Todd gave me support and comfort during a rough time in my life, and I will be FOREVER grateful. . You are way off base. Ill meet you. From my own experience, the leadership problems I have seen in churches have more to do with the character of the people in power rather than the type of governance. As stated above, dont confuse Todd Wagner the billionaire with Todd Wagner the pastor though Todd Wagner the pastor does live in a home valued between 1 and 2 million dollars. Having been a Watermark (now CityBridge) member since 2016 have never EVER heard these messages thatSusan speaks of. One person complained that her husband was forced to tell his community group how much he made and to account for how he spent his money. 5,280 were here. There is clearly some issues, but isnt Lord bug enough to handle it, even at the worst of Todd missed the boat? Our daughters went to the same grade school and were on the same soccer team. You may have the last word if you wish. When he stepped into an executive pastor role a few years back he didnt like that his replacement (JP) was more poly than he was so he didnt allow him to pastor/lead. Our online editing platform simplifies the process for any action you may want to do with Church Membership. And why? Watermark Community Church is a nondenominational evangelical megachurch based in Dallas, Texas . Did You Know This Church Is Closely Aligned with 9 Marx (sic) Im only surprised it took 15 years. Having said that,Read more . The twin resignations come after months of turmoil at the church. yes, things do not add up. What a strange and often sad world much of American white evangelicalism has become. I think you need to expand on the 4B Spiritual Assessment forms. It shocks me how much fear this church has put inside of the people who dared leave it. Its inappropriate and wrong for a pastor serving the church to live an opulent lifestyle. Thats for God to reveal or conceal. He added that there are just too many layers and that even Friedrich and Thompson land at a different place than (Leventhal and Wagner) regarding why weve arrived here., Both Wagner and Leventhal will remain at Watermark as elders emeritus, though the church said it is proactively pursuing men to add to the Elder team., According to the church website, Wagner and Leventhal will spend time with their families preparing for whatever the Lord has next.. Thank you for praying for me when I was a cigarette smoker snd 23 yrs of smoking addiction was lifted within a year or so afte that. On the April 8, 2019 episode of WordsfromWags, a website that features videos from Watermark Church senior pastor Todd Wagner addressing various issues, the topic of the day was Is Watermark Church a Cult? Todd had 6 children living at home at the time he was gifted the home. Just because you have never been abused in the way these people have, does not negate that they were. Hope it works out I know God has you in his hands and it will. While God does allow humans to have free will, His greatest gift to every human is salvation and eternal life, through believing that He sent His son as a sacrifice for our sins. It is a long process to leave unless you just dont fill out the yearly form. Im happy to answer any questions, but you need to know this is absolutely wrong information. No its not. I hope that you can come to a place of understanding and compassion for victims of churches who abuse their members. Every argument you put forth seems to be based on your subjective opinion based on your speculation, assumption, and judgement.. Watermark encourages people to confess their sins to one another and to admonish faithfully but thats because thats what the Bible tells us to do as believers.. Kind of smarmy too., You use some strong name calling, words The Porch. WM hides abusers and minimizes victims. . Darren, I was thinking about this a little more think about the language you use explaining how elders are held to a higher standard doctrinally speaking. The Dallas ISD board of trustees approved the sale in late August; records show Watermark paid $211,000 for nine acres of building and bare land off Second Avenue a steal, no matter the. Todd uses God to accomplish his goals ofRead more , We briefly visited WM; I quickly told my husband, this place is the cult of Todd and will implode without him. Thats not Todds fault, but no thanks. Mickey makes it sound like the decision for Todd to resign was something weve arrived at due to events. Prestonwood Baptist also made the list (top 20) and its nowhere near a cult. Our church does Re-engage and we love it. I went to a church with a broadly evangelical membership statement coupled with a specifically Calvinistic, and specifically young earth creationist, teaching statement. He first goes into the definition of the word cult which in latin is the word cultus, defined as to inhabit, dwell; to cultivate. It is Not referenced as a legal tool which may be weaponized against anyone they desire to control or experiment on. (I share this not to be super-negative, but just because this practice is far [], CALL TO ACTION Former WM Members Did WM pray for you, or did WM prey on you? When I was 17, I started attending church regularly with my boyfriend (now husband) in high school, and we would go to Sunday School. I suppose you think you can do better than they? If you challenged him or the church you were quickly dismissed. According to a report by National Public Radio, the Catholic Church has paid more than $3 billion in child sexual abuse lawsuit settlements in America alone. Regardless I loved your passion and pray that Holy Spirit would cover you and lead you in the area that needs correction. JP ended up leaving because of it. I have first hand experience with a senior pastor doing exactly this and teaching younger families how to properly budget and cost of having kids. trying to figure out what happened in an effort to understand if the leadership is healthy or unhealthy. But, you provide NO evidence, NO situations For ye were as *sheep going astray;* and oversee the spiritual interests of our church body. what is enough? He walked with an air of superiority that was disgusting. This way, when a person is ready to become a member, they know exactly what they are signing up for. We didnt share our financial information until almost a year into our meeting. You might want to check out this site The Equipping Podcast 10M ago Sharpen your thinking on issues that matter. However, if you have any experience with these covenants or have heard stories of people who have dealt with a church where they signed one of these and there was a point of contention or disagreement, you know that these are LEGALLY binding agreements and can be used against you (re: current The Village Church lawsuit& the Karen Hinkley story.). Our church has an elder-type rule that is healthy, but I know of churches that have had an elder-type rule that is not so healthy. I have nothing to hide, and sharingRead more , As an ex-Watermark member (8 years), and former CG leader (6 years), I can say unequivocally that I had no problem sharing my financial information with my guys. Community groups are the epicenter of Watermark Church. I dont know if I am over-reacting when Todd made a off the cuff remark about taking his wife some where last week where she could be warm. If you got the impression I was disingenuous or was minimizing someones hurt please forgive me. I think you may have missed a decimal point according to the link in the post his house (verified to be the correct Todd Wagner) was a little over $1.5 million as of 2019. Wow. These overly dramatic talks tend to make me feel like Im not spiritual enough or theyre covering up something. Todd Wagner is a guy that would jump in a foxhole with me with the bullets are flying, and I for him. And, there was zero pressure from church leadership to do so. The Yelp algorithm is strange. He finally quit when he decided to switch jobs and was reprimanded for not getting the groups permission. Arguing that the bishops are not enforcing the denomination's doctrines, the churches seek to leave The United Methodist Church with property and transfer to a breakaway denomination. If youre short on time, start at 27 minutes when the speakers starts explaining why people think Watermark is a cult. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. If you are going to judge Watermark, its leaders and programs, then I would encourage you to do so in the context of Scripture, especially the New Testament, including the gospels and the epistles that talk about church order, and yes, even discipline. Several weeks after Leventhals resignation, Wagner separately decided to step down as senior pastor and elder, the churchs statement said. Does God want everyone to be broke? God has allowed the clarity and conviction that we need, that I need, to serve well in this role to dry up, Wagner said. Just the congregationhmmmmmm.. Problem with the churches these days is many in congregation will do same thing as Judas did, deny !! If you dont want to be a member at Watermark you dont have to be.Read more , There is a difference between positional authority and spiritual authority. Staff. 2 doctrinal statements create confusion over authentic belonging. I asked Susan if she wouldnt mind answering a few questions for this post, which she was happy to do. Problem with a church goers these days is (they are simply judgmental- half the time without any knowledge or discernment. Watermark Community Church review: fraud. obey your leaders? Watermark Family, Throughout the fall, we have shared that, as an Elder team, we have focused on three main priorities: Strengthening our leadership team Reengaging our members in the life and ministry of the church Equipping our body for a changing world The whole situation reeks of status and power, neither of which is a good look for a pastor. Fournet is now listed as an elder emeritus, but Bucheck no longer appears on Watermarks leadership page. During his address to the Watermark Community Church congregation in September, Wagner told them [], Did anyone see this Sundays Sermon? Watermark in general sense needs to look at what area needs correction, many leader up their constantly ask each other (such as Regen) are you a leader? or. We've put together a list of some ways . You can tailor it to your groups needs The level of absurdity is a bit high here Im a member, not once have I been asked to fork out my money, not once have I been forced to makeRead more . Scripture also says live your neighbor as yourself.folks many of you here have already missed that mark. Christian Church. Evangelical Church. Our mission is to make disciples who are marked by the presence of God in order to leave a lasting mark. Those who love control and achievement thrive very well there = works. Or evasion? When I watched his stepping back/pride/ sin talk, I wanted to either vomit or laugh out loud.. Several weeks after Leventhals resignation, Wagner separately decided to step down as senior pastor and elder, the churchs statement said.. 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