I generally listen to my I-Pad as I retire for the evening. I select a YouTube video that interests me. I usually fall asleep in the middle of the program and sometime later in the night I wake up and turn it off, or don’t. This past Sunday morning I awoke to a church service playing on my I-Pad. I generally don’t view church services, but Siri’s artificial intelligence must have determined it would be in my best interest to autoplay a church service live from the Headquarters of Sovereign Grace Churches -Covenant Fellowship Church.
I was a bit groggy, but I perked up when I heard the name of Nathan Smith. Nathan Smith is a pastor in the Sovereign Grace family of churches. He isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he did successfully complete the rigorous 9-month Sovereign Grace “Pastor’s College.” Certificate in hand, Smith returned home to South Wales, U.K. to ply his trade.
The one thing all successful “graduates” of Sovereign Grace Churches have in common is they excel in the fine art of flattery; bootlicking if you will. I haven’t had much contact with Smith, but I did poke fun at him in a blog I wrote in 2016. Mahaney and his team of deluded followers – Bob Kauflin, Jeff Purswell, and others traveled to Smith’s Grace Church of Bristol to conduct a mini-conference. As you can imagine, Smith’s bootlicking, displayed on his social media accounts, was in rare form.
The screenshot below is taken from the blog article I referred to above. Smith was apparently so outraged by my response to a Tweet of his that he blocked me. What a sad day in my life – cut off from the wisdom of a deluded Mahaney bootlicker!
I now fast forward to last Sunday’s morning service at Covenant Fellowship Church. This clip is what got my attention.
I forwarded this video to Brent Detwiler and asked him for his comments. Here is a transcript from the video above – Detwiler’s comments are in brackets.
“Well, we have a second offering we want to take, and I want to ask the Smith family to join me. This is, there is probably multiple Smith’s families. This one comes from far away. This is Nathan and Claire Smith and their family, who hopefully you are getting to know. They are from the UK and pastored a church. Nathan pastored a church in Bristol, a Sovereign Grace Church in Bristol, England for 20 years. Is it twenty or twenty-one years? Twenty years. And so, they have been reassigned. They have come over to the United States to kind of explore new ministry opportunities.”
[NOTE: Jim Donahue is the speaker. He is a pastor. Nothing about Nathan’s pastoring ending 19 months ago and why. Gives the false impression that they were “reassigned” by the church to come over to the US to explore new ministry opportunities. Complete deception.]
“So, Nathan and his family, his big family here, they are, they are all going to be here for two years. And then Nathan is going to be exploring what his next steps are here at the church, in this region, and what God is calling him to do. So, we are very, very excited about that.”
[NOTE:: They are not excited. That is hype. The excitement was supposed to be Nathan heading up Sovereign Grace Europe.]
“And we are going to be taking up an offering specifically towards his salary and support, as he again explores what God is calling him to in this next season. So, we just want to take a moment and just pray for him and his family. Already, they have become dear, dear friends to us and we are so thankful to God for them. So, let’s as a congregation pray.”
[NOTE: Again, no indication “this next season” comes after his removal as lead pastor.]
“Lord we are so thankful for Nathan and Claire and their family, God. Thank you for bringing them here. Lord we know this has been a little bit of a roller coaster ride for them leaving their home, their family, friends in the UK and relocating here.”
[NOTE: Donahue says nothing about the circumstances that necessitated their coming to the US. That is, losing his church and the church losing SGC! “A little bit of a roller coaster ride.” Prater is a fellow elder with Donahue at Covenant Fellowship Church. As you know, this is all orchestrated by Prater. The Smith’s left home, family, and friends. No mention of leaving his church long ago. As usual, the people have no idea what has really transpired.]
“But Lord we are so grateful that you have grafted them into this Body, and we pray that this season would be an amazing time of blessing and refreshment for each one. That you would meet with them. That you would speak to them. That you would help them each to grow in their love for you, Lord. We are so grateful God and we also just pray Lord that you would guide Nathan and Claire as they consider next steps, as they build here into this team, and think about where you are sending them, what you want to do with their lives and their ministry God. Give your wisdom and use them for your glory in Jesus’ name..”
[NOTE: All of this would raise multiple questions for any thinking person but if the pastors are “excited” and say God brought them to CFC it must be all good. But wait, why is a born-and-bred English family coming to the US to explore ministry opportunities when those opportunities are in England? Further, Nathan does not have the personality of P.J. Smyth. He and his family have no chance of planting a church in the US. I wonder what kind of visa they got.]
My comments on the Smith family dog and pony show that went down at Covenant Fellowship Church last Sunday: It’s just another example of grifters doing what grifters do. Who moves a family of 8 from the UK without a job already lined up? On top of that, who has the luxury of taking two years to “be exploring what his next steps are here at the church, in this region, and what God is calling him to do.”
I guess Nathan Smith does. I wonder how many special offerings the dolts in the congregation will continue contributing to? Well, if you are deluded enough to attend a Sovereign Grace church, my guess is the Smith family has nothing to worry about, financially speaking, for the next two years.
I will show below that Nathan Smith’s last sermon at Grace Bristol was on September 12, 2021. On September 26, 2021, Smith can be seen in the video of the church service. The church service from October 3, 2021, is conspicuously missing from Grace Bristol’s YouTube channel. It is my belief that the video was not posted because that is when the church was informed that Nathan Smith had been removed.
Notice below that the October 3, 2021 listing is missing.
Here is a timeline of events that Brent Detwiler compiled which seems to indicate Bristol church may be leaving the Sovereign Grace family of churches, or perhaps they have already left.
You will see that Pete Greasley has preached at Grace Church Bristol several times since Nathan Smith was removed. This is significant because Nathan Smith is totally loyal to Mahaney. He would never have allowed Greasley to speak at his church if he was still the senior pastor.
Why not? Pete Greasley was the pastor of Christchurch in South Wales. This is the church that sent Nathan Smith to the Pastor’s College and then sent him to plant Grace Church in Bristol. Christchurch was a member of the Sovereign Grace Ministries denomination. Pete Greasley was a dear friend of CJ Mahaney and a Board Member.
In June 2012, “[Paul]Buckley tried to prevent C.J. Mahaney from becoming the long term President. Later in September 2012, he secretly worked with Dave Harvey, Pete Greasley and other Board Members in pushing for Mahaney’s resignation as President.”
Source: Brent Detwiler
Obviously, Pete Greasley fell out of favor with CJ Mahaney and if Mahaney didn’t like you, then neither did the bootlicker, Nathan Smith.
Thus, the fact that Pete Greasley has preached at Grace Church Bristol six times since Nathan Smith was removed very likely indicates that Grace Church is probably not going to remain with SGC.
- Nathan Smith’s last sermon was September 12, 2021.
- Pete Greasley first preached on February 13, 2022 (#1). That is evidence Nathan’s removal was due to differences with SGC.
- Pete preached again on May 15, 2022 (#2). More evidence.
- Then on July 3, 2022 Pete preached at Bristol again (#3).
- Dave Taylor preached on July 17, 2022. He is on the Global Leadership Team for SGC. He is in Australia. He is an SGC loyalist. He must have been in to try and bring reconciliation or a “leave well” peace.
- Mark Prater preaches on September 25, 2022. No doubt he is there to do damage control.
- The next two weeks Prater gives an update on his podcast. There is no mention of Nathan. He mentions Matt Chapman and Peter Bowley in a positive light. (The two remaining pastors at Grace Bristol.)
Below is a brief clip of Mark Prater speaking at Grace Bristol. He does not mention Nathan Smith, but he does mention pastors Chapman and Bowley. Clearly, Smith is gone.
I wrote the following email to Mark Chapman. He has not replied.
Grace Church Bristol remains listed on the Sovereign Grace website, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the church has not withdrawn from the denomination. In the past, they avoid transparency when it comes to negative news.
In the near future, I will write a follow-up to Dee’s article on Trinity College of Louisville that she wrote in April 2022. They hold classes at Mahaney’s church and Nathan Smith’s triplets are all taking part in the school. Stay tuned.
It just continues, and continues….. They really do not have much respect for the pew peons….. one would think that the people paying the bills deserve to know the truth…
Jeffrey Chalmers,
Pew peons = money for nothing.
And their chicks for free?
Muff Potter,
Yeah, I thought about that……. I wonder if Dire Straits know how close that song comes to defining some of todays churches?
The more I read about these guys and their endless grifting with no way to make an honest living, the more I think that Marx (in a metaphorical sense) was right, religion is the opium of the people.
Nothing has changed since I left Covenant Fellowship officially on 10/21/1998. Wow 25 years and the same crew still there dishing out the spin while taking in the money! I have zero respect for either Donahue or Prater. Flattery and bootlicking is what they do best- actually practice what they preach…pure hypocrisy.
Toxic false families … like the mob, like street gangs. Fulfilling the need to belong.
Men with microphones on podiums whose voices rule the room. Enter the room at your own demise.
Do any of these guys participate in higher education? They all seem to attend Pastors College, a 9-month “now you’re educated” game.
I have been writing about the Sovereign Grace game for 14 years. So tired of them… Thanks for the great post.
“Brewery-wagon driver, rescued from obscurity by his beloved Nazis.”
— Leon Uris, Armageddon: a Novel of Berlin, abot a (fictional) death-camp commandant
That has a lot to do with it, wanting to belong is a very human need.
We are social beings by birth.
This blog affirms that fact.
Nathan was a part of the “Emerging Nations” team for a long while, and was featured on the “Team” page. This website has since gone down (as a part of Turbesky’s every revolving list of SGC websites to manipulate the Google search engines), but can be found here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220305054626/https://www.sovereigngracechurches.org.au/emerging-nations/2019/4/24/meet-the-team
Seriously, I want to shout “seriously!” to anyone who bought that line and contributed to giving money so this man’s “salary and support.” Um, a real man can work a job, any job to support his family, and then spend his weekends exploring ministry opportunities. Sounds like a lot of free time for a man who doesn’t need it. If the money isn’t there, people, they can’t do this crap.
A quick course in card-sharping ……
They learn lure people into a game where the ante is the “suckers’” souls…… then, with each raise, their worldly possessions.
It is beyond me………… how they do this stuff over and over; and yet they are still accepted …… even praised and admired in evangelical society. What does that say about evangelicals??? { Al Mohler’s version of the SBC???}
Max once said that they’re a lot like carnival barkers on the midway…
“… they excel in the fine art of flattery; bootlicking if you will …”
“For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” (Romans 16:18)
They are given a title, a podium above and in front of everyone else in the room, a mic to be the only voice in the room, and a salary.
OTOH. “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3.10.
“Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Step Right Up To The Greatest Show On Earth!”
If nothing else, the SGC characters are certainly entertaining!
If nothing else, the SGC characters are certainly entertaining!
Max,
Yeah, I think I’ll stick with Octoberfest the antique/classic car show, and motorcycle night at the local county seat. At least there, they don’t expect tithes and offerings. They don’t expect anything at all except for a friendly, neighborly atmosphere.
The problem with deception is that you don’t know you are deceived because you are deceived. The SGC pew has been deceived.
The only way to not be deceived by error in church is to have the Truth in you … and the only way to have the Truth in you is to read it daily … it should truly be your daily bread. The devil is scared when you read the Word, but trembles when the Word gets in you.
Anyone read “Testimony” by Jon Ward yet? I’m about halfway through. It’s all about Ward growing up in the bubble of CLC and then getting out of it. I think it’s fantastic. I had no idea about the Lou Engle/Che Ahn connection with SGM.
It takes 9-months to develop their touch of charisma, gift of gab, and bag of gimmicks before they are released into the world of Christianity Lite. The most polished ones get to become “apostles.”
There’s a fellow called “Preacher” who frequents one of my favorite fishing spots. He holds that title, not because he is an ordained pastor, but because he walks and talks his faith to everyone he encounters. I saw him yesterday and asked him “Preacher, what is wrong with the American church?” His quick reply was “No Jesus.” A simple, but accurate, assessment of the mess we are in.
Good point. The collection plate.
These church “leaders” are given (or they expect or they demand?) a title, a podium above and in front of everyone else in the room, a mic to be the only voice in the room for their monologue, a salary, AND the ever present bottomless collection plate.
Thanks for the link to The Wayback Machine, Not MP! One must save every SGC document to The Wayback Machine because they have a way of quietly disappearing.
My feelings exactly. Thanks for your comment.
It says the evangelical ship is listing heavily to port. I advise everyone on board to grab a seat in a lifeboat and abandon ship!
Spot on, Max!
Thanks for the tip, Paul. I had not heard of the book. I was aware of Che Ahn though.
That’s so true. They rarely even mention his name, Jesus has been replaced by “Gospel.” You recall the old song, “Gospel, Gospel, Gospel, there’s just something about that name,” don’t you?
dee,
Higher education is no guarantor of moral integrity.
Josef Mengele was highly educated.
Jesus has been replaced by “Gospel.”
Todd Wilhelm,
They’ve pretty much deleted Jesus from their version of “Gospel”, and have conjured up a cold, heartless, unmerciful definition of “Gospel”.
Contraception. Now.
Three of the nine new students at Trinity Louisville are his sons according to his Twitter
Yes, it’s no longer “Christ-centered” … it’s “Gospel-centered” this and that … Gospel = Calvinism.
The New Calvinists talk about “God”, but barely mention the name of Jesus and hardly a word about the Holy Spirit. It is indeed another gospel which is not ‘the’ Gospel at all. They prefer to think of the heart of Christianity as a set of doctrinal propositions rather than an encounter with the Living Christ. They don’t apply a Christocentric standard for the interpretation of Scripture, just distortions of jots and tittles to fit their aberrant theology. Their expression of faith is cold and lifeless. It doesn’t produce Christ-followers. No Jesus.
That is the quote of the decade, Max! And time was, in the oilfield, the one titled preacher because of how they lived just might be invited to supply the pulpit at the local Baptist church on a regular basis.
Not at all. Great evil has filtered through the hands of intellectuals with dark hearts. Education does not produce one ounce of revelation.
No, that’s a new one on me.
But, I sing this one often:
“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there’s just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there’s something about that name.”
Good advice … Jesus ain’t on board to calm the wind and waves.
And get to LORD it over everybody else, just like the Goyim do.
Don’t you know that “Souls” are just the currency of Heaven, nothing more?
“MONEY…Is a Gas!
Grab it all in both hands and make your stash!”
— Pink Floyd, “Money”
You ain’t just a whistlin’ Dixie.
For them Paul is everything.
For them, God’s spell (gospel) is Paul.
But they preach another Paul which is not ‘the’ Paul at all.
Max,
Exactly, because Paul. lets say, speaks VERY, VERY highly of Christ…
Because Evangelicals (AKA the Only True CHRISTIANS) are the Easiest of Easy Marks.
So Spiritual all their (Fleshly) brains leaked out.
And put a couple Type 93 Long Lances into it as you pull away.
Like the Makigumo did to the Hiryu.
Off Topic:
https://julieroys.com/hillsong-expose-reveals-more-alleged-sex-abuse-cover-up-shameless-spending/
The Roys Report: New Hillsong Exposé Reveals More Alleged Sex Abuse Cover-Up & Shameless Spending — which includes the information that Brian Houston might relaunch in the United States.
Ava Aaronson (and other Wartburgers):
Embedded in the linked post is a 7News Spotlight called Hellsong: Hillsong Church Global Investigation — which is a 45 minute documentary.
This in itself is a means of control.
You throw out a lot of Baptist platitudes but rarely give scripture to back up your statements. The gospel is I Corinthians 15:1-4, as well as Romans 4 and 5. Ephesians 1:13 explains how to appropriate the gospel to your benefit. Galatians 2:7 in the King James Bible makes it clear God gave Paul a different gospel than the one given to Peter and the 12. You probably like to talk about Matthew 28:19,20 all the time, but I bet you aren’t obeying Jesus’ commands in Matthew 19:21, Luke 18:22, and Mark 10:21, which Peter clearly obeyed (Luke 18:28), and the New Testament Jewish believers in Acts 2:44,45 and 4:32 also obeyed. There was a dispensational change when Jesus appeared to Paul in Acts 9, after Israel blasphemed the Holy Spirit in the first eight chapters of Acts, especially at the stoning of Stephen. Paul talks about “my gospel” in Romans 2:16 and 16:25 and II Timothy 2:8, as well as II Corinthians 9:17. Ephesians 3 and Colossians 1:25. Also compare and contrast Romans 15:8 and Romans 15:16. Perhaps II Corinthians 11:15 describes you.
Troy,
Troy, I speak as someone who was inside the New Calvinist movement within Southern Baptist ranks for a season until I realized that “correct theology” was more important to the NeoCals than Jesus. TWW has had countless testimonies from others who have experienced the same thing.
I’m familiar with all the Scriptures you list, as well as the arguments made by the NeoCals to defend their interpretations of them. I could counter their claims, and have in the past, but lately I’ve decided that debating is not proclaiming the Gospel.
If you read Paul first (his epistles), you might read Jesus wrong. But if you read Jesus first (the Gospels), the writings of Paul come into perspective. I encourage you to camp out in the Gospels for awhile. Read the red and pray for wisdom. I can’t convince you of anything, but He can.
Have a nice weekend, Troy.
Do you have a verse?
Seriously, my friend, calm down. Your game of Bibleopoly is not proving anything about your superior faith.
Troy,
I disagree. Have you read Romans 1:8-16?
The gospel Paul speaks of and writes of is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But, if you prefer to twist the Bible and take things out of context so that you can replace Jesus with Paul in your own life, no one can stop you. Just don’t expect everyone to fall in line behind you.
“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is only to be expected that his agents shall have the appearance of ministers of righteousness”
Whew! Now I’ve heard a discouraging word. That’s a little heavy, Troy. Anyone who doesn’t agree with your interpretation of Scripture is an agent of Satan?!
I’ll leave it to The Wartburg Watch community, familiar with my comments over a period of years, to judge on which side of the fence I stand.
Goes hand-in-hand.
Raid the pocketbook and assault. Violation of persons and their property. Criminals running their church that’s a cult.
Meanwhile, folks seeking God and needing to belong are reeled in, violated, robbed, and duped.
Yes.
Troy,
Anybody can spray Scripture verses like 20mm cannon rounds.
Tempering them with humanity?
Some people are clueless.
Troy, the dispensational change came at Ascension. And it takes more than those incidents to implicate a nation in the after effects of blasphemy long term; it has been a hazard for many nations and not just Judaea. Two questions for you:
– what do you make of Daniel 9: 3-21?
– do you think Jesus intended that the churches should drop the “communion ceremony” once some of them were no longer attending synagogues circa 130 AD?
Not Mark Prater,
The “Team” page contains the expression “stuff” not something like “care of souls”.
I’m glad Headley Park got tired of being stuffed.
Re the rite of communion: don’t forget that early Quakers and some early Baptists, along with a few left still today, believe very strongly that partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ requires no priest or pastor, no assembled crowd, and no elements. The feasting they do is meditating on, walking with, and communing with Christ. You have, in their view, eaten the Body and drunk the Blood if you have put your faith and trust in Christ and Him alone.
I don’t quite understand why you’re using quotation marks. Communion has been part of Christian worship from the very beginning, although some churches do not practice it. You might as well put hymn, reading, and prayer in quotation marks.
linda,
Quakers do not have sacraments. They believe in consistency, not special moments that are holier than others. For this same reason, they affirm instead of swearing to tell the truth in courts of law: people should tell the truth all the time, not just under special circumstances.
Friend–it is true Quakers do not have sacraments. However, early Christian writers made it clear they did have communion with Christ, hopefully much more often than church rites are held. But agreed, no sacraments, just as Baptists have no sacraments. Those two groups, if you include some in the Evangelical Friends who do want the elements, see the rites as outward signs of inward grace. In other words, the ritual and elements do not bring Christ to us, but are a witness to Christ.
Or as one put it years ago to me, Christ is indeed the bread of life. But the bread baked and served in a communion service is not the Christ. Shorthand form was Christ is the bread, but the bread is not Christ.
Correct that to early Quaker writers.
First, I’m glad I’m not the only one who falls asleep to video (YouTube here, which usually prevents insomnia). I remember being in CLC and everything was so secretive. One of the things that drew me to my current church was when they sent out a letter to all donors when an employee embezzled money, and then went through mediation with the individual. More integrity than Sovereign Grace.
linda,
Thank you, Linda
Friend,
I was using them because that’s how some church authorities allege to regard it, at the same time playing fast and loose with the interests of / trampling on the gifts of the vulnerable and in view of the increasing fashion to nonetheless desire “intercommunion”. To my mind we should be in spiritual communion with those who are in communion with their most vulnerable (general background knowledge is relevant). I think that for the sake of not misleading others’ consciences one is free to consider not insisting on compulsory admission to the elements for oneself or others.
There has been a (brief) stand up row when I didn’t receive in a protestant church and, these days, even arm waving in a Roman one when I don’t join the queue to “go up”. Fully half a congregation would sit out in my young day – incidentally affording comfortable cover for politicians – but then materialism obsessives decided compulsory using of elements was something that would save us from bolsheviks.
Thus the communion in the elements is not relevant – to my mind – without “discerning the Body” (“In memory of Me”). Leaders who don’t, risk becoming dead hands, dead in the water, dead on their feet, dead wood, dead weight, like Bismarck’s God. I don’t see any rightful place for “imputing motives” to those who don’t participate in the elements on any occasion. Troy also makes the point about loosening materialistic ties which I’m glad to see many regulars doing in the next (Butler) thread.
Neither does Holy Nicompoop Syndrome, Max.
When I was in-country, the song was “SCRIPTURE! SCRIPTURE! SCRIPTURE! There’s just something about that Name”.
Mahaney just keeps on keeping on, no matter what is exposed. In my opinion, he keeps preaching only because he does not know how to get a real job and work for real pay. He likes to joke and hang out and get paid. Remember he pastored/preached for dozens of years before Louisville. All he has to do is re-work his old sermons and no one is the wiser. Once he quits, the whole movement will fade into nothing.
Wish I had a gig like that –
“Money for Nuthin’ and the chicks for free!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0
No it won’t because the multi-mahaneys and their hangers-on on several continents across a number of denominations / associations / streams who are in “relationship” will ensure it keeps on keeping on.