August 3, 2005

In the past few weeks, Heartland Community Church, a Wesleyan Church Plant breathed it's last breath.

Our pastor, Wade Hatefield, gave up his ministerial license in the Wesleyan denomination, and the West Michigan District picked up all of the church's assets from the church office yesterday.

From a finance/asset perspective, we are starting over with a new name- Crossroads.

The story of the journey that brought us to this point is more than I have energy for at this point, but maybe sometime.

Below is a copy of Wade's letter to the district. It gives some of the story.

______________________
July 22, 2005


West Michigan District of the Wesleyan Church
1200 60th Street SE
Kentwood, MI 49508

Dear Mark Gorveatte and the members of the West Michigan DBA:

It has been my privilege to spend the last two and a half years being a supply pastor for the congregation of Heartland Community Church, a recent church plant, located in Ionia, Michigan. During this time, desperately lost people have been found, lives have been changed, and individual relationships with God are at their deepest levels ever. In spite of its many flaws, the body of Christ that God has created in Ionia is the most “raw, yet real” place I have yet experienced. Because of this, I give glory to God alone.

Before I continue, for the record, I must state that I have great heritage in The Wesleyan Church. I owe many thanks to those whom God has used inside the organization of The Wesleyan Church to mold and shape who I am in Him. Sadly, all things can deviate from the path they were created to follow. I see this happening in The Wesleyan Church.

I have consistently taught people to pursue Jesus with everything they are. Our battle standard has been unwavering commitment to following Him. The congregation has been continually challenged to ruthlessly get rid of anything that may hinder their walk with God or poison the pure message of the Gospel. While doing this, the leadership of HCC was trying to continue down the path to become an established Wesleyan Church. A conflict soon became alarmingly apparent. I couldn’t teach my people to follow Jesus alone, to ruthlessly get rid of traditions and practices that can have the potential to dull and numb real connectedness with God, and then say, “By the way…to be a REAL member of this church, you must also commit to a selective list of social, external behaviors that are clearly extra-Biblical.” My heart would not let me do such a thing. To do so would violate my calling.

In the face of this obstacle, we contacted our District Superintendent, Mark Gorveatte, to see if there was some way to “make it work.” Part of our discussion centered on whether there were any possible ways to become an established Wesleyan church without fully embracing the membership commitments. Examples included: “Could we become an affiliate until the 'change that was coming' to the Wesleyan church actually happened?” Would/could the DBA start a precedence for church plants that would give them some extra leeway because they are ministering to a segment of the population that doesn’t readily accept denominational or extra-Biblical requirements? The response to every question was “No.” The only option given to us was various “forms and systems” of implementing covenant membership requirements of The Wesleyan Church.

So, I have reached a crossroads. What may appear as a divisive decision on my part is actually a continuing attempt to bring unity to a divided people and a divided system by increasing awareness of the proverbial “elephant in the room” that most ignore by word and deed. To this calling I will continue to labor.

1. Because the DS and several members of the West Michigan DBA admit that The Wesleyan Church membership commitments include purely social issues, (which from my viewpoint are clearly extra-Biblical), yet require HCC to embrace them to become an established church…

2. Because of the fact that Wesleyan leadership almost everywhere knows that this is an issue, yet practices duplicity in dealing with these issues and fails to address a real and growing concern of literally hundreds of its pastors and thousands of those who attend Wesleyan Churches…

3. Because of the fraudulence of the practice of The Wesleyan Church making purely social issues a requirement for membership versus the Elementary Principles…

(Example: Article 4. Elementary Principles)
270. Christ is the only Head of the Church, and the Word of God the only rule of faith and conduct. 272. No person who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and obeys the gospel of God our Savior, ought to be deprived of church membership.)

4. Because of the decision presented to the leadership of HCC that we either embrace the covenant membership requirements or become an independent church…

5. Because of the West Michigan District’s blatant loyalty to the Discipline over the teachings of Jesus…skirting and sidestepping the issue, all the while minimizing and downplaying the effects on the current culture as well as within the body of Christ…

6. Because of the failure of The Wesleyan Church and its West Michigan District to address this matter with integrity…

7. Because when I questioned the matter of this duplicity regarding membership requirements, the WMDBA’s response was to remind me of my obligation to “declare and defend” and “promote and support” the Articles of Religion and Membership requirements, of which I can no longer do with a clear conscience…

THEREFORE, I renounce and surrender my credentials to The Wesleyan Church.

It is through much prayer, thought, discussion, and counting the costs that I have reached this conclusion. I confidently feel that I have examined every path, and this is the path God would have me follow.

In concluding this letter I want to leave you with one word of caution. Guard yourselves from loyalty to The Wesleyan Church over loyalty to Jesus…because The Wesleyan Church and the Bride of Christ are not the same.

I wish you well.

A Servant of Christ,




Wade A. Hatfield