Tullian Tchividjian Fired from Position with Willow Creek after Resigning as Pastor of Coral Ridge
- Updated Mar 16, 2016
Former Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church pastor Tullian Tchividjian has been fired from his position with Willow Creek Presbyterian Church, where he was hired after resigning from Coral Ridge after admitting to an affair.
Christianity Today reports that Tchividjian was hired by Willow Creek to fill a role as the church’s director of ministry development.
However, the church has now stated that “In view of some recent disclosures of which we were previously unaware, we recently decided to end [his] employment.”
Kevin Labby, senior pastor of Willow Creek, also announced that he and four other board members have resigned from the Liberate Network, a resource ministry founded by Tchividjian in 2011.
Willow Creek has told Christianity Today in a statement that “Repentance is progressive and often painful. It involves disclosing and dealing with the darkest places of our hearts and lives.”
Tchividjian has echoed Willow Creek’s words about repentance, but believes he is in a good place “spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.”
“God has increasingly been settling my heart and mind by meeting me in the deep places… exposing my idols and replacing them with a fresh assurance of his love and grace,” he wrote. “I could tell you a thousand stories of the ways God has sweetly met me very specifically in my darkest and most despairing moments, of which there have been many. Through many of you, God has met my guilt with his grace, my mess with his mercy, my sin with his salvation.”
Tchividjian also asked for prayer for those he has hurt by his sin.
“Today, Tullian continues an encouraging season of rest and healing,” the Liberate board wrote. “The elders of Willow Creek Church are presently overseeing a care plan for him, one involving routine worship, prayer, fellowship, study, professional counseling, and more.”
Coral Ridge, Tchividjian’s previous church, has recently announced that Rob Pacienza will fill Tchividjian’s position as senior pastor of the church.
Pacienza was already a member of Coral Ridge and was involved in ministry with Coral Ridge’s first pastor, D. James Kennedy.
Publication date: March 16, 2016
