I’m referring to the words “make the ministry once again fruitful and glorify God.” This assumes that once, UBF had been more fruitful and glorifying God more than today. In light of the 1976 open letter, I think this is a myth. Do you think the things reported in this letter glorified God? I don’t think so. Do you think the way UBF dealt with this letter glorified God? I don’t think so. Do you think UBF was really fruitful with a proper understanding of the word “fruit” as in Gal 5:22? I don’t think so. Sure, there was much zeal and devotion, but there is also much zeal and devotion in many other organizations, movements and cults which are not glorifying God. It’s not a sign that a movement is healthy.

I’m not saying that all was bad in the old days. The adequate image is that of a batch of dough (which is actually good) with only a little yeast that spoils it. My point is that this little yeast has been in UBF from the very beginnings. This hidden yeast has much to do with the hidden pride, as you also noticed. And I think this pride that people from a third-world-country (at that time) would be able to “conquer the world” (“with the gospel”), teach elite students and become directors in a great movement was really there from the very beginnings, and it was stimulated and exploited by the founder. So honestly, we should not fall into the delusion that the past of UBF was so good and spiritual and UBF has fallen away from that good path. Quite to the contrary, I see many things which have actually improved compared with the state of 1976. The motto “Back to the Bible” is misleading because UBF was never based on a proper, pure and holistic understanding of the Bible to begin with, and I cannot see that UBF once was better or more Biblical than it is today.

Sorry for sounding unforgiving but it’s time to be really honest and crystal clear in our talking.

I was in a fellowship that was lead by the “Abraham of Faith” of our chapter. He was considered the AoF because he was not only the first shepherd, raised by the director himself, but he was also extremely submissive, so much that it was already embarassing. Shortly before Christmas, before all our Bible students went home, we wanted to have a fellowship Advent evening with them. The problem was that they did not have time on the day we suggested, only on the Friday when we had our weekly Friday sogam sharing session. But I was very delighted when the AoF decided to skip the routine Friday sharing session in the center and have our Advent evening with the sheep instead. Not only because the Friday meeting was boring, but mainly to see him finally making a “tough” decision on his own. We really wanted to have fellowship with the sheep before they went home for the Christmas holidays. What happened? You guessed it already: The director bawled the AoF during the next Sunday meeting for having the audacity to consider skipping the Friday meeting. His good reasons were completely ignored, and his decision according to his conscience was slammed. Then, the AoF publicly repented for “not respecting the Friday meeting”. That was the only and last time I saw him making a decision on his own.

The ideas of personal and hierarchical shepherding are fallacies. The elders of a church should take responsibility like shepherds, that’s true. But this does not mean they should replace the role of Jesus or the Holy Spirit. They should not lord over anybody, and the shepherds should act as a group (the group of elders). 1 Peter 5 sums it up very well: “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” Even Peter, the rock on whom Jesus wanted to build his church, did not consider himself a new kind of Moses, or General Director of the “New Testament Ministry”. He considered himself a fellow elder. No one of the apostles was looking for followers of themselves. Paul explicitly warned of such ideas (1 Cor 3:3-4).

“So then, no more boasting about human leaders!” (1 Cor 3:21)

Then as I shared already there were every day “prayer” meetings devoted to rebuking us. Several times I asked questions and almost made decision to leave. But the director pressed me very hard. They told me, “The missionaries are great, they sacrificed so much to come to Russia, and they are God’s servants, they hear God directly, they know what is right. Are you going do disagree with God’s servants and ask God’s servants questions?! Are you the wisest person on the earth? Look at your wife how humble and obedient she is, learn from her”. I didn’t feel I was the wisest, so I stopped asking questions and talking. I became a ubf native leader but that meant that I became an exemplary obedient young man. Many years have passed and one day I opened my eyes and saw that I am no longer a young man. That constant every day pressure brought me heart problems. The chapter center became the most stressing place for me.

Also I had no personal time, ubf knows how to control and suppress people very well. I couldn’t pray but at home. (I want to share our daily bread process. Everybody sits quietly and reads and writes. Only one man breathes very loudly so that all hear that sound of breathing. The director was sure that such way of breathing is a sign of the Holy Spirit working in him. Then everybody takes mats and prays on the knees. Only one man stands on his knees, moves his hands very actively like a butterfly and shouts at the top of his voice, “Uhnananabrinabrinaabozhy uuuuah…powerful leaders… (many strange sounds) … repent!… satan…powerful”. Nobody can pray but have to listen to this… director’s “prayer”. Then the man rebukes those who didn’t shout during the prayer and doesn’t allow them to go to work until they kneel and shout e.g. “Lord!” for 12 times You can see that this “prayer” is something very strange, even stranger than a shaman’s prayer, but while you are in ubf you can’t see the obvious).

Yes, I became very fearful and sick. When I left I was broken physically and psychologically by the stress. I wanted to follow Brian’s advice to leave suddenly and without “the leaving process”. But I had some talks. Then outside of ubf I could start praying and reading the Bible and Christian books and attend a Christian church and it is amazing and I want to share. Well, it is interesting that at every Bible study I can see ubf problems before the word of God. I can say that Jesus had a hard time while I was in ubf but now he is free to work in me. I hope you don’t mind my messy sharing. Dr. Ben I want to ask you about your chapter. As far as I understand you are the leader. I can see that you are “better” than “hard-core” ubf leaders. But do you have other leaders in your chapter? How does your chapter operate? Are you a positional leader or chosen and voted for by brethren? Who and how delegates anything in your chapter? Who is in charge, a leader or the church? Thanks.

1) to speak boldly as Vitaly speaks, as a jr. shepherd or as a sheep, you would have been given dead-dog training, or some form of it. That was always too risky and too fearful to pursue, especially if you wanted to MbF.

2) most of us have gone through a transformation process by leaving. We became stronger through the sudden shunning and vitriol hurled at us as we did in fact begin to ask questions.

I realize, Vitaly, that your comments are very powerful and strong, which is good. I am just wondering how you were not able to be like that for 14 years in UBF, based on what you have been sharing.

@Brian, I guess I have termed the 4 pitfalls as “playing the role of the Holy Spirit,” which will eventually blow up because no shepherd is ever the Holy Spirit. To think so is really quite presumptuous.

@Vitaly, what I was trying to say is that the Christian leader responds to his disciple who failed, as Jesus responds to us, sometimes with severe overwhelming mercy, and at other times with loving tender discipline.

The past few months, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with an unbelieving friend. I had reached out to him for a long time while I was in UBF, but he didn’t respond. However, now that I’m not so concerned with bringing him places or inviting him to events, our friendship has blossomed. I think that my attitude has changed away from being a “recruiter” into being a genuine friend. Also, I care a lot less about what others may think if (for instance) I go to a pub with him and approach him on his own terms. I’m urgently praying that God may use our friendship to open his heart to the Lord. Please pray for me and for him and his wife, particularly that they may accept my invitation to attend church with us this Easter Sunday.

My experience with church leaders now is that they respect my personal boundaries, are intentional about building personal relationships, deeply respect the bible but do not make it an idol, and are blatant about their love for Jesus and our need to listen to God’s voice through the Holy Spirit.

In the 9 month study group I’m engaging in, we are learning about how to take intentional steps to be a mentor to someone. The basic concept is friendship (based on Jesus’ command to love one another) and has nothing to do with leading or lording over a person. It is about being intentional, specific and intimate about sharing our faith.

I was flabbergasted to come across four pitfalls of mentoring in one of the books we’re reading. I as so astounded because in my ubf shepherd mind, these are four *doctrines* to live by, not pitfalls to avoid!

1. The Messiah Complex – I believe I am to rescue you or deliver you from the struggles and pain of your life.

2. The Problem-Solver Mentality – I believe my role is to tell you what the right answers are or to offer a way out for you.

3. The Assembly-Line Syndrome – I believe my role i to shape you into a predetermined form or product.

4. The Wisdom Dispenser Approach – I believe I must dispense wisdom-on-demand every time I meet with my disciple, because I am a fountain of wisdom and truth.

(reference)

I think it is SO obvious why the shepherding movement of the 1970’s failed and why ubf shepherding has seen catastrophic results the last 50 years. What do you think? Should we avoid these or make these our core doctrines?

A prominent verse repeated often throughout the OT about God is that though God does not leave the guilty unpunished, yet God is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exo 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Jonah 4:2).

God does not treat us as our sins (or failures) deserve (Ps 103:10).

“How should the leader who delegated authority to the junior respond to the disciple’s failure?”

My short answer would be the way Jesus responded to Peter’s failure in John 21, and the way Jesus responded to Judas’ failure in John 13. Does this make sense?

How a leader responds to his disciples failure will either reveal grace OR law/works/performance; it will affect how the disciple views God and others.

Interestingly, when Moses “lost it” because of his sheep’s sins, God forbade him from entering the promised land. This is scary!

I think that this is where the issues that you discuss in your posting really come to the forefront. It will hugely impact how the next task will be delegated. It will deeply frame and affect the relationship between the leader and disciple going forward, either for better or for worse. I’d love to hear how our UBFriends have navigated this difficult situation.