Today, approximately 10 minutes before the beginning of the morning service, Mac Brunson came to the platform holding an alabaster jar similar to the one at right. He said that two men in our church went on a mission trip to the north African, Middle East (NAME) region some time back and had the idea to start an alabaster import business.He then showed a 4 minute video of these men describing their business venture, how they arrived at the idea, and what its purpose is.
After the video, Mac says that these men are importing alabaster from this region so that they can return the profits to mission work at the NAME. And Mac said "100% of the money you spend on purchasing the alabaster goes right back into mission work in that region". Yes, he did say that. That is hardly possible, I assume he means 100% of the profits. Which means its a not-for-profit venture. We shall see.
Interestingly, Mac's ace marketing consultant "The A Group" may have some involvement, since on Maurilio's twitter account are these two entries showing he flew to Jacksonville on June 19th to meet these two men:
Interesting, it seems that more and more of our church time and resources go into promoting private business enterprises and interests of a select few people in our church. We had the "Time to Stand With Israel" at the insistence of certain influential deacons who have business interests there. Then we had the video commercial displayed during a sermon promoting the home building business owned by the two sons of the developer who donated the $307,000 tract of land to Mac Brunson where he built his million dollar home. And we know that we pay large sums of money to Nashville church marketing guru Maurilio Amorim for our website and other promotional and marketing services. Now two guys with an alabaster business that perhaps our church marketing guru is also involved in. How sad it all is. But to say anything about it and to make people aware of it on a blog, is apparently one of the worst sins that a Christian can commit according to Jim Smyrl on Wednesday, and as we'll likely hear from Mac tonight as he speaks about church discipline. On an unrelated note: how much of God's money given by God's faithful saints at FBC Jax was used to re-do Maurilio's bathroom in Nashville so he could have a six-head shower that he completed on June 21st, as he "twittered" about on June 21st?
Click here to see Maurilio's six-head shower.
Six-head showers for Maurilio Amorim and million dollar homes for the preacher: Ain't God GOOD?
Wow, I guess for 6 headed shower, tiles is kind of tacky, you need a lot of water pressure. I guess he is doing ok with this waste of a natural resource when some people barely have 1 show head.
ReplyDeleteMoney well spent Mac.
I find it hard to believe they would be starting a not-for-profit business venture to give all of the profits to missions. Maybe I'm just skeptical, but it sounds like it would be a business venture where some of the proceeds would be given, but certainly not ALL - but maybe these men are much more spiritual than I and they have extra time to work on starting a business which will be of no profit to them but that where all profit goes to missions as Mac said. I hope its true, or another lie from the pulpit spoken by Mac Brunson.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree it is disgusting for Brunson to be using our church resources and our imags and our church name to get behind this kind of venture. If these men are doing this, then GREAT! Let them do it and market it and give as much or little as they want to missions. I just hope that if Maurilio is involved in the website or marketing of this that our church is in no way picking up the consulting tab.
OK. I want to support NAME missions. Do I give to the IMB and Lottie Moon, or should I buy some alibaster?
ReplyDeleteCome on FBC Jax. Get serious. Enough of this 'on the side' nonsense.
WD, when I think I've heard it all, Mac comes up with a new scheme. I am sickened by it, I feel like he kicked me in the stomach. Why can't we just be CHURCH, just Bible believin', Bible preachin', good ole fashion, Jesus lovin' CHURCH! How I long for that.
ReplyDeleteHis story today about the boy from Dallas who died was touching and I could feel Mac's agony. But sad as the story was, Mac made it all about Mac.....on and on he went about how much MAC did for the boy, how much money Mac spent, how much time Mac and Debbie spent with the boy, on and on. Even managed to bring in justification for a school, because Mac in his generosity, gave scholarships to this boy and his brothers. All about Mac. But what about the boy?
Mac in his arrogance once again cannot resist making something this tragic all about MAC! Pitiful!
IS FBCJAX A CHURCH OR IS IT AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS CHURCH MEMBERS?
ReplyDeleteI believe that what is happening here is that Maurilio and the pastor are intent on building FBCJ Inc. at the expence of FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH JACKSONVILLE. My opinion.
FBCJ IS BECOMING A CORPORATION NOT A CHURCH and they are using SMALL GROUPS to do this. PURPOSE DRIVEN.
Maurilio's former pastor David Foster believed that he was a communicator and did not want to go back to being a preacher.
It appears to me that Maurilio brings that mindset to FBCJAX.
He would bring SMALL GROUP PURPOSE DRIVEN PROGRAMS TO FBCJAX THAT MAC WOULD USE TO GROW THE CORPORATION. Mac would then use the pulpit to put forth that agenda. Therefore, all messages would be agenda driven instead of Holy Spirit Led. So then Mac becomes a communicator instead of a PREACHER.
Why would FBCJAX need Maurilio except for a major overhaul of the beliefs of the church. He has spent months here and for what?
How many months and at what cost will it take for him to complete his work?
Has the church exceeded the $50,000 rule?
Is it time for the pastor to share with the Church just exactly what is MAURILIO AMORIM DOING HERE?
If we are being changed to an Inter-denominational Church, WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT!!!
If that is the case, then we need to get Mr. Amorim out of here!
Church, we need some accountability here.
I love Mac Brunsons sermons however since the beginning I have been very disturbed at his management style. I heard recently that FBC sold the brodcast frequiencies we used to broadcast on and that those frequencies were an investment that should have been retained -even if not used. These frequencies are very difficult to obtain and become more and more valuable as time goes by. Did we not just raise millions to broadcast in HD just before Vines departed ?
ReplyDeleteWhat is up with that ?
I was disturbed at the rate heads began to roll until I no longer know anyone in authority AND I must admit I was somewhat distrubed when he announced the addition of Tray and his wife to paid staff position.
When I first heard of this blog,- I balked that it is only a platform for grumblers, but there are serious matters whose presentation here demand to be addressed. Dr Brunson is a powerful preacher. He could put this all to rest by simply adressing these issues, especially the by laws .
I would urge our pastor to have a heart to heart with the members over many of the issues discussed here. In this age of the internet, the awareness of these issues will spread throughout the church instantly. Perhaps our pastor should begin to listen to the building chorus and open a dialogue .
Anon - it ain't going to happen. Tonight he preached to us about how as a pastor he has had to endure people from the community in each of his churches coming to him to complain about a member owing them money, or drinking in a bar, or some other unbecoming behavior.
ReplyDeleteBut Mac is clueless. He doesn't get it. He doesn't realize that HIS OWN BEHAVIOR in our community has made our church a laughingstock. That members field questions everyday over his stupidity. "Was your preacher really given a $300,000 piece of land when they came?" (they don't want to hear the "yeah, but it wasn't from the church, it was from a member" - its enough to our community that he made instantly $250,000 richer by moving to Jax).
"Is it true that the pastor's wife makes $100,000" We hear this ALL THE TIME from other Christians in town and from the lost.
"Does your pastor's wife really drive a Jaguar and the pastor a Lexus?"
"Why did all your staff members leave? Why would they all have left so soon after the new guy arrived?"
"What's up with this marketing consultant in Memphis? I didn't know that bible-based churches needed marketing consultants"
"Did your preacher really blow off 5 of the 7 crime prevention steering committees?"
"Why did your pastor call Jacksonville a "hotbed of legalism"?
He has caused more cumulative embarrassment for our church, and has harmed our witness in this church more than all the members combined.
But he doesn't get it.
Probably because no one wants to tell him.
The King has no clothes, and no one close the king wants to tell him.
How sad.
Hey....Does anyone know what the BIG meeting was with the MEN this morning about?
ReplyDeleteAll We can do is PRAY!!
Hey...Does anyone know what the BIG meeting was with ALL the MEN TODAY with DR. Brunson?
ReplyDeleteWATCHDOG: for our website...
ReplyDeleteNumber one its not your website. You dont pay your tithe to the church so therefore it is not supporting the website so you have no right to call it your website. Number two if you were a loyal member to your church you wouldn't put this stuff out about your church and cause people not to come and hear the word of the Lord. Number three could you answer this question...If you have such a big problem with this church why are you still attending and why do you go to church just to post on this blog when you get home. Do you even listen to the message or just find stuff you want to hear and post it on here.
I pray for you or your group and I do it often because you hurt so many people but I know that one day you will have God to look up to for this and not Dr. Brunson, The Collins, or anybody else you have mentioned on this blog.
Note to the Anon who is posting threatening messages in the last week, threatening to expose me to certain people in the church:
ReplyDeleteBased on the information you're posting that you think you know about me, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A CLUE as to who I am! Get REAL! You really need to do better investigative work, and stop being so immature and un-Christian as to threaten me. Do you think I will close the blog down because of your threats? If you know who I am you coward, come up to me in church. I was there this morning and evening, and you obviously didn't have the backbone to come up to me like you said you would.
Know this pal: I won't bow to your threats. Feel free to expose all you want, but I will guarantee you: you have the wrong person based on personal information you think you know about me.
Based on the pastor's threatening message tonight that there will be some people removed from the church, makes me wonder if you're working for him and his "Team". No, I won't bow to your threats buddy, so you can stop them.
Dr.Watchdog remember I told you it would only get worse and worse with Dr.Brunson. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not his motivation; IT IS HIMSELF!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is all that I will say.
ReplyDeleteMatthew 21, 12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
All the showerheads in the world will not make that man feel clean.
ReplyDeleteit's not clean he's trying to feel...
ReplyDeleteIt's IMPORTANT
About the "twittering"... who reads it I wonder
my own mother wouldn't read if I did that.
Watchdog - regarding your comment at 9:13 last night...are members really fielding those types of questions on a regular basis? If so, why are people in "our community" asking these questions? How would the average Joe know that Dr. Brunson called Jacksonville a hotbed of legalism, or that he missed 5 crime prevention meetings?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that they got their information from you. As far as I can tell, you're the net's #1 source for Mac Brunson news. And as much as you sit there and blame his behavior for turning our church into a "laughingstock", I think your obsessive scrutiny of his every move is similarly shameful.
All of this makes me wonder what exactly motivates you to continue with this blog. And before you come at me with your standard, "the abuses of Mac Brunson against the church" line...I'll let you know up front that I don't buy that. That may be part of it, but it ain't the whole story. If it were just about abuses, then you would only post about abuses. But you want to make an issue out of everything Mac does - if he misses a bunch of crime prevention meetings, HE'S MAKING OUR CHURCH A LAUGHINGSTOCK! If he says he doesn't want FEMA coming to Jacksonville, HE'S AN EMBARASSMENT!
All in all, it seems that your main concern is pointing out every flaw and misstep that our pastor makes. The problem? Well, for one, while you make plenty of legitimate points about serious issues, you throw in just enough petty non-issues to make your motives very questionable.
Secondly, why are you putting all of this information on a blog rather than handling it in-house? Why don't you talk to Dr. Brunson about all of these "abuses"?
And most importantly, do you really believe that what you are doing honors Christ? Is your attitude even remotely God-honoring? Are your posts doing anything other than turning people against the pastor? Does telling people to hold back their money from FBC please God? Should people be giving as they are led by the Lord, or as they are led by the Watchdog?
I mean, if you truly believe that the Lord is leading you to call out Dr. Brunson in a public forum such as this one, then...do what you gotta do. But I really don't believe that what you are doing here glorifies the Lord. Even if everything you write is factually correct (and I believe that most of it probably is), you seem to be more concerned with pointing out Mac's flaws and sticking it to him than with praying for him and addressing these situations in a Christ-like manner.
Now if I'm wrong about that, you are welcome to tell me why I'm wrong, but I think you really need to examine your intentions and make sure that you're doing things God's way and not your way, you know? Make sure that you're following God's direction and not your own.
And I apologize if my post is a little disorganized and incoherent...my writing skills aren't quite what they used to be, and I'm not proofing this to make sure it makes sense. I've said what I believe needs to be said, and I'm calling it a day. Listen, don't listen; respond, don't respond...whatever.
Anon - those are all fair questions. Let me try to answer them this way.
ReplyDeleteYou have a few incorrect assumptions. First, you're assuming that I'm revealing that which would otherwise be hidden, or perhaps that should be hidden or not discovered. That if I weren't blogging, how would people know about the "hotbed of legalism" or the crime prevention meetings? Fair enough. But my gosh, he is a very public figure, and man with incredible power and influence, a man not afraid to use his power and influence. To shine light on his own words and actions, giving those who disagree with me the chance to even provide their own interpretation of these things, I think is very fair. Which is worse, the person shining the light to bring to people's attention on what I will call "abuses", or is the person committing the abuses? All I am doing is providing commentary, my own opinion on things that I see and hear. I allow dissenting views. And I'm not interested in "exposing" things hidden...my word, Maurilio, Mac's marketing consultant is flaunting his $700 Circus tickets, his sons $55 dollar meals, and posting pictures of his new 6-head shower on the Internet for all to see - and Mac has allowed this consultant to stick his financial straw into our church budget. Mac is forking over huge amounts of money given by God's saints at FBC Jax - I think its terrible, and I'm not ashamed to bring it to the attention of other church members. I'm bringing things to the attention of people who might be interested. Not interested? Don't read it. The vast, vast majority of FBC Jax members don't read this blog.
Secondly, your wrong assumption is that I'm scrutinizing his "every move". No I'm not. There are some things that I've stated here before that I like about Mac Brunson. There are some things that I let go. But sorry, I believe everything I've written about here are valid abuses and its getting close to being a comedy of errors - one abuse after another. The pattern has been established. Mac is an abusive, arrogant preacher, who is handling his church in a careless fashion.
Why not handle it "in house"? Why blog, why not just go to him? Mac and his lay leaders have no interest whatsoever in "handling" anything in house when it comes to Mac Brunson and holding him accountable in an open and fair manor. When they changed the bylaws in the fashion they did, changing our church polity to grant all power to Mac Brunson and his own set of trustees, and didn't dare to square with the congregation about it. They have the power, and have no interest in hearing anyone else. That was such an act of total disrespect for the people in the church, so arrogant and disrespectful to all of us, that it really dwarfs anything I'm doing here on this stupid blog that for some reason people like to come here and read. And there are nutty zealots in the church who want to know who I am so they can "expose" me and do me and my family harm. So no, I won't do it "in house"...I'm doing it on this blog. You must not have heard Smyrl and Brunson in the last week - they are interested in removing the "cancer", in "cleaning the camp".
Motives? I never thought it would go this far. I never thought that the abuses and brazenness and misuse of his power would continue as long and as consistently as they have. I have my thoughts as to what my motives are, and I believe they are pure motives. I don't really want to share my motives...they would probably only serve to anger you and disgust you further so I won't comment on my motives.
But as I've said before: Mac can shut this blog down any time. He has it in his power. He can humble himself and address these issues raised with his congregation. He talked last night about "sin in the camp". Well, I think he needs to include himself in the definition of "the camp"...it aint just his congregation, its him first and foremost that he needs to look at.
Anon 3:37
ReplyDeleteGood post. I think you can realize that the Dog is not accountable to anyone, nor does he think it necessary that he is accountable to anyone. Yet, he wants accountability from Dr. Brunson, total accountability.
He wants Dr. Brunson to be a man of the bible when he himself refuses to follow God's word and speak directly to the one who has offended him (Matthew 18). Of course he has an answer for why he does not have to be biblical when others must. If it were not so sad, it would be funny.
The hypocrisy is loud.
Did anyone attend the "men's only" meeting with Brunson yesterday? If so, what was it all about?
ReplyDeleteNo one caught it: OR DID THEY?
ReplyDeleteMac mentioning Chuck Colson Sunday morning.
Chuck Colson a Catholic is linked with Henri Nouwen a Catholic Mystic and the contemplative/emerging/ecumenical Rick Warren.
Mac continues to show his PURPOSE DRIVEN COLORS.
FBCJAX continues down the trail of destruction like so many other PD churches.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Mac said Sunday you should be separate from the really bad people but be in the world but not of the world. You know, we have been hearing things like this for years.
BUT!!!
MAC SEES NO PROBLEM WITH JOINING HANDS WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. WHEN DID WE AS BAPTIST START FELLOWSHIPING WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
WE BEGAN THIS ECUMENISM WHEN WE BECAME PURPOSE DRIVEN. YOU SAY WE DON'T CARE IF WE ARE PD WE LIKE MAC'S PREACHING.
WELL YOU WILL STILL LIKE HIS PREACHING WHEN HE TALKS YOU INTO CHANGING THE CHURCH NAME TO JACKSONVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH. WHEN SMYRL STARTS WEARING TORN BLUE JEANS AND FLIP FLOPS. WHEN THEY BRING EASTERN MYSTICISM INTO THE CHURCH. WHEN BREATH PRAYERS,OR PRAYER CIRCLES, OR...WHEN YOU BECOME INTERDENOMINATIONAL.
YEH! YOU WILL STILL LIKE MAC'S PREACHING.
THAT'S OK, GO BACK TO SLEEP!!!