Your submission has been received! The sex scandals that have marred some national megachurches did not mark Merritts tenure. Clear scores are given to churches whose policies can be easily found on their websites primary pages (e.g. And with 240 staff members and 27 weekly services, the audience is growing. "We have a lot of people from a lot of political stripes but we Bachmanns' new church has ties to their Christian counseling business He has not announced any plans except that he may write or teach. Bakker said the LGBT group was trying to send all the mega-churches a message about the dangers of the ex-gay movement and the value in affirming LGBT people and allowing them to be members or to work for the church. that the Bachmanns had formerly ended their membership after a church leader had questioned the familys two-year absence. A self-proclaimed introvert, Merritt speaks from Lino Lakes. Welcome to Eagle Brook Church - Spring Lake Park Campus! Every year at Easter, we celebrate Jesus' death and resurrectionthe start of a life of freedom we get to claim because Jesus claimed victory over death. Family dog Blue made a guest appearance. So he was tough to deal with for a year. An online petition opposing the church's plans has drawn more than 900 signatures, following a virtual meeting hosted this week by church leaders and attended by dozens of concerned residents including Kristen Gildemeister. URL: http://images.americanindependent.com/2010/07/MahurinReligion_Thumb.jpgWhen John Becker of Truth Wins Out, a non-profit that fights anti-gay religious extremism, recently went undercover as a conflicted gay man seeking ex-gay therapy from the Christian counseling center that presidential contender Michele Bachmann co-owns with her husband, Marcus, he made a few things up. It's a natural and risk-free way to explore your body, experience pleasure, and release sexual tension. Anderson has Eagle Brook Church seeking to occupy space The idea of a church occupying the former Apple Valley Menards site is closer to becoming a reality. Thank-you for allowing us to partner with Eagle Brook. In the first year, almost didnt make it, he recalled. The first is that the church has a statement affirming "sexual orientation" but not "gender identity." WCCC denied TAIs request for comment about the events that led it to end ties with Exodus. Partly cloudy and windy. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Yet, when presidential candidate and Minnesota State Rep. Michele Bachmann goes to church, she sits among the people, with . Politicizing churches is not a solution to a problem it is a problem in search of a problem. We're so glad you're here. Thousands flock to Eagle Brook megachurch as pastor retires - Star Tribune The people I came into contact w were judge mental and ugly in spirit. We do not take into account: stories submitted by people, news articles, offline PDFs, etc. It was a common refrain. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. "Most of my adult life I had not attended church except for maybe on the holidays," she said. Free Tools ; Leads by Industry . My teaching pastor, Jason Strand, has been with me for 12 years, he said. Merritts legacy includes pastoring with an unassuming and ethical leadership style, Nelson said, and being a Minnesota pioneer in the use of multisite churches. Where Hybels was hung up was on the Genesis verse that defines marriage between a man and a woman, Lutes told TAI. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.