Austin gardner

Furthermore, my suspicions were proven right by what has taken place since — they have not done a full independent and unbiased investigation, but rather hired a lawyer to investigate only a single part of the accusation, and refused to investigate anything else. On August 4th, serious allegations were made against Austin Gardner. Within 24 hours, he was officially removed from our organization. We immediately began investigating these allegations and our commitment to truth has led us to launch an independent, external investigation.

Any future allegations against any missionary or staff at Vision Baptist Missions will be thoroughly investigated. In an effort to foster transparency, Vision Baptist Missions has an appointed ombudsman to receive any complaints or accusations. We encourage all abuse victims to report to [email protected]. We are committed to truth and accountability.

We take all accusations seriously and we have a zero-tolerance policy against sexual misconduct. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our General Director, Jeff Bush, at if you have any questions. Please pray for everyone affected. They specialize in these types of investigations.

But almost immediately, NCLL walked away from working with them because Vision Baptist Missions refused to investigate any spiritual or emotional abuse. Vision Baptist Missions has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse and is committed to integrity and transparency.

Even though Mr. Gardner is no longer with our organization, the board believes an independent investigation is necessary to establish the facts and bring the truth to light. Upon completion of the independent investigation, we will release an official statement regarding its findings to ensure this process is trustworthy and transparent.

Please be in prayer for everyone involved in this process. Pastor Trent Cornwell has informed us that he has put together a special committee of current and former deacons of Vision Baptist Church to receive these accusations related to Austin Gardner, a member of their church, and deal with them as a local church. The important factors, according to Boz Tchividijan , are that those being investigated:.

This can be a profound step forward for an organization who is genuinely focused on demonstrating love and repentance to those who have been hurt.

The comments of the vast majority of VBM missionaries prove that this is a systemic battle. These are all quotes from VBM families on Facebook. Trent Cornwell, the deacons, and Vision Baptist Church still have the opportunity to meaningfully renounce these practices and separate themselves from any association with an unrepentant Austin Gardner and Vision Baptist Missions.

I believe they see, at least to some degree, these things as wrong. I publicly call on them to respond in a godly way for the cause of Christ and his Church. Most are also aware of the pseudo-apologies of the past, false confessions, and deceptive demonstrations of piety that have been used to excuse and ultimately continue in this behavior. With this knowledge, it cannot be allowed to happen again. These men have been the most complicit perpetrators of this culture.

They defend and downplay these actions when confronted and teach and practice them in their leadership. There are likely certain things that I have interpreted as deceptive that were just imperfect communication, but the consistency of questionable communication confirmed by the resistance to opening up to a truly impartial investigation is extremely concerning. Demonstrations come in various forms: statements, distancing, and rehabilitation.

Demonstrations seek to repair an image rather than engage in genuine change. The abuse you endured was finally brought to light, but instead of an authentic apology, it felt like you got the opposite: an insincere concession followed by a barrage of displays and reassurances that the church was still good and thriving. What they want, of course, is continued control and reputation. By drowning a negative event in a sea of positivity, the organization manipulates its stakeholders into overlooking or justifying wrongs.

Whenever an organization apologizes for its unethical behavior but then goes on to promote its values, successes, and contributions to society, you can be sure it is more interested in repairing its image for its own benefit than it is in making amends for the good of the wronged. They desire to be seen as good without having to meet the demands of goodness. They want to be granted trust without having to earn it.

They want to be seen as agents of healing without repairing any wounds. At this point, there is nothing left for them to do. You can choose to voice your concern and call the powerful to do the right thing. You can dissent, even if it might seem as if everyone else is ready to applaud the demonstrations. These statements condemn abusive behavior and highlight best practices, renewed commitments, and future potential.

We tend to care more about recent harm. By highlighting a gap in time, the offender implies that the actions are in the distant past. They will do only what is needed to survive the scandal instead of doing all they must to make amends.

They will be unwilling to consider all the factors that might have contributed to their abusive behavior when pushed. They alone will determine what is up for discussion and what is not. Concerned only about appearances, they refuse to engage with outsiders who might inform their initiatives and expose any blind spots. They stay far away from those who might reveal their limitations.

Trusting in their own ability to investigate claims and to render judgment, they go on their own fact-finding missions and refuse to hire outside, nonbiased investigators. At the same time, they avoid giving any credibility to the power of public opinion—to those who have exposed them. Such acknowledgment would give the perception that they do not know what they are doing, an admission they perceive to be fatal and one that would simultaneously give credit to the effectiveness of the public outcry, which they fear would empower their critics even more.

They have now entered into a cycle of impression management as they feel they must defend their legitimacy at every turn so as to quell the growing concerns. They turn their attention to managing the impressions others are forming of the critics, labeling them as malicious, hateful, and arrogant.

Sadly, the very people who were repeatedly ignored are now publicly scorned. The quest to qualify themselves has now become a quest to disqualify others. No amount of faith will be rewarded when the object of that faith is a falsehood. Notes From: Mullen, Wade.

Do we want one? Very good article. Greg grew up through his middle school and high school years in our church. During his high school year, he spent his summers overseas studying and serving with our missionaries. Bret and his wife, Yvonne, have two children, Ben and Beth who both serve as missionaries. Brett serves by helping maintain our building, serving in media ministry, and as a former fireman he helps make sure we adhere to fire safety policies. Holly serves as the director of our nursery ministry.

Andrew, in addition to teaching a LifeGroup, oversees our media ministry. Zack became a deacon in December of They faithfully serve the Lord here at Vision Baptist Church. David became a deacon in January of David serves as the treasurer of our church and helps coordinate our membership process in addition to being the teacher for a couples LifeGroup.

Skip to content Pastoral Staff. Contact Jimmy at jimmysoncco gmail.