Dear Berean Faith Family,
 
No doubt the last four months have been painful and confusing as we have all come to grips with the resignation of Wes Feltner as lead pastor and the evidence surrounding his actions, both 17 years ago and currently. It is with sadness that we inform you that Wes has rejected the separation package we have offered him and his family. He has decided to pursue his own ministry and not heed our counsel toward healing, reconciliation, and restoration.
 
In our previous communication, which can be found here, we outlined the themes of the investigation and our conclusions on Wes’ leadership at Berean. For those reasons, we sadly concluded, Wes’ actions and character were no longer “above reproach” with respect to the biblical qualifications for an elder, a steward of God’s church (Titus 1:7). We have exhorted him not to seek a pastoral or spiritual leadership role at this time. To do so would be inconsistent with Christ’s high calling for one of his servants. We further believe this is essential for his spiritual restoration process and for his long-term future effectiveness for the kingdom of God.
 
The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy (1 Timothy 5:19-20) on the discipline of an elder and how to handle an elder who continues in his sin. Timothy was reminded not to accept an accusation against an elder without careful investigation and the corroboration of multiple witnesses. However, after confirmation of the accusations and warning the willfully disobedient elder, not once but twice, Paul was succinct and clear: have nothing to do with him (Titus 3:10-11). Removing the elder is essential for the fellowship, function, and protection of the church.
 
Wes has chosen to reject our counsel and has refused to follow biblical instructions for reconciliation. Instead, he is pursuing his own ministry pathways and stirring up division by actively recruiting Berean members by sharing his own judgements of the situation while not having shared those judgements with the Berean elders. Because of this deliberate refusal to heed the counsel of the elders of the church which he pastored; we find it necessary to place Wes Feltner under church discipline.
 
In practical terms this encompasses the following actions:
  1. Wes has rejected our offer of compensation because it constricts his own desire to immediately pursue a new pathway of teaching and leadership in ministry. Effective immediately, all compensation payments have been suspended. This compensation package was based on Wes’ compliance with stepping back from ministry to pursue healing, reconciliation, and restoration.
     
  2. With the goal of protecting the faith family of Berean and other believers from further deception, hurt, and confusion and with the intent to help Wes toward his own healing, we exhort everyone to avoid supporting his efforts. He resides in this current dark place by choices he has made himself. First Corinthians 5:9-13 instructs us as believers to separate ourselves from any believer who is unwilling to repent of patterns of sin such as greed and deception.
     
  3. This letter to our church members and regular attenders serves as notice of public admonishment to a willfully disobedient elder per
    I Timothy 5:19-20; Titus 3:10-11.
 

Furthermore, the fruitfulness of a church is attributed to God alone who gives the increase and not to any one person (I Corinthians 3:7). Competency in the exercise of any spiritual gift, such as effective preaching, does not please God in itself, since Christlike character is an essential, based on elder qualification passages like I Timothy 3, Titus 1, and I Peter 5.
 
In summary, we state with all gravity that we take no pleasure in exercising these disciplinary measures. However, we must be faithful to the Scriptures and carry forward this discipline. This action echoes the sentiments of Hebrews 13:17 in that we “are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” This is consistent with Wes’ repeated teaching about church governance and elder leadership while he served as our lead pastor.
 
We are grieved by his actions, but our hearts remain open to any future softening of Wes’ heart toward the Lord, the elders, our counsel, and our faith family. In the meantime, we see his attitude and activities as counterproductive to the authority of the Word of God, the reputation of Christ’s name, the unity of the body of Christ, and to his own healing.
 
 
Out of love for Christ’s church,
 
Berean Baptist Elders and Pastors
 

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