:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 4: "When Did You...?"

[I’m answering some questions about being asked to leave TCBC – more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts for clarity. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you.]

Prev FAQ's: What Can We Do? | How Are You Doing? | What's Next?
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#4: WHEN DID YOU… ? (TIMELINE QUESTIONS)

For some reason, the timeline of the past year and the leaving process has been important to people. It has been the question asked most, second only to “how are you doing?” We take it as an honor that people want to know, so here are the related events I know of – questions I’ve been asked about my tenure at TCBC and specifically about the last several months as this situation has played out, including church planting stuff.

• April 2004 – hired as part-time student ministry director for Trinity Chapel
• June 1, 2004 – first day on staff (staff retreat)
• August 21, 20004 – graduated Baylor
• August 22, 2004 – official launch of Trinity Chapel
• August 23, 2004 – began graduate work at DTS
• August 21, 2005 – official launch of TCBCcollege
• April 2006 – transitioned from student director to ¾-time director of college and equipping
• July 15, 2006 – married the most wonderful girl in the world (unrelated to this, but worth mentioning!)
• January 2007 – job became full-time
• Summer 2007 – first elder discussions/involvement with interpersonal issues (old elder board)
• December 2007 – finished at DTS; graduated with Masters in Christian Ed and Masters in Biblical Studies
• August 2008 – found out about the potential 2-year church planting residency at Austin Stone; turned down the Sept 2008 start date because of the negative effect on TCBC and TCBCcollege
• September 21 – ordained as a pastor by TCBC elders
• October – informed Ted and elders of potential church planting residency
• November – my first request of the new elders, for mediation between Ted and me
• November 19-21: church planting “Boot Camp” and assessment; approved with conditions as a church planter
• January 28, 2009 – new conflict resolution process assigned by elders; agreed to by all staff; elder board-wide request for mediation ends in encouragement to start the new process instead
  
• February 4 – first step of resolution: Ted and I talked through the past several years, some unresolved issues, etc.
• Early February – Austin Stone residency put on hold until at least May
• February 18-26 – Jess and I went to Italy – nice break from all this!
• February 28 – Broke my wrist – not as nice of a break as Italy was.
• March 8 – wrist surgery
• March 11 – second meeting between Ted and me, where the resolution process was foregone and I was informed of my needing to leave
• Late March – individual meetings with Jeremy and Jeff B. to seek understanding of the situation
• March 25 – meeting with elders, ended by informing me of the decision to ask me to leave
• Apr 9 – I was informed of my severance, last day, and transition details
• Apr 11 – post-firing meeting to figure out how to announce it to the church and students
• Apr 13 – announce to staff and college leaders
• Apr 19 – announce to church and students
• Apr 20 – Elder Q&A @ Trinity Chapel
• May 3 - last day of TCBCcollege, spring '09
• May 17 - my last day at Trinity Chapel
  

I have tried to write this purely as objective fact, describing events that played out step by step. I’ve tried to avoid blame/possessive language (“him/his/them/their/mine” etc.) and conjecture, and just present the timeline – not sure why it’s such a big question, but I hope the it helps clarify confusion and answer questions. If there are further timeline questions, or if you feel I've failed to stay objective, please let me know!

The next post will get back to the present situation – with all the info on the table, the last FAQ to be addressed is “what can we do for you?”