B.C. MB Conference responds to petition from Cedar Park Church members to drop charge of false teaching against former pastor Lee Kosa

 

Organizers of a petition signed by 189 former and current members of Cedar Park Church are feeling underwhelmed by the BCMB response to their request the Conference drop the charge of being a “false teacher” against their former pastor, Lee Kosa. 

Calling it both a “very serious charge that has implications for Lee’s well-being and future” and “not true,” the petition calls for it to be retracted. 

“He is not, nor has he been, a false teacher, nor did he promote false teaching,” the petition states, adding “we attest that we have never heard him preach against” the Confession of Faith. 

“A serious charge like this must present evidence and must call witnesses if it is to stand,” it added. 

In response, Simpson indicated there was a miscommunication around the false teacher accusation, which was made by Conference Minister Rob Thiessen and then repeated by Pastoral Ministries Committee member Eldon Fehr at an emotional April 3 CPC congregational meeting with BCMB leadership. 

The intent, she said, was to investigate Kosa’s “alignment with the MB Confession of Faith and not to label [him] as a false teacher. Conference Minister Rob Thiessen, apologizes for this miscommunication.” 

She did not, however, retract the accusation, going on to say “BCMB’s concerns have always been specific to Lee Kosa’s theological convictions as they relate to alignment with the MB Confession of Faith, in particular Articles 10 and 11.” (About sexuality and marriage.) 

As for Fehr’s pronouncement at the April 3 meeting, where he affirmed the charge of false teaching, that exchange “was unfortunate,” Simpson said, “and the view expressed was not intended as a declaration or assessment of Kosa’s years of teaching ministry at Cedar Park Church.” 

She went on to say Fehr’s remark was attributable to the meeting being “a highly emotional space” and to Kosa’s “continual and sustained pressure” on Fehr for a response. 

“Under that significant pressure,” Fehr gave an answer “related solely to Lee’s expression of his convictions with respect to human sexuality.” 

An offer to talk to Kosa about that exchange has so far not been accepted by Kosa, she said. 

The petition also asked BCMB to give Kosa the opportunity to surrender his credentials, not just have them taken by the Conference. 

Simpson responded by saying they were taken because “it was made clear by Lee that his convictions with respect to human sexuality no longer align with the MB Confession of Faith,” a process which was confidential but “fair and clearly outlined.” 

Organizers of the petition also took issue with how the letter from Simpson characterized the church as “being emotionally charged and deeply divided.” 

While it certainly is divided now, with the majority of members no longer associating with Cedar Park, for over 40 years the church faced many issues but “always found a way to navigate through these difficult discussions and have come out stronger at the end of the day,” they said—something it could have done again if left alone by BCMB “to figure this out among ourselves.” 

It was conference intervention that “drove a wedge in too deep for us to overcome,” they said, while acknowledging the issue would have been hard for some members. 

“But the majority would have come together. Today that is not possible,” they said. 

The organizers noted the petition was signed by those who stayed at the church and those who did not, adding “This was an action of unity. We felt that the Conference should have understood that and acknowledged it.” 

They acknowledged the response from Conference Moderator Sharon Simpson offered a conciliatory tone to the signers, and was better than some previous communications in the past. 

But their assessment is while the tone of the response is better than some previous communications from BCMB, “it just didn't go far enough.” 

Below find the petition to the Conference, and the response from BCMB. 

                                              *           *          *

April 14, 2022 

Dear BC MB Conference leaders,  

We, the undersigned of Cedar Park Church, come to you with two urgent requests. 

The first, and most important, request is that the accusation about Lee Kosa, our pastor of 9 years, being a false teacher, spoken at the congregational/conference meeting April 3, be retracted. Please do so in writing to Lee and to Cedar Park Church congregants. 

The second is that you withdraw the revocation of Lee Kosa’s credentials so he can surrender them as requested. 

The second is an obvious Christian courtesy that should be extended to his request. 

The first is a VERY serious charge that has implications for Lee’s well-being and future. The reason it is so serious, however, is that it is not true. He is not, nor has he been, a false teacher, nor did he promote false teaching. By biblical measure, his faith (see I John 4:1-3), the fruits of his ministry, and his character testify otherwise. Further, we offer our witness to this. (If the Confession of Faith is the measure, we attest that we have never heard him preach against it.) 

A serious charge like this must present evidence and must call witnesses if it is to stand. We ask you to resolve these two matters before the BC AGM at the end of the month. 

If you require further conversation or a meeting, please let us know asap. However, we are convinced this can be done quickly and without a great deal of back-and-forth, because it is the right and just and true thing to do.

                                               *            *            *

 April 26, 2022 

To the 189 Cedar Park Church congregants who signed the letter to BCMB dated April 18, 2022, Thank you for reaching out to myself and the British Columbia Mennonite Brethren Executive Board (BCMB EB) with concerns that you share with respect to your two requests. 

It is clear to all the members of the BCMB EB and the Pastoral Ministries Committee (PMC) that Lee Kosa is a dearly loved and cherished pastor who has shepherded and taught your congregation for 9 years. There is no dispute that he has greatly impacted lives through his ministry within your community of believers. Many members of the CPC congregation have shown us that they care deeply for Lee. Your love and concern for him in the writing of this signed letter is further evidence of this. 

BCMB’s concerns have always been specific to Lee Kosa’s theological convictions as they relate to alignment with the MB Confession of Faith, in particular Articles 10 and 11. The PMC expressed its concerns to Lee in a letter that was signed by all PMC members and all BCMB EB members, dated February 5, 2022. That letter outlined the unified thoughts of all members of these two groups. 

They have not used the label “false teacher” to express their concerns. 1 Timothy 5 and 6 were referenced in a communication with Lee to describe the process that BCMB was following – an accusation against an elder in contrast to the personal conflict process described in Matthew 18. 

The intended focus of that communication was to explain the process BCMB used to investigate Lee’s alignment with the MB Confession of Faith and not to label Lee as a false teacher. Conference Minister, Rob Thiessen, apologizes for this miscommunication. 

The phrase “false teacher” was used by Lee at the Special Congregational Meeting. As you know, that meeting was a highly emotional space. During the meeting, Lee put continual and sustained pressure on one PMC member, demanding a “yes or no” answer to the question of whether he is considered a “false teacher”. 

Under that significant pressure, the PMC member gave his response – a response related solely to Lee’s expression of his convictions with respect to human sexuality. This was immediately followed by his offer to sit down with Lee to talk about what he meant by this answer, which Lee has not accepted. 

This exchange was unfortunate, and the view expressed was not intended as a declaration or assessment of Lee Kosa’s years of teaching ministry at Cedar Park Church. 

As you may recall, Lee was asked during the meeting whether he would permit full disclosure of the dialogue and interactions between him and BCMB EB or PMC. Lee did not wish to do so, as is his right. 

As such, I will not reveal everything that was discussed during such exchanges and meetings. However, I can say with confidence that it was made clear by Lee that his convictions with respect to human sexuality no longer align with the MB Confession of Faith. This was the basis upon which Lee’s credentials were revoked. 

Our credentialed pastors need to align with the shared convictions of the Canadian Mennonite Brethren denomination as expressed in the MB Confession of Faith. While I am constrained as to how much information I can disclose without Lee’s consent, the process was fair and clearly outlined. 

BCMB did not make an announcement nor publicize the revoking of Lee’s credentials. He chose to make that public himself. There is also a concern about the timing of the release of the summary statement of a listening meeting that was held between Lee, Rob Thiessen (BCMB Conference Minister), and facilitated by Ken Esau (PMC Member). 

This was brought forward at the Special Congregational Meeting as a significant distress to Lee and failure on the part of BCMB. In examining the email thread, we can see how Lee was waiting on Rob Thiessen to release the summary while Rob Thiessen was assuming that Ken Esau's confirmation email sent on May 31, 2021 was the official go-ahead for Lee to share this summary with CPC. 

When the misunderstanding came to light and that Lee was waiting for another official email, apologies were offered by Rob to Lee via email on July 24, 2021. This was an unfortunate miscommunication that has been described as a critical turning point for Lee and one which BCMB is very sorry took place. 

The significant theological disagreement, along with beliefs and values that are now expressed among the members of the Cedar Park Church congregation have brought about what we witnessed as an emotionally charged and divided meeting. This division has caused much strife and grief. There are significant differences and both sides are proclaiming the love and grace of Jesus Christ. 

Our hope for the future of the Cedar Park Church congregants is that there will be a determination to move forward in a way that is gracious toward each other, with the understanding that some may choose to part ways with Cedar Park Church and the BCMB denomination of which it is a part. BCMB will continue to support those at Cedar Park Church who wish to remain aligned to our MB Confession of Faith and the Mennonite Brethren convictions of biblical marriage and sexuality. 

Respectfully on behalf of BCMB EB and PMC, Sharon Simpson, BCMB Moderator