What Does the Lifeway Study on Younger Pastors Mean?

Rush Limbaugh uses the term, “Follow the money” to describe a hidden agenda. My father had a saying that probably was not unique to him but he is the one I heard say it; “you cannot live a champagne lifestyle on a beer drinkers income”.

These two sayings are very relevant to the study that everyone is saying reveals much about the Younger Pastors (YP). First, let me say that I am not a Younger Pastor. At forty-eight years of age, as hard as it is for me to admit it, I am anything but young. Second, at my age I am kind of an ‘in between’ person. I am on the back side of the Baby Boomer generation, so I do not really have the mindset of Boomers. I was born before the years of the Baby Buster generation so, I certainly do not carry their mindset. And as a forty-eight year old, Gen X does not even consider me viable at this time. Second, as one who tries to weigh in on this study, I am not chastising the study in its accuracy. I am however, refuting the conclusions of some based on the study itself.

Younger Pastors

There are a number of blogs, and even those who commissioned the study, that takes Kierkegardian leaps of faith in order to arrive at some conclusions. YPs seem to be coming from an emerging church mind set. It seems that every YP that I speak with, with only a few exceptions, want to tear down everything that has been built within the last 1700 years. These same YP are following other YP who are saying things like; “I love Jesus but I do not love the church.“ That is an absolute illogical statement. To make such a statement would be the same for a young lady to tell people I love Tim but I do not love his wife Gail. Gail is my wife and for a young lady to say that it would ring of an affair in the ears of all who heard it. You cannot separate your love between me and Gail, and you cannot separate your love of Jesus and the church. What one says when such a statment is made seems to be that they love Jesus and they will love the church that they can conceive in their mind.

It also seems that these same YPs desire to be the ones making the final decisions on everything that comes down the pipe. While they grew up with Barney, their advanced mind set is centered around “The Donald“. They will only play Barney=teamwork–long enough for them to become “The Donald”=rugged individualism. In order to become “The Donald”, they will have to live the life of Survivor and Big Brother in order to prevail in their dream. Once they used the system to get to their dream, ie church plant, seminary education, denominational position, then the system is no longer relevant and we must tear it down in order to start a new one from scratch. Some bloggers/young leaders/YPs are now asking if the SBC can be saved. Others have hinted that they no longer view the SBC as relevant to them and where they are in ministry because it is not Calvinistic enough. Still others openly confess that they are not teachingtheir kids about the SBC and could care less whether their kids are part of the SBC. I am not saying that all YPs believe this way. I am saying that those that feel this way seem to have their Christian world view shaped more by relativism than the reality of how the SBC works.

The Study

The study pertains to attendance at annual SBC meetings. It is a great study and one that cannot be argued as to its accuracy. The reason? Every messenger checks in with a messenger card. I personally cannot remember the section that registers age, but I will not argue that point. There probably is some time that I was asked at each convention what was my age. I do remember, it seems, that they used to do that at the first teller committee report. Of course, at my age, my memory is not what it used to be. I told you that I was not a YP. Thus, that is all the study says. The study does not say any other thing but that YPs, under the age of 39, are not coming to the convention. If I were to do a study of those attending Business Meetings at my church, we would find the same results. Business meetings are attended mainly by those above 60. Should I conclude that we are not reaching those under 39, even though we are seeing an increase in that age group? Should I conclude that those over 60 are taking over and if we do not turn the tide then we will die withing 20 years? Not on statistics of business meeting attendance we shouldn’t.

Having said all of this, the study is not necessarily a study relating to YP as much as it is a study relating to people under 39. If one would like to argue that those under 39 are not coming to the SBC because their Pastors, who are under 39, are not coming, I would not mind. But you need to remember that if we are looking at statistics based solely on messenger cards, that is all that we know. People under 39 are not attending the SBC as they did back in Dallas.

Look at the study dates. 1980 is as far back as their statistical data is presented in the study. Let’s do some simple, redneck, country, rifmatic. I was born in 1959, and as I said earlier am on the back end of the Baby Boomer generation. In 1980, I was 21 years old. The Jack Graham’s, James Merritt’s, Johnny Hunt’s, Ronnie Floyd’s, O. S. Hawkin’s represent those under 39 in 1980. The largest population increase in the history of America came of age during the Conservative Resurgence. Would one not quite naturally agree that the odds are in favor of a larger under 39 pastor population in 1980, than today? I am not negating there does appear to be a crisis on the horizon. I am arguing that this crisis is not to such a level that we cannot prevent it. Dr.’s Rainer & Akin seem to scream a little excessively loud in issuing their clarion call concerning this study. I agree with Dr. Rainerthat the San Antonio convention was poorly attended by under 39 YPs. My question though would be more centered around the location and what was on the agenda, than the spirit of the meetings. Dr. Ranier seems to suggest that YP’s are leaving in droves and if we do not do something now, we will have pulpits in the future without pastors to fill them. Dr. Akin asks a question that begs to be answered. In speaking about YP’s Dr. Akin states; “We need to give them a compelling vision and reason why they should commit themselves to what we are doing. That is the responsibility of an older generation. To say it another way: The fathers need to show their sons why this ship is worth sailing!” In that statement there is a question that begs an answer. What are our Seminaries teaching if all of the students that are being turned out want to leave the very family that birthed their spiritual journey? Have our seminaries gone back to being a thermometer of culture instead of being a thermostat?

Conclusion

Let me conclude this article by answering the afore mentioned questions. When I went through SEBTS, the second time, I was taught about the CR. I have James Hefley’s complete set of books on that subject along with Nancy Ammerman’s Baptist Battles plus many more from both perspectives. The CR was ingrained in my SB DNA. I was taught that I was to be a thermostat in culture instead of being a thermometer. I saw the convention as the resource that I needed in order to lead the churches I pastored to being Imago Dei to a lost world. I recognized all of this and never really came through the battle. I did not enter convention politics until 1991, in Atlanta when I stood at the national SEBTS alumni luncheon to vote for Sonny Holmes as a substituted recommendation for President elect. Brother Johnny Hunt sat at the table with me and made the recommendation. I was as shocked as anyone. He never told me he was making the recommendation,but when he did I voted for Sonny Holmes. That was my first taste of convention politics. Guess what? It never benefited me one bit. Now, Brother Johnny still speaks with me when he sees me, but he usually has a reserved seat at the head table. Does that bother me? Not one bit. God is using him and I am just glad to say he is my friend. Which brings me to another reason that it is hard for me to get excited that there is a tide of under 39 YP’s not coming to the convention.

We are in the process of interviewing people for the position of Youth Minister. You would be surprised at the demands and other needs that has been told me. The guys that I interview are very demanding in what they will and will not do. I have no problem with people knowing their gifts, but refusing to fold bulletins just because it is not in a job description is a little overboard. (I am not exaggerating) The under 39 YP’s present themselves as know-it-alls. I am not saying that everyone under 39 in the ministry is this way. I am saying that those who lead the charge present themselves in this way.

One other question that needs to be answered concerning Dr. Akins statement of the father teaching the son. Can one teach another that is unteachable? To put it another way; those under 39 need to be willing to learn, instead of Erklizing everything. You know what Erklizing is do you not? Erklizing something is tearing something apart and leaving everything in an uproar then asking; “Did I do that?” This is not about hindering an adventurous spirit. It is about understanding a high price was paid by those who came before us. That high price may not seem too expensive today, but when the price was paid by others, we should be grateful that we are the beneficiaries of that investment. It is also about understanding that we are called to work together. A pastor friend of mine went to two services out of a need for space. After they built their new sanctuary they went back to one service. In two services they had a contemporary worship experience and kept a traditional experience in their other service. When they went back to one service they went back to a blended service. They kept their drums, praise team, and all of the other things from their contemporary service they just blended a traditional hymn singing service into it. He told me that he lost double the amount from the contemporary service than he did from the traditional. Under 39’s need to grasp that there is some very important theology in older hymns and in tradition. There is a reason why God had Joshua take 12 stones and build a mound with them when he crossed the Jordan river.

Is the research worthy to help us? I believe it is. I believe, before we begin dismantling everything, we need to look at the years when attendance of under 39 exceeded attendance of over 60. What exactly did we do in those years that attracted those under 39? It couldn’t have been Orlando, because in 1994 and 2000 those over 60 far exceeded those under 39, in 1994, and in 2000 the numbers were about the same. In 1999, I have to ask what when on? Why was there such a jump in the under 39 crowd. Also, why has there been such a jump in 2005, 06, & 07 in the over 60 crowd? Could it be that the over 60’s are the ones that went through the battle before and they now see another approaching threat that will steer the ship back left? I do not know. But certainly there are some questions we can ask in order to find the answers.

A Discovery Made at Christmas

I am on vacation at Myrtle Beach. If any of you bloggers out there are here at Myrtle, I encourage you to get in touch with me at the Sea Mist. But, as I am here, I am not in a place where I have continued internet service in my room. I have to go to the lobby of the hotel to use the internet. Gail has allowed me to do this because she knows that this is important to me. She also knows that I needed to do some internet work in order to get our churches newsletter out on time. I am placing this post and will not be able to respond on a consistent basis until after Saturday. However, do not let that stop you. Go ahead and leave some comments and give me some insight on how you are raising your children. I need all the help I can get.

When Gail and I got married we determined that when children came along we were not going to fabricate Christmas. Thus when Rebekah came along we told her there was a Saint Nick and we told her the story of the old fat man. We told her that she could tell those in the Santa Claus outfits what she wanted for Christmas but she prayed to Jesus and it was Jesus that determined what she got for Christmas. Thus, the Santa mystery became one of some truth, but certainly remained focused on the real meaning. We wondered how we were doing and tried very hard to maintain the mystery, but we tried extremely hard to keep Jesus at the center.

This year we found out exactly how well we were doing. I take Rebekah to school every day and it provides valuable time for us to discuss various issues. About two weeks before Chrismas Rebekah raised a question, regarding how the gifts just showed up, concerning who was the real Santa Claus. I told her that I have not ever told her anything wrong and if she really wanted to know then I would tell her. She told me she really wanted to know so I told her that it was her mother and I. But, I told her that when she stopped believing then Santa stopped making rounds. She told me it did not work that way. Thus, the following story reveals to you the lesson I learned from my little girl that tells me we believe we are on the right road.

Rebekah asked for a number of items for Christmas. Gail and I felt that a new 24″ bicycle was something that we could swing along with a set of story books a new Bible that she was asking for and a telescope. The bicycle was placed at one of our members homes because Rebekah was searching the closets and attic in our home back in October to verify her suspicions as to who played the part of Santa on Christmas eve. With that in mind, Gail and I arranged something that truly opened my eyes as to Rebekah’s Spiritual growth. We returned home late on Christmas Eve and Rebekah went straight to bed. Gail remained up and placed candy, a Webkins animal, and a deodorant stick in her stocking. We placed a specialized Hannah Montana shirt outside and that was all that Santa placed out for her.

She slept with us and awakened at 3 am and we told her to go back to sleep. Our alarm went off at 6 am and she asked could we go ahead and get up. We all went to the living room and she was so excited. We all opened our gifts and she discovered Santa’s presents. Much to our surprise, she never questioned if there was anything else. She just turned to us and said; “Dad, are you going to read the Christmas Story?” I responded that I wanted her to do the honors this year and we sat down and read Luke 2. I asked her a number of times if she got everything she wanted and she responded that she got what Jesus wanted her to have.

Well, the plans were already in motion and could not be stopped. At 8:30 am the couple that had the bicycle called telling Rebekah that Santa made a mistake and left something there with her name on it. When we got in the car to leave, I had to go back in the house to get something and then I laid out the books, telescope and other items we got for her. She got to the other house and saw the bicycle and was very excited. Then when we went home she walked in to see the rest of the treasures laid out on the floor in the living room. Again she screamed like a little girl does and was excited for her gifts.

What did I learn? Rebekah was content with just a shirt, deodarant stick, and a webkins animal. We have told her time after time that Christmas is not about what we get but what we give. She was more excited to make certain that she read the Christmas story out of her new Bible, with friends that we exchanged gifts later on Christmas day, than she was to ride her new Bicycle. Does this mean that Rebekah will now grow up and not get into the wrong crowd? No! Does it mean that Gail and I have done our job and we now can stop praying for her? No! Exactly what does this mean? To me, this means that my work is on course and I need to be more diligent than ever before to keep my family focused on Jesus. Pray for us as Gail and I strive to keep our little girl focused on who Jesus is and how He changes lives.

Merry Christmas to You!

As you begin your Christmas celebration I wanted to ask us all to stop and remember what Christmas is about. As you see this first picture, you will notice the warmth on the inside while it is cold on the outside. Isn’t that what Christmas seems to bring out in all of us. Family and warm fuzzy feelings.
As you look at this picture you will notice some great feelings exhibited here. Notice the cat in the chair, and this reminds one of the security of home. Isn’t it fun to be able to go home? Let’s remember that we have Missionaries who are unable to be with their extended families this Christmas. Also, let’s not forget the Soldiers that are serving away from family in order that we may enjoy Christmas in the land of the brave and home of the free.

Remember when you used to go to the woods to find a Christmas tree? Gail just told me about she and Rebekah going to the mall which is approximately 45 minutes away. She said that Rebekah and she sang Christmas Carols the entire time.
Isn’t that a great picture? It reminds me of the cuteness and cuddliness of Christmas. Things that families do together to create tradition for Christmas. We have a tradition that we will celebrate this evening. We make hot chocolate and take off to look at Christmas lights. The reason for the hot chocolate is that when we get in the truck, we open all of the windows, turn on the heater in the truck, and ride. We are bundled up sipping hot chocolate, singing Christmas Carols and looking at Christmas lights.

When it all said and done, the real meaning of Christmas is portrayed in this photo.Many seem to forget that Christmas is all about God becoming the Godchild. Jesus was as much God in the manger as he was God on the Cross, and just as much as he is God today. God became man and dwelt among us.

With all of the hustle and bustle of the season, do not get caught up in the warm fuzzies and forget about the Word that became Flesh and Dwelt among us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

15 Years!!

The picture to the left is the woman that made me the happiest man alive on the day she accepted my proposal of marriage. She was the one that lost in this deal. I got the most loving, compassionate, caring, considerate, and Godly women a man could ask for. She is my Cinderella and I am her Elmer Fudd. God’s Sovereign hand was in place when our paths crossed. She accepted an invitation from me to come hear me speak. It was a classic blind date.

I went to Romania on a mission trip and her friend Jan, who is now a missionary in Belgium, was on that trip with me. When we returned from that trip, Jan called and said she had a friend I should meet. I called and the most convenient time for us both was an opportunity I had to share with a church close to where she resided. She came (and REALLY LIKED what she saw) and the rest is history.

On December 19, 1992 she and I exchanged our wedding vows before God, a church full of people, our families and three Pastors. Much water has passed under the bridge since that day and we have shared in the triumphs and heartaches of ministry. Gail has lost her Father, both Grandmothers, a step-Grandfather, and her Mother has Parkinson’s and is in a skilled nursing facility close by our home. I have lost my Father and my favorite uncle while ministering to people who sometimes seemed like they did not care. For those that seemed not to care, God has sent us countless numbers of others that have invested their lives in the ministry that God has called us.  By the many acts of kindness and through the heartaches we have seen that God is faithful and we have maintained our vows to each other with joy.

Today I want to thank my wife Gail for the many years we have enjoyed together and the many more to come. God has truly given me a wife that has complimented me in our ministry and certainly accentuated the part of ministry that I go lacking in all of the time.

I LOVE YOU GAIL!!!

How was Your Sunday?

I want to be very careful how I write this post. The reason? I do not want to sound prideful or like I am bragging. Because I remember how in an earlier ministry it was everything that I could do to get the people to give to Lottie Moon. If we took up a $1000 offering I was excited. However at the ministry I currently serve, they love missions.

In our budget we have a line item marked Lottie Moon. This line item has a set amount there of $5000 dollars. That is exciting because we are committed to give from our budget that amount straight to international missions. Along with that our WMU sets the goal for our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. This year they set a goal of $6000 and we began promoting Lottie Moon. As you saw on my blog Brother David Rogers, Missionary to Spain, came last Sunday and spoke for our week of prayer. This kicked off our campaign. This past Sunday we had a March-to-the-Manger.

A March-to-the-Manger is where we take special time during our service and our families come to the manger and place our Lottie Moon Christmas offerings in the manger. The march lends itself to teaching how important missions are in our families. While our LMCO is open the entire month of December, we use this march to receive the bulk of our offering.

This past Sunday we received in the one March-to-the-Manger–$6,200. That is right, we received and surpassed our goal in one offering. (It must have been that scintillating sermon that Brother David preached.) That means that at the present time we will be sending over $11,000 to international missions. Many of you have received much more than that amount for LMCO and I praise God for that. I just wanted to encourage everyone that giving to Lottie Moon certainly is not old hat. For a church to give 5% of their budget to LCMO and another 8% to CP, represents two offerings that is distinct to being Southern Baptist. It is what we call “holding the ropes”.

The Sufficiency of Scripture

I ask that you think about something for me. Think how you would respond to this situation. You just finished shopping at a shopping center and you place your packages in your car. Once you sit in the driver’s seat the passenger door opens and a robber enters the car and closes the door behind him. You are stunned and surprised. Oh, did I mention you are 92 years old? The thief demands your money and says he has a gun. How do you respond?

Click here and read the story of this 92 year old grandma in Memphis. Take time and look at the news video.  She responded by witnessing to the robber. I saw this one on NBC Today this Saturday am. Can you imagine the situation? I know that I cannot. What a great dependence on God’s Word. I nominate this woman for SBC President, if she is a Southern Baptist.

Another Special Sunday!

We had another Special Guest with us this past Sunday morning. Brother David Rogers, serving with the IMB as a Missionary to Spain and a fellow blogger, honored me by accepting my invitation to be with us as we began the week of prayer for Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Brother David did a superb job exegesis of the text and applying it to the lives of our Congregation.

He arrived by himself on Saturday afternoon and Gail, Rebekah and myself went to supper with him. I am sorry that his family was not able to make it with him. I was at a dilemma as to where he would like to eat. With him serving in Spain, I wasn’t sure exactly what his tastes were. He was very agreeable as to where we went to supper. (Dinner is the middle of the day meal) Thus, we went to Cracker Barrel. Brother David ordered as one of his sides “fried okra”. He is a redneck! :^)

After services on Sunday AM we went to K&W Cafeteria. Brother David and I sat an talked after Gail and Rebekah left us. We spoke of our agreements and our disagreements. He is one of the most pleasurable persons I have been around. His attitude is that of humility and his debate is one of grace. As I took him back to his car, we stopped and both prayed for each other. What a blessing it is to serve our Lord with my Brother in Christ.

Is there Precedence?

In church life there is always someone that wants special attention. They desire it so much that many times the items they desire comes before the church for a vote. Usually when the vote is taken it comes as a result of campaigning in order to get the proper people in place in order to speak for the special item that calls for the entire church’s attention. When the vote is taken most Baptist will move in the direction of the vote and you never hear from it again. Unless that special item that would give someone the special attention that they sought is not passed by the church. Then there is an all out attack on the leadership of the church. You will hear things like; “the Deacons do nothing but follow the Pastor”; “the Pastor is a dictator that only wants his way”; “the people in this church have lost their voice”; and my personal favorite one to hear; “this is all about control and power”.

Denominational life is not that much different than church life. In denominational life you have the same types of issues come before the body. This past North Carolina Baptist State Convention (BSCNC) meeting was no different. What was different were the Wednesday morning votes. Dr. Roy Smith, retired Executive-Director Treasurer, presented an amendment to the budget that called for increasing the North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO) $500k. This increase was to go the Women’s Missionary Union of North Carolina (WMU-NC) to enable them to make their transition from being under the umbrella of the BSCNC to becoming completely independent. This amendment was soundly defeated. That was the surprise. I was shocked that the amendment was defeated by such a large majority of messengers on Wednesday morning.

You have to know NC Baptist politics to understand my shock. First we are speaking about WMU. For NC Baptist there are three rules to surviving in the local church and state denominational life. One, do not say anything in private that you are not willing to vouch for in public. Two, most of the time those elected by the church/convention are not really the ones setting the vision. Three, never, ever, under any circumstances, cross the WMU. Why is the third one so important? Because you cannot argue against spending money that will enable missions. Also, you cannot debate why we need to close down the arm that is responsible for raising the Missions Offering.

Because the amendment failed we left Greensboro, NC with the understanding that the ball was now in WMU-NC’s court as to what they are going to do. Do they stay or do they go? If they stay the leadership of BSCNC has made it clear they will receive them back. But the WMU-NC has decided to leave and that appears final. Then something comes in the mail for the WMU director in the churches across NC that are affiliated with the BSCNC and it was a bit surprising. I was more disappointed than surprised but surprised was still my reaction. There was a personal letter signed by Dr. Roy Smith, along with his wife, inviting the WMU Directors to various meetings across the state. In this letter, disguised as an invitation to informational meetings, the WMU-NC’s apparent financial crisis is laid at the feet of the BSCNC leadership. Dr. Smith encourages the local WMU Directors to receive a special offering in their churches to help raise funds for the WMU-NC to make their transition for the next year. Dr. Smith invokes sentiments based on false information. Dr. Smith writes: “A crisis has been thrust upon Woman’s Missionary Union of North Carolina by the leadership of the Baptist State Convention.” This statement is, at the least ill informed about the issues, and at the most, intentionally false.

There are various areas of concern for me and I pray the leaders in our convention address them. First, Dr. Smith’s letter was a personal letter that was distributed by WMU-NC in WMU-NC envelops using a BSCNC postal stamp. That is correct BSCNC funds, because the NCMO offering is a negative offering, are being used. Dr. Smith has spoken disparagingly against the leadership of BSCNC and he did it on the BSCNC’s dime. Second, what precedence is being set by this letter? I am certain, with Dr. Smith being the NC Baptist historian that he is, there will be some obscure letter produced from somewhere in the 1950’s that comes from a person asking for funds for missions. However, I believe that one will find, if such a letter is produced, that it was a cooperative offering that was being promoted. The WMU-NC offering that Dr. Smith is promoting is one that is very divisive. Second, this letter is completely against the way that Baptist have done things in the past. Whenever a vote was taken in the past that did not go the way of conservatives, they regrouped and presented it differently to the convention the following year. Many walked away disappointed and even angry but never was there this kind of questionable tactics performed. Dr. Smith, through this move, has expressed that he knows better than 1500 BSCNC duly elected messengers on how to vote. Dr. Smith’s amendment was voted down and he has now found a way to retaliate on the dime of the ones that he is trying to bring down. Third, Dr. Smith has completely distanced himself from the Southern Baptist Convention. He is strangely making accusations against the leadership of the BSCNC and has consistently distanced himself along with the BSCNC from the SBC. The vote was taken by a duly called convention and the WMU-NC needs to make a decision. Because Dr. Smith is leading this charge and all of the churches that are hosting the meetings are aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the WMU-NC needs to make a decision. Either talk to the leadership of the convention and rectify a wrong, or leave and let the hollow promises of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-NC keep the bills paid. However, it appears that a decision has already been made. Here is a quote of Rev. Ruby Fulbright, Executive Director of WMU-NC:

WMU of NC is very appreciative of the continued support of CBFNC and the churches of this fellowship. We are grateful for the partnership we share in missions education and involvement. Now, I am overwhelmed by your kindness in helping us to meet practical needs – paying the bills. So many times the Father shows His amazing love in very unexpected ways.

Fourth, this letter comes out the end of November. By the timing, it is now presented as a direct appeal against the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. How many churches will have WMU-NC Directors standing before their respective congregations, crying crocodile tears, appealing for people to take part of their planned Lottie offerring and send it to the WMU-NC? I think it is an egregious act for WMU-NC–an organization that says their hearts are for missions–to send out a letter at this time of the year. If this letter were to have come in January, I could have backed off of such strong rhetoric. However, with this letter surfacing at this time of the year, it tells me that the WMU-NC no longer is holding the ropes. It seems they have decided to release the ropes and allow our missions to suffer in order to fulfill their selfish desire not to have Milton Hollifield sign off on the people they hire. What a shame!

While I know there is nothing that the BSCNC leadership can do, per say, concerning this letter. They can call for Dr. Smith to reimburse the BSCNC for the funds it took to pay for the envelopes and postage. I am appalled and offended that a retired E-D/Treasurer would take this kind of public posture against a duly elected E-D/Treasurer. Dr. Smith owes Rev. Hollifield a public apology. The entire time that Brother Milton worked in the BSCNC he never spoke against Dr. Smith, and there probably will not be anything said by Brother Milton against Dr. Smith now. But Dr. Smith has made an unprecedented move against the BSCNC and the WMU-NC has made an unprecedented move against Lottie and our Missionaries.