Jeremy: after what I witnessed and was privy to as a staff member at the director level directly under Ron…TMM leadership has some massive issues…Ron specifically. The arrogance, the judgement, the spiritual manipulation, the utter lack of compassion and regard for people who gave up good salaries and careers to come “serve the vision” of TMM…yea, the vision is right…Ron just needs to go.
Jeremy: To be clear…the vision of TMM – to mobilize young people to take His message to the world – that’s spot on. And I don’t want the “ministry” potential to be silenced or to disappear which is why I support it…I support the vision and its’ reason for existing. Its just that what it has become is not what it started out to be. And Ron is directly responsible for what it is. I just pray that the ministry can continue into the future – but only if it is fundamentally changed.
Jeremy: No it’s not a cult as we know cults… It’s just severely screwed up in more ways than anyone on the “outside” could possibly imagine or would ever see. It’s like a Hollywood western scene: the saloon looks awesome and authentic, but lean on the prop and the whole set comes crumbling down. You can call me if you like and we can discuss it. It’s appalling really… and I should know. I’m a former intern, project director, and staff member who served at the director level, sitting right under Ron. The things I saw and witnessed were simply unbelievable
Alumnus 3: Isn’t it odd how we discussed this before? You know, about feeling pressured into decisions or we “don’t trust God enough.” Heavy heart as all of this is coming to the surface.
Jeremy: A heavy heart indeed… but what’s in the darkness will always have a way of coming to the light. If TMM is to survive, it needs a complete leadership and vision overhaul. If I explained what I witnessed while working there, you would think it was a fascinating work of fiction.
Alumnus 3: I don’t doubt it. But, I am absolutely grateful for leadership like you.
Jeremy: Yes, there are a lot of good people who are affiliated with TMM, who have great skills and great hearts for young people and missions. That’s why 90% of the people that have issues with the organization (and there are hundreds of them, multiple lawsuits, etc.—you’d never know it unless you were on the inside, seeing all of this) don’t want TMM to cease to be, but to have their entire upper level leadership dissolved and be resurrected under new leadership and new vision.
15 comments:
Wow…just wow… 🙁
It doesn’t shock me at all that this is his position in light of what any of the staff that have ever been their long term and then gone on to non-ministry life have said. It is however sad. I am in agreement with Jeremy that if the leadership completely changed and the program changed so that there was a real loving and grace filled message there I do think there could be a ministry still there.
It’s worse than I wanted to believe. 🙁
Wow. I just can’t believe this is coming to the light. This is so crazy to me.
I totally thought this dude was not an intern. It seems pretty rare for anyone to stay that long and be able to think for themselves.
I do disagree. I think the place is a cult. But sure, if you took away ALL the leadership/teaching/style of the HA and replaced it with biblical teaching and skilled pro’s whose heart was to raise up missionaries and none of them had ever been on a GE trip or had any affiliation with TM… And the interns could have jobs and weren’t required to live on campus… MAYBE.
Jeremy,
If what you have witnessed would be harder to believe than the stories already posted on this site, please, please share.
Victims past need a voice and future victims need protection.
My friend starting going to a new church and introduced me to her pastor. I was very alarmed to hear from him that he had been on staff at TM. You can imagine how nervous I was for my friend… until he starting talking about how much difficulty he had with being there because of Ron and the way he was leading the ministry. He went as far as to say that he thought Dave was a good guy but Ron pressured the negative choices and directions the ministry has taken. Almost exactly what Jeremy said- Ron is really far from where he began when TM started and he loved God and teens wholeheartedly.
It’s sad to see.
@Shiloh: As the old saying goes, “If we had some ham, we could have some ham and eggs if we had some eggs.”
By their fruits you shall know them. There is too much bad fruit from this ministry for there not to be rottenness at its very core. I don’t see how it could be fixed.
Its incredible that Jeremy would still marginalize the RA community after seeing these things. He even admits the investigation was a sham done by the board of directors. Let it be known – I wanted Teen Mania to change and be great. I put my faith in the board – seeing how that whole fiasco went and considering things I witnessed myself as a Staff member that Jeremy mentions in his post – i witnessed the same things. My boss was fired above me because he challenged Ron too much in our department. One day he was gone. Replaced. I’m glad these screencaps exist – and I hope Jeremy comes to his senses and goes on the record. It would probably do him some good – its not like his reputation is on the line. People at TMM know who he is. I do as well since I put two and two together based on recent conversations with an alumni mutual friend. I couldn’t be happier that these screen caps exist. You can’t argue with firsthand experience with Ron’s crazy. People will try and there will be a many #EpicFail tweets about their efforts.
Don’t be too hard on Jeremy. He has a lot to lose here. I understand why he is silent and angry with RA. It’s his process.
I agree “ishouldcareless” – it is a process. This is a hard thing to come up against these religious machines. They have money and power that can be used to bully. What is needed is to pray for Jeremy.
“Like” to both ishouldcareless and Truth68. Jeremy has a right to his process, though he should respect the fact that the members of the RA community to have theirs, as well.
Yes, I understand that as well Doug. There is a responsibility that comes when one posts certain things as Jeremy has posted. RA is privy to that information and can use it legitimately because it was not privately relayed to a counselor, psychologist, priest or pastor, or lawyer. Whats on facebook will get out there.
From the very beginning of this, I have said that RON is letting Dave take the fall for his actions. I don’t exempt DH from all his actions but RON has almost hidden from us all until the MSNBC documentary.
I was wondering when he would surface since he is the Leader and all. Ron is the one I have been pointing to all along.
I had a terrible experience on my 2nd missions trip with TM. I felt like I was in boot camp instead of on a trip that was supposed to for teaching people about Jesus. Terrible leaders on the trip. I was supposed to go to the Honor Academy directly following that trip, I got a plane ticket home from Dallas instead.