It is interesting when a business website catches wind of a church apologizing to the public. In an article on the Entrepreneur.com website, Keith Stewart, lead pastor of Springcreek Church in Garland, TX gives a public apology about the failure of the Church by taking out a full page ad in The Dallas Morning News and Dallas Observer on October 16, 2008.
It was entitled, “We Were Wrong.” It goes on to read, “We followed trends when we should’ve followed Jesus. We told others how to live but did not listen ourselves. We live in the land of plenty, denying ourselves nothing, while ignoring our neighbors who actually have nothing. We sat on the sidelines doing nothing while AIDS ravaged Africa. We were wrong; we’re sorry. Please forgive us.”
Pastor Keith Stewart explains by saying, “No one’s perfect. You blow it. I blow it. And the Church does, too. I’m sure that you (like me) have, on more than one occasion, had to make something right by apologizing. So why is it so rare to hear a church apologize? The truth is, an apology from the Church should not ‘stand out.’ But it does, precisely because that the Church rarely does what it tells others to do. We want to change that. With this public apology, our foremost desire is to take responsibility for how we have failed in this area because with 100% responsibility for our attitudes and behaviors comes 100% forgiveness. And secondly, in keeping with the spirit of repentance, our desire is to keep our eyes on Jesus and allow Him to keep us focused on His mission.”
You can watch the video on their website with further explanation or just watch the YouTube video below.