Village Church Demands Reinstatement of Ron Kelly in Official Statement
14 January 2025 |
The Village SDA Church released an official response during their January 11th service, regarding the Michigan Conference’s removal of their Lead Pastor Ron Kelly, and Elder Conrad Vine. 20 of the 21 elders gathered on the rostrum to:
“reject both the premise and the process by which the Michigan conference executive committee removed Elder Kelly and thus we call for his immediate reinstatement as the senior pastor of Village Church”
According to the statement, the Village Church believes the conference “lacked transparency, Christian integrity, and the basic principles of justice and due process.” The elders said that the conference’s vague reasons to justify the removal of Pastor Kelly violated employment confidentiality, and that they had attempted to “cast aspersions” onto Kelly’s character after he defended his flock.
The “defense of his flock” refers to Kelly’s decision to keep Conrad Vine as an elder, and lending him the podium after the Michigan Conference banned Vine from speaking and being in active church leadership.
The church believes that Kelly upheld due process and Christian principles outlined in the Church Manual, but that the conference failed to do so. They stated they are continuing to hold the issue up in prayer, and that
“We make this statement in humility and seek God’s mercy as we move forward in the hope of reconciliation. All members have a right to hold a range of views on matters expressed in this statement and we regret if our words or actions have belittled in any way the views of others. We regret if we as Elders have failed to treat the Michigan Conference officers in anything but Christian love characterized by patience kindness and courtesy. Furthermore, we regret if the language we have chosen at times has been perceived as inflammatory or maligning or if certain concepts we discussed were perceived as subversive if this has occurred we invite those who may have taken offense to seek reconciliation according to Christ’s process described in Matthew 18:15-17 and consider the unique context in which statements have been made. Mercy requires us all to seek such reconciliation.”
To what extent this statement represents “reconciliation” with the Michigan Conference remains unclear. Most of it is critical. One of the elders discussed their disappointment in the conference and cited Ellen White in her caution of congregants who place too much trust in the church leadership. They “affirm the prophetic Remnant calling and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as defined in our Fundamental Belief number 13 and we both model and encourage the return of faithful tithes to the church,” quoting Ellen White again, this time through Testimonies for the Church Vol. 9 that congregants should pay tithe even if they have no confidence in the way things are managed.
The issue of tithes is a hot-button issue given that payment of tithes was a central topic for Conrad Vine’s controversial presentation which led to his being banned from leadership and speaking. Vine’s influence was not only as an elder at Villiage Church or as the President of Adventist Frontier Missions but as the religious liberty leader for Village Church. Vine had hosted a Religious Liberty Conference every year, however, due to his contentious position, the conference was not allowed to take place on Adventist property, leading event leaders to alter their plans. The elders referenced this slight in their address.
The church elders vocalized their unanimous adoration for Pastor Ron Kelly’s ministry, hailing him as a tool for God and his kingdom—explaining their disappointment in the Michigan Conference’s treatment of him.