Soon after we were married in 2011, Susanna and I felt the desire to serve unreached people cross-culturally, particularly in the Muslim world. Christians are called to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. FAI App Frontier Alliance International. So the question is, would it be wise to put a leader in place who has no experience to lead? I was taught there is a continued spirit of repentance through out lives. The Giving Basket is having some issues. Now that Im mentioning this woman, I want to speak in her defense. I had to create letterheads, write the code of ethics for the organization, create templates for budgets, set budgets, write organizational mission statements, and generally prepare a lot of paperwork that certainly should have been prepared long before ever taking a team to the Middle East (much less a second team). Please take the time to prayerfully read this letter and the email contained at the beginning, and pause to ask whether or not God is happy with this situation being contained.. We just took their word for it. Since no one on our side knew the depth of the sin in Turkey, they didnt ask additional questions and took our word for it. It wasnt only the sense of woundedness and personal betrayal we all shared for having no idea about these things, but our common urgent concern for the wider Body of Christ who are similarly in the dark. Despite my growing distrust for Dalton, we had no one else nearby to turn to, so Susanna and I met with Dalton and Anna to update them on this issue and to ask for help. We love you all unreservedly, and, no matter if this was handled perfectly or imperfectly according to the Biblical standards, theres forgiveness for that. The public record displays a different picture. and remember this, a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bed tree cannot bear good fruityou will recognize them by their fruit. (Matthew 7:17-20). Original films and episodic series from FAI STUDIOS, the production division of FRONTIER ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL. What would you then say to this dear lady who now thanks Steve, Chris and myself for alerting her to this information that is obviously sufficiently serious for her now not to move and partner with them? I shared my regrets and sorrow about my abuse of his trust and offered whatever weak apology I could offer in that moment of impact. These are a few examples of verses that describe our role as believers during the millennial period after Jesus returns victorious, to set up his throne and rule from Jerusalem. . This wasnt an affront to me, but an affront to Susanna to share information with her network of relationships in Iraq without letting her know or giving her a voice. The developer, Frontier Alliance International, Inc., indicated that the app's privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. Dalton framed things in such a way that it was strongly implied that those who questioned their process were skeptical of the Lords leadership, and that those who didnt question their recovery and supported them completely were merciful. Instead, Susanna discovered the affair inadvertently through a text message notification the night before our first session and confronted me about it. 1Timothy 3:1-13, 1Peter 5:1-4, Ephesians 4:11-12. Good afternoon. This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. The multiple people who have contacted us to thank us for exposing this (before relocating their lives to the Middle East) unreservedly agree. We were deeply impressed with the individuals on the team, with Daltons signature talent for teaching, and with the welcome that we received during our short time there. In as much as each of the participants in this dialogue are engaged in ministries that are heralding the return of our Lord, its incumbent upon us to remember that in numerous places in the New Testament were told that on the Day of Jesus appearing the secrets of our heart will be disclosed. Those who donate their time and money should be given the right to do so with information that may inform their decisions one way or another. Dalton continued recruiting friends that I had introduced to him and FAI. We did not expect this and in fact, originally planned to give for the foreseeable. But by persevering through those trials and tribulations, our spirits are shaped, as we are being prepared for our dream job of ruling and reigning with Christ! Again, these are basic Biblical principles, precepts and tenets. A narrative fork in the road arrived for our families. However, those who are able to vouch for the success of their restoration process are immediately benefitted by a positive assessment of the situation. Learn more about our criteria and methodology. Im assuming he made a report to the board, and they were satisfied with the results. Whether or not you are disappointed with our stance or indeed the stance of many other grateful others is, and will only ever be, entirely irrelevant. Dalton told them that FAI was based in Turkey but omitted the fact that his own moral failure was the cause of twenty cross-cultural workers going home prematurely after they had corporately raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. I am just one person who prayerfully and financially supports one of their field workers who is near and dear to my heart. My main work was to legally establish the organization as an NGO in Iraqi-Kurdistan, build a program for medical relief, and learn Kurdish. (1 Peter 4:8) I am very disappointed in you and those who support what you are doing. Chris, I saw this post on your FB page and you hit the nail on the headGod bringing souls under your personal pastoral care is just another level of responsibility and sobriety that most non-pastors just dont understand. Their actions up to this point have negatively impacted many lives and harmed the integrity of the gospel in the nations. I tried a couple of times to donate to FAI through PayPal but never succeeded! He told us that he was sharing something that was only being shared with close friends and family., He told us he had opened [his] heart up and engaged in an emotional affair with a single woman on the team who was under his leadership. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. We admire all those involved in this difficult situation, and we will not stop praying or trying to help all of you any way we can. You are operating in and under a spirit of deception. (Luke 2:35; Mark 4:22; Romans 2:16; 1 Corinthians 14:25) This dynamic is what the judgements of the Lord are all about today, in 2020. I wish I could say that I felt conviction and confessed my sin to my wife voluntarily during our time in counseling, but my hard heart did no such thing. We later found out that he had been dishonest again; the situation in Turkey was not disclosed to those who were risking their reputations to get us into Iraq, not even the sanitized emotional affair version Dalton had shared with me. 3. Daltons explanation for stepping down from the Regional Director role with ACTS was that the role would constrain FAIs autonomy. For those of you who know me, I play worship music every other week for End Time Church. Download Frontier Alliance Intl and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Over time the Holy Spirit has taught me many things and one key component has been not to entrust myself to people fully yet to remain open, humble and accountable to a few other persons that will speak the truth in love and hold me accountable. Its all Gods decision what to do and when. By generously giving your time and/or money for our sake, you were stakeholders in our calling, and I feel obligated to share our story with you. In every disclosure I took ownership of my sin and explained the deception we experienced during our tenure with FAI. I deferred to him and Susanna since the two of them were the primary victims of the affair. Frontier Alliance International, Inc. (FAI) is a charitable organization as described in 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It remains impossible for anyone to know to what extent the testimonies involved are true or false because there is no public statement from FAI; neither did the FAI board function as a board within the process of our recent enquiries/appeal/imploring. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. Photographer: Matt Staver/Bloomberg . FAI STUDIOS is the media division of Frontier Alliance International. She pushed back and said that it isnt a lack of trust, but preemptive pain for those who are joining the organization on false pretenses. The three of us agreed that if we had known these things in 2019, we would never have gone to Israel in January 2020 for their Maranatha Conference. Rival Shiite militias clashed in Iraq last week, as a power struggle between infamous cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his political opponents spilled over from parliament into the streets of the heart of Baghdads Green Zone on Monday night. I wish I could say that I was immediately repentant and merciful to Susannas newfound horror, but I wasnt. By following the counsel we received to leave Iraq and to break communication with Dalton & FAI, he no longer had control of our story. He will put an end to sin and death, and renew the earth to a pre-fall state. We were simply told that there had been a crisis and that virtually all the members had returned home to collect themselves. In December 2016 Dalton was spending a significant amount of time with the medical program outside of Mosul and we were preparing for our team Christmas. Dalton responded saying, The [other leaders in FAI] will be taking incredible care of them I dont receive them lightly, flippantly or foolishly. info. Bethel Church (Church Leaders Must Repent), When Gathering Together is Worse Than Not, The Glorious Few (Redeeming Radicalisation). Weve also avidly supported Joel Richardson from the moment we found him, as well as Christopher Mantei, Steve Buckley and Nick Franks. Cart ID: Not Assigned, Copyright 2023 | EIN 13-4148824 | Bridge ID 3108588923, Total Revenue and Expenses - Data Available, IRS Published Data (Business Master File) - Data Available, Data Sources (IRS Forms 990) - Data Available. The next day Dalton told me that he wanted to see me in person before their family flew out for the FAI family gathering in Cyprus that year and while we were still in our village. The relationship continued for another eight months throughout their entire time in Turkey before it ended through the womans initiation. Friends, Jesus maxim Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it (Luke 9:24) isnt a ministry principle open to debate. As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Frontier Alliance International Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990. The mercy of God is too sweet to think that He would not honor the full effort of restoring and prioritizing family health at the momentary cost of ministry activity. Turkish artillery and drone strikes against Kurdish forces are spiking in Syrian Kurdistan after Turkish president Erdogan encountered opposition from Iran and Russia regarding a fourth planned Turkish military offensive. We decided to do a secret Santa. Either in obedience to Him, come out!, or we would be thrown out as heretics by the One World Church. FAI . And for yourself Nick, amidst the pain of betrayal and disappointment, what do you see as a path forward for yourself? sign up to receive new content in your inbox. During a break between our trips to the front lines, Dalton and Anna came to our living room to discuss how one of our doctors was relating to me. The reality was that ACTS rescinded the offer because the other ACTS team leaders and ministry directors didnt trust Dalton. Immediately after we arrived in Colorado, Dalton and I took a trip to Northern Iraq to visit a couple of long-term workers building an effective ministry to refugees in the Kurdish village of Soran. My heart aches. Revelation 5:10 And have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. What's New. His verbiage in that conversation was disturbing and I became suspicious of his motives. Mar 8, 2023. Should You Remain Within the Church of England? The decisions we face as leaders, to make right judgements, to cast vision, to meet the needs of those we have responsibility overnot to lord over but to serve, these are the character traits God is trying to develop in us now to mold us into the leaders of the millennial kingdom. https://faimission.org. About this app. Some months ago, as I was praying the Holy Spirit gave me a specific check that all was not well within FAI, with some folks, and I was unsure initially what to I should do, if anything, As I prayed over the next weeks or so I came to the conclusion that I could only pray that the Lord would cause these things to be resolved His way. To eagerly seek and groan for His soon return, and to prepare, as the Bride of Christ, in purity and holiness for the wedding feast following His triumph. Through looking at the timeline of events and prayer, I also believe that the prophetic word is for those leading FAI (specifically those involved in the related news). I wont be replying in full here. Addressing the underground church in Iran on Fox & Friends on FOX News, Hosting the White House Faith Initiative in Iraqi Kurdistan on CBN News, Addressing the threat of the IRGC from the Iranian Border on TBN / FOX Business, Addressing the Kurds, Israel and Iran on Jerusalem Dateline, Addressing FAIs Death-Defying Humanitarian Aid Mission in Syria on CNN, Addressing How Israel Partnered with a Christian Ministry on a Secret Medical Mission on CBN News, Addressing Life-Saving Training for the Kurdish Peshmerga in the Fight Against ISIS on Jerusalem Post, Addressing Why the US Should Stand with the Kurds on TBN / FOX Business, Addressing FAIs Collaboration with the IDF in Syria on CBN, Addressing Saving and Changing Lives in Syria on TBN, Addressing the crisis on the Israeli-Syrian border on Jerusalem Post, For all press/media inquires related to Dalton Thomas: dthomas@faimission.org, For inquires related to FAI: contact@faimission.org, For inquiries related to FAI STUDIOS (films and media): faistudios@faimission.org, Hosting the White House Faith Initiative in Iraqi Kurdistan, the threat of the IRGC from the Iranian Border, FAIs Death-Defying Humanitarian Aid Mission in Syria, How Israel Partnered with a Christian Ministry on a Secret Medical Mission, Life-Saving Training for the Kurdish Peshmerga in the Fight Against ISIS, FAIs Collaboration with the IDF in Syria. After staying awake all night, yelling and crying, fearful and tormented, we had our first of five counseling sessions. In the spring of 2013 we coordinated a trip to Turkey to visit FAI and their team. Dalton and Anna relied on Keith as a voice of wisdom so I wanted to make sure that he knew the full scope of what had happened so he would hopefully intervene, help quench the deception around what happened, and be a voice of reason. Before that, I avidly scoured the internet for every Dalton sermon I could get my hands on. Website. Paul writes these things in 1 Timothy 3, so that you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. If they are within the universal Church, then they should be accountable to these standards of leadership. Thank you, Rhondaplease forgive my brevity but thank you for speaking plain truth. In the meeting, four very important items were communicated clearly. . This years-long situation is a consequence of the lingering dysfunction caused when sin is concealed. First, FAI leadership had no intentions of bringing Dalton and Anna home after the second affair, saying they will either live in Israel or Erbil. Second, they already knew that the organization didnt exist functionally; Keith even mentioned, Im technically I guess Im on the board, but weve never had a meeting and that FAI is not an organization with any kind of structure. Third, they were convinced that the organization would turn over a new leaf and restructure so that Dalton could have a staff, providing time for him and Anna to heal. Love in Christ Val. For those who have ears to hear let them hear and be obedient. We needed more time to think and pray about our options. The gospel in the nations is too important to risk sending or approving individuals whose lives are not in line with biblical standards for Christian leadership, whether in spiritual leadership (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) or in mercy ministry (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Tim 3:8-13). You are not the first to hear this information and I dont share the reality of my sin to get anything off my chest, to be relieved of a burden, or to claim any moral freedom.