David Sills: When Hypocrites are Pastors, Professors, and Missionaries
I’ve served in pastoral ministry for 25 years in the Southern Baptist Convention. There are many godly pastors, professors, and missionaries, but I’ve also seen many men that I thought were godly, live secret, evil lives behind the scenes. Several mentors that I’ve had have since fallen morally and are no longer in ministry. One of those men was David Sills.
I attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, KY from 2008 – 2019. In the winter of 2009, I went on a mission trip to Ecuador, led by Dr. David Sills. He was the Faye Stone Professor of Christian Missions and Cultural Anthropology at SBTS and the founder and President of the mission organization Reaching and Teaching. He had pastored churches in both the United States and Ecuador and served as a missionary with the International Mission Board. He also authored several books.
The Lord had given him about everything a Christian man could want: a loving wife, children and grandchildren, and successful ministry, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted more.
In 2004, he began committing adultery with a female student at SBTS. And it lasted for 12 years, long after she graduated and moved out of state. When I went on a mission trip with him to Ecuador, in the Winter of 2009, he was a serial adulterer, and nobody knew it. I thought he was a godly man, a man I wanted to follow. But godly men don’t commit adultery, and especially not for 12 years. (And now, Sills is suing the SBC, alleging defamation, because leaders called him an abuser.)
What follows is a letter I wrote to all those who supported my mission trip, which included journal entries I penned while on the trip. I include this letter to show you what your sin does to others. Not only did Sills’ sin drag Christ’s name through the mud, and hurt his family and ministries, it also hurt so many who looked up to him. In my mind, he was exactly the type of missionary God called me to be. But he was pretending and deceiving us.
You’ll see from the letter that I learned how to be a godly missionary from David Sills, but, because of his heinous sin, I’ve since learned the kind of Christian I don’t want to be. I want to be the same Christian man in public that I am in private.
When hypocrites are pastors, professors, and missionaries, remember that Christ was not and is not a hypocrite. He is why you’re a Christian; He is the One you’re aimed at and following; and He’s worth the labor regardless of who falls around you. Sills, at some point, took his eyes off Christ. If you take your eyes off Christ, you’re capable of heinous, habitual sin. Learn from his failure. Pursue Christ in private and public, and you won’t fall.
You don’t need more, you need Christ. And you have Him! Be thankful for Him and all He has given you. Pursue Him with all your life! He is enough!
2009 Letter:
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Today, I traveled to Ecuador. The trip was somewhat uneventful. My plane however was delayed from Nashville, TN to Houston, TX. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but my layover in Houston was a little over an hour to begin with. So, when I got off the plane in Houston, I received a phone call from Dr. Sills’ secretary. She said, “The team is already on the plane, you’ve been booked for the next flight to Ecuador, but it’s not until tomorrow night. You will have to stay in Houston tonight.” She then told me that I needed to try to catch the plane anyways, but that I needed to at least get there to encourage the airline to put me in a hotel that night. So, I went as fast as I could. When I arrived at the gate, someone was buying my ticket. I was 10 minutes late. I think the only reason I made it was by the grace of God. The airline wanted to make the money for my ticket; so, they held the plane ten minutes. They booked me back on the flight, and I was able to fly to Ecuador with the rest of the team. Having never flown to a nation that speaks a different language than me, I was very relieved that I did not have to fly by myself.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
We flew into Quito last night. It’s the capital city, and is virtually in the middle of Ecuador, but just to the north a bit. The city is populated by roughly 2 million people. This morning we went to a local church that Dr. Sills pastored back when he was a missionary in Ecuador.
During Sunday morning worship, there was no interpreter, so I was a bit lost; however, I wrote down what I did observe: 1) they prayed much, 2) we sang Psalms set to music, 3) the sermon was somewhat interactive; the pastor asked questions of the congregation while expecting a response, 4) some children were dedicated, and there was a sermonette preached to the families of the children; the children then went throughout the whole congregation shaking everyone’s hands; and the children were then presented with gifts; 5) the pastor was very enthusiastic about the Scriptures, and 6) the church read much Scripture together.
We went to a local mall for lunch after morning worship. I expected to take a step back in time, but instead I walked into a very modern Americanized mall. We went to the food court in this three story mall to find KFC, McDonalds, Wendys, etc. Everyone dressed liked us, shopped like us, and ate like us. The only differences were their skin color and the languages they spoke. There were also some Ecuadorian restaurants and shops.
Once we left the mall, we drove for hours and hours, over 4 hours I think to Camp Chacauco. The ride was rough and honestly unnerving. Camp Chacauco is located about 45 minutes southeast of Ambato, near the town of Patate. Former International Mission Board missionaries Steve and Carol Thompson started this camp in order to train Ecuadorian pastors, hold church camps, retreats, youth and children events, pastors cabins, etc. (They resigned from the IMB 10 years ago when the IMB was withdrawing its resources from Ecuador because they viewed it as “reached”. After over 100 years of protestant missions, one can see the IMB’s reasoning, but Steve and Carol believed God still wanted them in Ecuador. Without support, they resigned, and trusted the Lord. He provided.) This camp is truly an awesome ministry in the middle of Ecuador. A pastor can come and live at the camp, go to seminary, eat, etc. for a very, very small amount of money. We slept in camp-style cabins.
Monday, December 14, 2009
We woke up this morning, and the cabins we stayed in had two showers and toilets each, with 8-10 people staying in each cabin. The facilities were much nicer than I expected. We had hot showers most of the trip, with good water pressure. Every now and then, due to rolling blackouts in Ecuador, we would lose pressure and hot water.
The camp is beautiful. We’re right next to a river. The Andes Mountains surround us on all sides. We’re even five miles from the crest of an active volcano. It erupts about every one hundred years. It started acting up again about three years ago. It had a minor eruption about a year ago.
This morning after breakfast we went to the market in a nearby city. The Quichua people bring fresh fruit, meat, vegetables, and hand-made products to sell throughout the week at this market. Unfortunately, these people are still discriminated against by other Ecuadorians. They are the lowest rung on the ladder by society’s standards. Though Ecuadorians do not value them as they should, God values them as much as any other human being on earth. This is why we came to give them the gospel.
We came to the open-air market this morning largely to examine the culture of the Quichua, hoping to better understand them as a people, in order to be able to share the gospel with them without unforeseen cultural barriers. Each community of Quichua people distinguishes itself from other communities by how they dress. Each color they wear stands for a virtue they possess or hope to possess. One man told us that his colors represented wisdom, courage, and purity. Each of these characteristics is possessed ultimately and perfectly in Christ. These qualities can then be avenues to share the gospel as we detail the perfect righteousness of Christ, His wisdom and purity; and His perfect courage displayed in His willingness to endure His father’s wrath for the sins of humanity. Though the Quichua may not realize it, they cannot possess these virtues perfectly. They must run to and depend on the righteousness of Christ by faith alone.
Before we came on this trip, each person was given a Bible story to memorize that he or she would share with the Quichua people in the evening. Probably around half of the Quichua can read, and half cannot. Even if they can read however, due to their learning being largely through oral means, giving them literature to read would do them little good. So, even if they can read it, they have great difficulty understanding it. Our goal therefore was to memorize Bible Stories so we could orally tell them to the people each evening. We picked ten stories to be exact, one building on the other, until the gospel was clearly shared on the final evening. After each story, we asked if there was anyone who thinks he or she can share this story. People would then stand up and try to share the story, being corrected by others in the congregation or the interpreter if they said something wrong. We then would encourage them to share these stories with their friends, families, and neighbors. As I type this, I rejoice over the fact that the gospel may be being shared by the Quichua at this moment, whether they realize it or not, as they sit to eat or stand to share stories with their friends. God will take this gospel seed and birth sinners into new life in Christ!
Tonight, we shared the story of 1) creation/fall, 2) Noah and the flood, and 3) Abraham and Isaac. The people heard the first two stories, but had never heard the third story of Abraham and Isaac. So, because the Abraham and Isaac story was the story I memorized, I was able to teach the Quichua something they had never heard before. They were very attentive; and they thanked us for sharing. They said that though they are taught the Bible, it is difficult for them to understand and remember. The stories help them to remember since they are an oral culture. We left encouraging them to share the stories with their friends. The stories build upon one another; so, the gospel is coming in a few days. At this point, we are encouraging them to trust God for their daily needs; as well as, for their salvation from their sins.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
This morning we went to the house of Nate Saint. He was one of the five missionaries that were killed by a Huaorani tribe in Ecuador in 1956. Jim Eliot was another one of the men killed, along with Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian. A movie was made about the men in 2006 titled The End of the Spear. The amazing reality is that the tribe that murdered these men was later reached by Nate Saint’s sister and Jim Eliot’s wife.
I must confess that it was sad and glorious to stand in the home of those who not only believed the gospel, but also gave their lives for it. They loved their God enough to see to it that a remote tribe in Ecuador glorified Him as well. Not only this, but they loved these head hunters enough to try and reach them with the saving gospel of Christ; and they were murdered for their efforts.
As I stood there contemplating their missional efforts, I couldn’t help but wonder what I’m doing for the cause of Christ in the states. How am I “bleeding” for the sake of the gospel? If I am not careful, I will bleed for the sake of arrogance, ego, pride, false conversions, the applause of men, the applause of the convention, etc. but not for the gospel. I have to ask myself if I had rather receive the loud praise of men, or the often silent praise of God… give me the praises of God alone.
Following our visit to Nate Saint’s house, we visited a local Catholic church. The church was very beautiful. It stood out from the rest of the buildings. The inside was extravagant as well. As we walked around, we noticed that there were murals on the walls that detailed various miracles Mary had performed in the community over the past several hundred years. Also, there were banners on the wall that explained why they exalted Mary to such a lofty position. They believe her to be the co-redeemer with Christ. In every mural and statue Jesus was depicted as either a baby or dead. His physical resurrection was not emphasized. So, with such an idolatrous view of Mary and a diminished view of Christ, it is no wonder that the locals do not heed the gospel. Many of them have never heard the true gospel found through God’s grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone. This is one of the many reasons missionaries are needed in Latin America. Over 94% of Latin America considers themselves Roman Catholic.
Tonight, we shared the story of 1) the Passover and 2) the Ten Commandments. The people were very receptive and appreciative again. After the Ten Commandments were shared, the question was asked to them if we could keep God’s law perfectly. They replied, “yes”. We then explained that no one could keep God’s perfect standard. We left them wondering what they then must do; and we encouraged them to return the following evening hear the answer to the sin problem.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
This morning we stayed at the camp for free time. This gave me a chance to rest. Going back and forth to the Apatug and Angahuana communities in Alto has worn me out. The drive is about two hours one way. So, each night we’re on the road for around 4 hours. Plus, during the day, we’ve been driving to the market, the Nate Saint house, etc. During this entire trip, we probably averaged 5-6 hours per day of riding on the bus. We went all over Ecuador.
Tonight, we returned to the Quichua communities to share Bible stories. We shared the stories of 1) Mt. Carmel and 2) the birth of Christ. The people were very receptive again. It’s almost like watching the enthusiasm of children on Christmas morning as they open their gifts. The Quichua love to hear the truth of God’s Word. They are extremely encouraged; and thus, we are as well. As we pour into them, we see them receive the truth so well, and it encourages us to continue on with joy.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Today, we traveled to one of the hundreds of waterfalls found in Ecuador. For some reason, this specific waterfall shoots out of a mountain and falls beneath about a hundred feet with tremendous force. On the way down to the waterfall on the trail there was a sign in Spanish that read, “Prepare to be surprised, God exists!” As we stood there, about fifty feet from the waterfall, we could feel the rock in under our feet shake from the force of the waterfall. It was truly an amazing sight to see.
Tonight is the final evening we went to the Apatug and Angahuana communities to share the gospel. Tonight we shared 1) Jesus and the storm, demon, woman, and Jarius’ daughter, 2) the Pharisees, Trial, and Crucifixion, and 3) the resurrection, ascension, and great commission. The people were very receptive again. We encouraged them with the gospel, and encouraged them to respond.
In this specific culture though, they are not independent like Americans. These people largely will make decisions as a community. So, they will sit and discuss Christianity as presented by us, before they make decisions largely together. Once the gospel was presented, we encouraged the people to respond, not by walking an aisle or signing a card, but in repentance and faith in Christ. We could have easily had people raise their hands if they wanted Christ, but we wanted them to make genuine life-changing decisions. Our hope was that they would decide that night, and then the next day and the next, continually until eternity; trusting in Christ alone for salvation. We were unconcerned with reporting numbers when we returned, for the numbers would have been largely false and bloated. If the leader in the community had raised his hand, largely the entire congregation would have as well. Please pray for their genuine conversion and the gospel to spread forth throughout these two communities and abroad.
Tonight, we also supplied Christmas presents for over 150 children. At this time of year, children go door to door looking sad while saying, “Feliz Navidad.” We instead provided Christmas for these children, for what we provided was largely all they would receive for Christmas. The children were very excited; and there were over three hundred people in attendance this night.
They also honored us tonight with a feast. They cooked for us and put us in a room by ourselves, while they stood outside. While they only cooked chicken soup for themselves, they served us potatoes, corn, haba beans, cheese, and roasted guinea pigs. The food was good. My guinea pig though looked just like the roasted bottom of a guinea pig. It was still pretty good though. They cooked so much food for us, I was worried that we would offend them if we couldn’t eat it all. Dr. Sills told me that they would finish what was left over. There was enough left over to feed us for two or three more meals.
Friday, December 18, 2009
After breakfast today, we left Camp Chacauco and headed toward Quito. We had to be up at 4:00 a.m. the following day in order to get to the airport and catch the plane back to the states. On the way back, we went to the middle of the earth monument. The latitude and longitude is 0,0. It’s literally the middle of the earth. It was interesting; and we had time to buy souvenirs.
On the first night we arrived in Quito, some of our items were stolen while we were at the mall. Dr. Sills and some of the other students went to talk with the hotel owner. After a long conversation, the man would not admit to any wrongdoing, nor would he offer to look into the matter among his staff. So, Dr. Sills moved us to another hotel for our final night. Once we got checked in though, we noticed that one of the ladies looked familiar. It turns out that this man owned this hotel as well. We all locked our doors that night. Since we’ve returned home, the owner has since found the thief, and he is returning the items. He actually thanked Dr. Sills for his courage in confronting him to let him know about the thievery.
In conclusion, when you pray, please do not forget the Quichua people; as well as the other peoples of the earth that we may not even know about. The gospel is a message for all people groups. Let us either send others to reach them or go ourselves; and at least, let us pray for all ethnicities to come to know Him as we do. For His glory alone!
In Him,
Pastor Jared Moore