Sovereign Grace Ministries (C.J. Mahaney & Larry Tomczak)

[jmm08]

I am fairly new to the Catholic faith. I am signed up for RCIA / RCIC. I began to seriously read Archbishop Fulton Sheen late June (two months ago).

Years ago when I went to College at Penn State, C.J. Mahaney & Larry Tomczak had a week-long Bible conference (Spring of 1975?). As I recall, I cut most of my classes that week and went to the conference. They said they were Catholic lay ministers (I thought Roman Catholic). And there were a couple of “men in black” (RC Priests probably Chaplins) sitting in the back of Eisenhower Auditorium most of the time – and I didn’t conclude that they strongly supported CJ and Larry, but they didn’t say anything negative. I wasn’t Catholic either, so I didn’t greatly mind. I suppose I thought older people often disdain younger people and that it wasn’t a big deal. Or envy.

The Bible conference seemed pretty good to me, but it was greatly Charismatic (and I wasn’t Charismatic at the time either). A lot of singing and dancing (getting feet loose for the Lord).

So why was I there y’all are asking. I don’t know for sure, you’d have to ask God I guess. I was also in the Roman Catholic Chapel Choir for a year and once went to a John Michael Talbot concert. I always liked singing and I really liked John Michael Talbot. So clearly I was looking at the Catholic Church.

I cannot blame anyone else for my sin or my life’s path. But it might be that I got confused and delayed from “coming home” by CJ and Larry – they certainly didn’t emphasize that I needed to become Roman Catholic.

My Questions: apparently they succeeded in being schismatic, right? And not part of the Catholic Church now?
They have about 60 local Christian Churches. Their web site is presently sovereigngraceministries.org

I wonder what they believe about the Holy Eucharist. Their current web site looks protestant (they don’t accept the deuterocanonical books).

Apparently they became at some point “People of Destiny Movement” and then became “PDI Ministries”. And now they are “Sovereign Grace Ministries”.

Don’t worry, I’m not going over to them. I just wonder what happened and when. I guess it takes awhile sometimes for the Roman Catholic Church to see a schismatic movement? Their “About Us” says they started in 1982, although it is somewhat clear that the name “Sovereign Grace Ministries” started after 1999. Their “About Us” says nothing about their Catholic lay ministry days.

 

[jmm08]

I quote their web site (concerning their new logo): “As water flows unfailingly to the lowest point, God’s grace descends even to us, covering the worst of sinners in his saturating mercies.”

I admit that Jesus spent time with sinners – because they needed the Great Physician. But as a newly Catholic Christian I am seeking higher ground – not the lowest ground.

Maybe I’m being unfair. But something is wrong about their not being clear and up-front that they used to be Roman Catholic and now aren’t – and to explain when and why. There is nothing about their Catholic lay ministry in their “About Us” history.

OK. Now I think I get it. I was wrong about some of what I said above.

Larry Tomczak’s name isn’t in the Sovereign Grace web site.

Larry Tomczak is Senior Pastor at Christ the King Church of Greater Atlanta. Both Larry and C.J. were part of PDI Ministries.

Maybe C.J. didn’t start Sovereign Grace Ministries, but just arrived there. They do say “C.J. Mahaney is transitioning full-time to the Sovereign Grace leadership team”.

 

[jmm08]

I’m not being judgmental.

The web site for History of Christ the King Church
ctkatlanta.com/history.htm says:

“… In 1997… CTK began in the basement of Senior Pastor Larry & Doris Tomczak’s home in Acworth, GA.”
“… The Bible knows nothing of nomadic, unconnected, “tumbleweed” Christians who blow in and out without warning or accountability. …”

ctkatlanta.com/leadership.htm says:
“Larry Tomczak, Senior Pastor, graduated cum laude from Cleveland State University where he served as president of the student body. After a position at the AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington, D.C., he became involved in a city-wide teaching ministry and for the past thirty years has given himself to planting churches, training leaders and authoring six books. He serves on the apostolic leadership team of Harvest International Ministries (Pasadena, California) and on the national board for intercessors for America. Larry and his wife Doris, have been married for 27 years and have four children - Justin, Melanie, Renee, and Jason.”

1975 is less than 30 years ago. And he said he was a Catholic lay minister at that time. His short bio says nothing about the Catholic Church.

 

[DaveBj]

1975 is less than 30 years ago.

Not much less

And he said he was a Catholic lay minister at that time. His short bio says nothing about the Catholic Church.

I read his bio (Clap Your Hands) in the late '70s. At that time I was old-line Pentecostal looking at the whole Charismatic movement from outside. I very much got the impression he was a go-it-alone-er where the Catholic Church was concerned.

DaveBj

 

[jmm08]

I got an e-mail reply from Larry Tomczak.

Hi! Wish we could sit and discuss your questions as simple answers take awhile. My suggestion: Get my new book Reckless Abandon by Charisma House Publishers and see if it helps. Ok?

I find the following information on a web site pacey21782.tripod.com/id34.html

Tomczak will speak on Coming Out of Deception on Aug. 4. The Mass will also feature a Miss Cleo expose video.
…
The most important thing is when people come into Christ the King is that they experience the presence of God, Tomczak said.

 

[jmwilhelm]

Mahaney became a Reformed Protestant over time. He is reformed, baptist and charismatic. Sovereign Grace Ministries is the denomination started by he and Tomczak.

 

[Pete_Holter]

Sovereign Grace Ministries is the Christian organization that taught me about Christ! I will be forever grateful…