Silence from the Pulpit.
GGWO's first sermon since the GRACE report was released is worse than underwhelming.
For those who might be new here: on Friday I summarized the events/background relevant to what I’m writing about here. If you are interested in church scandals, that post will give necessary context to the frustrations I discuss here.
As expected, at the 9AM service, neither Tom Schaller, head pastor at Greater Grace World Outreach (GGWO), nor any other member of his staff addressed, in any way, the GRACE1 report that was released this past Thursday. GGWO did ask on their website that they be given time to process.
“We ask the church to give us some time to fully digest the report and to respond thoroughly and appropriately. We plan to publish a more comprehensive statement within the next month. We will give careful consideration to all the recommendations, and will be transparent and accountable as to how we will proceed.”
Laying the groundwork to not have to say anything about the investigation, the report, or its contents to their congregation. One might argue they have a duty to at least acknowledge the report’s existence and give a verbal promise to address it in the near future; GGWO leadership does not agree.
Sunday morning2 they instead seemed to be more interested in reinforcing the idea that their congregation can trust them, even though the report recommends, at a minimum, the removal of Tom Schaller, John Love (secretary, youth pastor, and chaplain of the New York Knicks), Steve Scibelli (director of missions), and Pete Westera (youth ministry director). It begins around minute 17 of the YouTube video, with a white man I do not recognize citing Isaiah 6. In that chapter, an angel uses tongs to take a burning coal from the fire and places it against Isaiah’s lips. “Now that this has touched your lips,” the Seraph tells Isaiah in verse 7, “your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out,” (NRSVue). While the White Man, again, never references the report, knowing the recommendations of the investigators and the very clearly outlined sins of the organization’s leaders, it’s easy to see how this might be a subtle attempt to convince parishioners to see Schaller, et. al. as Isaiah declaring themselves “a man of unclean lips” (verse 5), only for God to absolve them of their sins.
If you don’t believe me, the follow-up to that was John Love’s very telling intro for the Offering. The chaplain stated emphatically that folks should feel comfortable giving money to the church because leadership can be trusted. “When I give here in our ministry, I believe in what I’m giving because we’re giving to God,” said Love, starting around minute 25. “I believe in this ministry’s message. Amen? I believe in this ministry’s vision. Amen? I believe in this ministry’s leadership. Amen?” After which voices from the audience can be heard repeating the ‘amen’. He then states that leadership, in regard to funds, operates “with wisdom and integrity.” Most of the congregation certainly has not cracked open the 172-page GRACE report (if they’re even aware of its release). They do not yet know of the number of times these leaders are reported to have used God’s money to silence victims and prevent lawsuits from folks they owe so much more than financial compensation.
Then came Tom Schaller.
Schaller’s rambling sermon was shallow — at best, ironically. His main theme seemed to stress the importance of Christians studying the Bible. People who choose not to engage in rigorous Biblical study, he said, are “lazy.” He even gives what he calls a definition of the word that sounds a lot more like the basic signs of depression. But, according to Schaller, the only reason folks don’t know the Bible is because they choose not to study. He acknowledges that studying is a skill that doesn’t yield immediate results, similar to working out. He uses Paul’s analogy from 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 5 and 6 to describe the evolution of the Christian life. Starting at its metaphorical infancy, Christians require frequent feedings, like a newborn baby drinking its mother’s milk/formula3. Then, they slowly progress to eating meat — something Schaller does not, in my opinion, serve at this particular table.
Finally, the man denigrates those who have “fallen away,” aka, stop going to church, stating that they rarely return. This is a part of a longstanding narrative that I heard at the affiliate church I attended in New England. No matter the reason a person left Greater Grace, even if it was to attend another denomination, folks would act like that person was lost to Hell forever. Schaller does say he doesn’t believe the “fallen away” are now “unsaved” (1:05:27) but that they are saying “no to God, and “[denying] Christ as [their] Messiah,” (1:06:01). The unspoken implication, naturally, is that this won’t happen to you, so long as you continue to attended multiple weekly church services, take Bible College classes, and spend all your free time studying the Bible.
Decidedly absent from Schaller’s sermon this Sunday before Christmas is any mention of Jesus (apart from folks denying him). There was no compassion for folks who fall away, no reassurances that Jesus will offer forgiveness through his Finished Work on the Cross — a phrase these people freakin’ love to use when it suits them. No reminder that Jesus might know what it’s like to have doubts or concerns or questions since he came to the earth as a baby to live as a human. Schaller does not dip into the “woke,” sensitive side of Christianity, opting instead to read the hardline stance in Hebrews. Anything to sow a little fear into his rapt listeners, to convince them that they need to be in their seats in the Moravia Park Drive property every Sunday and Wednesday, and every day in between, so they don’t “fall away.”
There’s nothing meaty about this sermon. It’s barely milky. This is approximately sixty minutes of fearmongering and the manipulative reinforcement of the idea that the leadership is good at their jobs — as if the numerous examples of their ineptitude in the GRACE report simply don’t exist.
The report is a fucking long document. I’ve been chipping away at it for the past two days, and I’m only just over halfway through. I highly encourage current and former members of any Greater Grace church worldwide take the time to read some of it, skim it, look for a name you recognize. At least read over the “Recommendations to Improve Accountability, Trauma-Informed Care, and Safety” section and seriously consider the investigators’ words. These aren’t nobodies or disgruntled former members shit-posting on the Internet4; these are professionals who know what they are talking about. If you can’t stomach reading all of it, but are curious, give me a shout and a few days to finish reading it (it’s really hard to read), and I’ll put together the highlights. I’m sure I’ll take to this space again when I’ve finished, because I’ve already got thoughts.
As far as Tom Schaller’s first sermon after the report was released: I’m not surprised, but I am disappointed. I think it is morally negligent that not a single word was said at the 9AM service, not even that the report is out and available, or that they’re going to take some time to really absorb it all before they say anything publicly. Their congregation has a right to this report. They have a right to know who is in charge of their safety, the safety of their children, and their spiritual health. They have a right to as much information as possible so they can decide for themselves if this is the sort of environment where they wish to grow. If leadership is truly concerned with the well-being of their people, they’d want that for them, too. But I’m not convinced that they do.
Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) is, in part, a team of independent investigators who specialize in cases of abuse within the Christian sphere. In addition they work to train, educate, and foster a culture of accountability and safety for victims of abuse within Christian organizations.
Sunday 9 AM Service l Hebrews: Life Beyond the Ceiling // Greater Grace Church. YouTube, uploaded by Greater Grace Church, 21 December 2025, youtube.com/watch?v=CVFLkMDcPew
As long as your baby eats, amirite?
Something I strive not to be, but know I fail from time to time.