Pastor Ron Kelly of Village SDA Church Has Been “Put on Administrative Leave”

****UPDATES BELOW ***

(FULCRUM7) — I still can’t believe it.

Ron Kelly handled himself very well in the aftermath of the Michigan Conference’s private vendetta against Conrad Vine. He sought to be transparent and to resolve the situation of Conrad’s banning through the proper channels.

But the Michigan administrators and executive committee continued to bully the Village Church behind the scenes. Last night they fired Ron Kelly.

Here is Ron’s farewell address to you, his faithful friends and supporters.

Ron Kelly has his own YouTube channel now — LINK. We encourage you to support it.

The Michigan Conference has been hasty, out of touch, and overly aggressive in their handling of this situation.

For instance, when the Village Church recently bought a building for a health clinic, the Conference refused to insure it, unless the church stripped Conrad Vine of his church offices. One word,

Blackmail.

Another word. Diotrophes.

****

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me” (Matthew 5:11).

---

SLAC Comments: To be honest with you all, when I first saw this, I thought this was a joke and someone was pulling my leg. I’m still a bit shaken up myself. There is a crisis seething in the sda community. Little do they (Michigan conference leaders) realize what the firing of Pastor Ron Kelly has kindled; of which will have a worldwide effect on the church. No reasons given, no written down wrongs committed shown or recited to Pastor Kelly, no coming beside their own conference pastor and a brother in Jesus Christ to pray and work through something where there is supposed wrongs – just a straight up removal and firing of a man who has been in ministry for 35 years with no explanations. I understand this happened in secret and behind the scenes, and we would not have known if there was not a YouTube video posted of Ron Kelly’s final message. We know we don’t have all of the details; of that I readily admit, but do we have a reason to believe that Ron Kelly would lie to everyone in public on YouTube? Not at all. As Ron Kelly said himself, this is “unjust”, and this is not right. This is not Christ-like. Pray for the leaders in the Michigan conference, that they would have a change of heart and that they would repent speedily. Pray for Pastor Kelly and his family. Pray for his congregation. Pray for the sda worldwide church, whether in conference or out of conference. Pastor Ron Kelly now has his own YouTube channel where he will post videos about how to navigate through the church, and he will share some of the challenges he has faced in the past, and what he is facing now. May God help us.

AND, not to be forgotten, Ron Kelly’s church and congregation does not want him to be terminated from his position. They sent a letter to the Michigan Conference this morning (12.5.2024). (See letter sent to Michigan Conference of SDA below)

—-UPDATE: Michigan Conference Holds Townhall Meeting Today At The Village Church (December 8, 2024)

At 9 A.M. today, Jim Micheff and Justin Ringstaff from the Michigan Conference visited the Village Church in Berrien Springs for a Townhall Meeting. The parking lot and the sanctuary were both packed. It was shoulder to shoulder in the pews.

Conrad Vine’s Words Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaNa3PaLZ0E

View fullsize

View fullsize

Here are a few highlights, shared with permission from attendees. There will be more details in a later article, however this is enough for now. Microphones were set up at the front left and right side of the sanctuary to accommodate audience feedback.

At the beginning of the meeting, Daniel Bacchiocchi read aloud a letter from Ron Kelly, to his church. He wrote it from Florida, where he traveled as an emergency the day after he was fired to be with his ailing and aging mother.

As the letter was read, there were many tears throughout the audience. At the end, the whole church stood and gave a spontaneous ovation. The letter,

Jim Micheff made some remarks about the Conference’s decision to terminate Ron Kelly, and the microphones were opened for audience questions and commentary.

The second person to speak was Conrad Vine who — as an elder — was overseeing the right microphone. Here is his brief comment, in five parts.

The meeting was supposed to last two hours. So large was the audience participation, that the meeting lasted just over three hours, and for the last hour, people were cut down to one minute of speaking, instead of two minutes. There were many, many interesting comments and we will share some of those later.

Below is Pastor Ron Kelly’s letter to his congregation.

The meeting closed with prayer. More details will follow as they become available. Bonus video. You will like this.

Walk with the King, and be a blessing!

****

“Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land Into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD” (Joel 1:14).

---

SLAC Comments: Join me in fasting and praying for the Michigan SDA conference, that justice and truth would be done and would prevail! Michigan is also our home state, so this hits very close to home… Conrad Vine is calling for the resignation of Jim Micheff, who is the President of the Michigan Conference of SDA. As the video above shows, (Ron Kelly Firing Meeting at Village SDA 12/8) the man who spoke mentioned that Mrs. White spoke on what to do for this exact thing -for the person to resign and give up his position. I recommend going down this list below and praying for each person individually – they need our prayers. May God soften each heart unto repentance and change.

Inspiration says, “The leaven of godliness has not entirely lost its power. At the time when the danger and depression of the church are greatest, the little company who are standing in the light will be sighing and crying for the abominations that are done in the land. But more especially will their prayers arise in behalf of the church because its members are doing after the manner of the world. 5T 209.3

The earnest prayers of this faithful few will not be in vain. When the Lord comes forth as an avenger, He will also come as a protector of all those who have preserved the faith in its purity and kept themselves unspotted from the world. It is at this time that God has promised to avenge His own elect which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them. 5T 210.1

The command is: “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” These sighing, crying ones had been holding forth the words of life; they had reproved, counseled, and entreated. Some who had been dishonoring God repented and humbled their hearts before Him. But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking.  5T 210.2

In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God’s honor and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous. They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is dishonored, the truth made of none effect. 5T 210.3

The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands: “Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.” 5T 211.1

Here we see that the church—the Lord’s sanctuary—was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given great light and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. They had taken the position that we need not look for miracles and the marked manifestation of God’s power as in former days. Times have changed. These words strengthen their unbelief, and they say: The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil. He is too merciful to visit His people in judgment. Thus “Peace and safety” is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God. Men, maidens, and little children all perish together. 5T 211.2

The abominations for which the faithful ones were sighing and crying were all that could be discerned by finite eyes, but by far the worst sins, those which provoked the jealousy of the pure and holy God, were unrevealed. The great Searcher of hearts knoweth every sin committed in secret by the workers of iniquity. These persons come to feel secure in their deceptions and, because of His long-suffering, say that the Lord seeth not, and then act as though He had forsaken the earth. But He will detect their hypocrisy and will open before others those sins which they were so careful to hide. 5T 211.3

No superiority of rank, dignity, or worldly wisdom, no position in sacred office, will preserve men from sacrificing principle when left to their own deceitful hearts. Those who have been regarded as worthy and righteous prove to be ring-leaders in apostasy and examples in indifference and in the abuse of God’s mercies. Their wicked course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals with them without mercy. 5T 212.1

It is with reluctance that the Lord withdraws His presence from those who have been blessed with great light and who have felt the power of the word in ministering to others. They were once His faithful servants, favored with His presence and guidance; but they departed from Him and led others into error, and therefore are brought under the divine displeasure. 5T 212.2

The day of God’s vengeance is just upon us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land. Those who link in sympathy with the world are eating and drinking with the drunken and will surely be destroyed with the workers of iniquity. “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” 5T 212.3

Read the full chapter from Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, Ch. 23 – The Seal of God. May God have mercy! Maranatha!