Saturday, March 29, 2008

The fall of David Trotter

The pastor of the righteously annoying Revolution Church in Long Beach has resigned his post as head pastor in a scandal. You might remember David as the pastor who gave away a car to lure people into church back on Easter of 06. We exchanged a few emails over the subject. I had this feeling about him, something was off with his ego. Two Christian friends defended him vigorously to me. They talked about his character and vision. I had reservations. It turns out I was right. According to A little bit of us, David Trotter resigned over an affair with another women from his church. He also left his wife and children, and turned his back on his calling - apparently because it was all about him in the first place. Which, for those of you who read my blog, is the main problem I have with the hypocrites who run so many of America's churches.

I know, DT, that you are reading these blogs and that you don't care. I know you said that when you two read our blogs that it just pushes you farther away. And that is sad. When did your heart turn to stone? Are you proud? I hope that every time you look at your tattoo on your wrist you are reminded that you are no longer a Revolutionary or a Christ follower. You have now become a DT follower.

You say that you are with the Lord and you are following His way? Where in the Bible does it say to leave your wife, leave your kids, and start an adulterous affair? That is not God you are following, that is the devil!!

Source: A little bit of us....: This is not what I wanted my post to be about....

I am really not surprised - He was all about branding his name. It was all over the web. There was even a DavidTrotter.com for a while, but its gone now, he's left to follow his heart... Apparently after ripping the hearts from the chests of his followers.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can learn more about Dave Trotter, the hypocrite, at
www.startarevolution.tv

You can see the woman he left his family for at
www.davidtrotter.tv

Anonymous said...

It is quite obvious you have a personal vendetta against David Trotter and Revolution Church.
Perhaps you may want to attend one of our services and find out who Jesus really is and who we are as a body of believers in Christ. Yes, one of our own has fallen, as we all have at some point in time, but you choose to add to our pain by displaying your hate on this blog site.

Furthermore, you should be grateful God hasn't exposed your dirt for the glory of just exsposing it because He doesn't have anything else better to do with His time.

Quite the contrary, whether you realize it or not, He who reigns loves all of us, no matter how big our mess up. And he still loves you inspite of you posting your hate.

Proudly serving Revolution Church

Mojoey said...

Vendetta? I would not know the man even if he walked up to me on the street and slapped me.

And don't give me the "we all fall" excuse. Some people are held to a higher standard. When they fall, when the break the faith, they are fair game.

Who is this mythical deity you refer too? I don't need something imaginary to love and forgive me let along expose my dirt. I've take responsibly for my own life. Dirt and all.

Anonymous said...

you might want to check this out:

http://www.startarevolution.tv/

Amazes me that he still uses everything from Revolution to start this new "consulting" biz.

He should be ashamed.

Mojoey said...

The man has no shame.

Why would I want his help with a relationship?

Anonymous said...

this man is a fraud

Anonymous said...

this guy leaves his family and shacks up with another married woman and he has the nerve to "speak to people about their lives and help them" what a FREAK

Anonymous said...

Just because he messed up and aubviously went astray, it doesn't mean that all the people's marriges that were fixed, all the people that have relationships with Christ, and all progress that was made doesn't mean anything anymore. Dave isn't and wasn't the leader of the church. God is, and nothing with ever change that. Yeah you may say the whole chuch is done for now, but, again Dave wasn't the cornerstone of Revolution; GOD is and he always will be.

Mojoey said...

anon,

There is an adage I learned from my grandfather. If you take your care to a mechanic and he fixes it you are normally happy until you hear on the news he as been ripping his customers off. It is time to pick up the phone and call another mechanic.

I met Jim Jones once. God was supposed to have worked through him too. The ones who are still alive will now contest the point.

Trotter work is suspect. If he can preach a sermon on Sunday while sleeping with the wife of another man, his words are suspect. They are like lies told to children who cannot discern truth.

The revolution may fail - and yes that is a bad thing. No maybe the local churches your church was pouching members from will be gracious enough to open their doors to you. My guess is that if you've got the money, they will let you in.

There is no God. Only people who like to evoke his name.

Anonymous said...

Dear "David Trotter Follower" Anonymous,

I completetly understand your faith in David. However, as an attender of Revolution as well, I see you as completetly blinded. You really sit here and defend this man, this monster who so easily turned his back on you and all of us? I have been attending Revolution since the very first day and also had a very close relationship with both David and Laura. My family and I were involved with most everything Revolution did and spent most of our days there. I was supposed to go to India with the team but ended up not going simply because of a feeling I had. I knew in my heart something was going to go wrong, and it did. So what I'm getting at is that I was very involved with the Trotter family as well as Revolution and I have never felt more betrayed than I do right now. You make the point that every one makes mistakes and messes up, which is a very good point. But are you honestly going to sit here and tell me that God is so easily going to forgive someone who has bashed His name and turned his back on Him when he has preached for years that he is so loyal? I love David very much. I do hope he finds his way back and somehow gains his trust in God again. But as for myself or most of the church trusting and following him again? I doubt it. He has showed his true colors to everyone and I think most of all, he has made us all look like fools for ever trusting him. So I'm sure David will appreciate your support(or not). But maybe you're missing ALL of the facts because I think if you had all of them, you wouldn't feel the way you do.

And I feel so strongly about this, that unlike you, I'm not afraid to publish my name.

Anonymous said...

Bless you Lauren. I am so sorry for your deep pain, as well as others, and all the things that have caused you hurt. You know,following Christ is not always easy - saying I WILL to stretch, reach, grow and help others is not easy. Lashing out is easier.

Every 'messenger' is always flawed, but the MESSAGE of Jesus Christ, His love, His forgiving, reconciling and restoration power never fails and is not flawed. We must always worship God, not man. God never fails.

Anonymous said...

Lauren, I'm sorry Trotter's actions hurt your church. As a follower of Christ I feel betrayed by his actions too. He is taking the sentence on him when he decides to continue living in adultery, the pay of sin is eternal death. God will forgive him when he turns his back from sin. No matter how fair it is to us, or if we think he should be forgiven or not. The bad thing is that nobody ever knows how long they will live and if they will have enough life to ask for forgiveness. God can call us at anytime.
Leave judgment/forgiveness poicies to God.
For now, your job as a Christian is to forgive him, so that you can be forgiven the same way. Let God be the center/reason/inspiration of your life, after all Dave was a tool of God to get to know Him.
Dave was the one who failed, not God.

Anonymous said...

To LAUREN HAYES...

yes, God will forgive Trotter. Just as easily as He forgave you for all of your sin. A sin is a sin, no matter how big or small - it's still a sin.

God loves us all. Whether you like it or not.

Mojoey said...

A sin is a sin? You mean that telling a small lie is the same as murder? What a load of BS. There is scale to everything. Blame the victim if you will - but at least have the courage to leave you name.

Anonymous said...

when the the saying a sin is a sin is put out there it doesnt mean stealing a piece of candy as a kid is as bad as murder. what it means is as far as perfection goes any sin makes us imperfect and we have all done something so we are all imperfect. of course there is a system of measure, that is our consequence. stealing a piece of candy as a child will get us a swat on the butt and we will probably have to go and apollogize to the store manager. cold blooded murder on the other hand will get us a long sentence in prision and possibly the death sentence. are they the same? no are they both wrong? yes therefore both have made someone imperfect. when it come to christianity it is the imperfection that seperates us from christ. so when the saying a sin is a sin is thrown out there that is the meaning behind it.

Anonymous said...

as far as david trotter goes, i think some people are missing it a little. i've been going to revolution for a while now and liked it a lot. i've learned a lot there about examining myself on a more frequent basis. i've grown there actually. david trotter was the pastor there when i started attending. i 've learnd a lot from him. you know why? because he was a good teacher. you see david trotter was the pastor there not the god.... i see everyone on here killin this guys past present and future actions. yes of course he blew it bad. of course he hurt a lot of people including his own family. that doesnt mean he didnt do a lot of good in the past. that doesnt mean he cant do a lot of good in the future. i bet if you knew some of the things the teachers you learned the most from were doing behind the scenes you would be shocked. you still learned from them. it seems like a lot of people have taken their eyes off the message and placed it on the messenger. at some point you have lost balance with yourself. david trotter taught well because of the skill he has as a teacher. he delivered a message. he wasnt the message. the same people that are here bashing this guy for the wrongs he has done have somehow focused on the messenger. you need to understand that at its core the ones here who are so caught up by the messenger and not the message have done the same exact thing that david has. step back, examine your hearts, minds, and spirits and find perspective and balance for you own lives.

Anonymous said...

I have known David now for years, and I have watched Revolution grow from its inception. I pastor a “sister church”, which just means we are from the same denomination, and started around the same time. To be completely honest, the whole situation sucks. It is a tragedy that so many lives have been hurt, and that the Church has been injured in the process.

As a pastor, I could never condone what decisions Dave made. Many people were hurt, and now many people now have a church that they can justifiably say hurt them. It is a shame that this happens, yet it does.

As a married man, I must say I hurt for his wife and kids. They are the undeserving victims in this whole process.

However, as a friend to David, even though we don’t talk anymore, I still hurt for him too. What he has done (admittedly by his own choices) will affect him for the rest of his life. He will regret these decisions he made for many years to come. He is just beginning to realize how bad his decisions were, and that he cannot take them back.

Maybe the biggest tragedy of all is giving fuel to those who admittedly believe there is no God. Mojoey, this is just one more reason for you to disbelieve. I wish it weren’t true, but many pastors have made bad decisions. As a public figure I hope people are more gracious if you blow it in the future.

Grace,
Jeff Ludington
Oasis Church - Hesperia

.:The McGuire's:. said...

People, we will be hurt when we place our faith in man. A simular situaiton happened at my church (a church that Jeff Ludington and I both attended for years) and there was a divide in people that trusted in Christ and those that trusted in the pastor who fell. It been 5+ years since it all happened and I can say that God's healing powers touched us all! But our pastor repented and humbled himself before Christ and accepted guidance from elders and staff to work on his issues... Majorly different than what Dave is doing!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
My name is Drew Hartel and I've been a member of Revolution church since it began. If there's one thing that I've learned through being a part of this church is that it's not about the pastor or his sermons. We always had a focus on relationship with the outside community and helping and expecting nothing in return. I am proud to say that to the congregation Christ has always been the head and that whether or not you believ in Christ his message is the same. Christ said that none of us has a right to judge except for God were commanded to love under all circumstances no matter what happens. And this is what makes christians different from the rest of the world. It is only by the grace of God that we can have the ability to have genuine love for anybody. Unfortunatley you can't look to man as an example of this, you have to look to Christ first. I love Dave Trotter as a brother to me and I have no problem continuing to love him or anybody else who I've known no matter what the circumstances but only by the empowerment of the Love that God gives us so that we can love others. It is hypocritical to say that you follow Christs example and yet can not forgive, that is impossible. As for the guy who posted this, I have no offense towards you or what you said, but just try to be more careful with your words, theres a verse that says "Don't remove the speck from your brothers eye when you have a plank in your own"

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know who he had an affair with?
I'm curious to know.

Anonymous said...

I was in the core group at the first start of Revolution and off-spring of El Dorado Park Church. However, I left Revolution because I wanted a more Pentecostal experience in worship and display of Spiritual gifts. I admired the teaching gift Pastor Dave had but he was not as seasoned ( was brand new) and broken enough to truly be ripe or mature. The irony is the church was I was at had a Pastor in his late thirties but also fell admitting to an 18 month affair. I actually called Dave & told him how hurt I was and let him know I was thinking of coming back to Revolution. He was so gracious and kind and said I would be welcomed back wholeheartedly. This touched my heart but I wondered how after I described the mess, the hurt and split of that church I was leaving could he do the same to Revolution?!! God is the only perfect being. He knew this and came on a rescue mission to redeem, save & forgive us. If we fall we can get back up and turn around again. This does not mean our actions don't have consequences.

Anonymous said...

Did you people throwing stones at Dave Trotter ever read when Jesus said " Let Those without sin cast the first stone" By the way they all left and put their stones down!

tom said...

anonymous:
why should we hold Trotter (& others like him) to a "higher standard", as you put it - if we don't believe in God OR a higher standard?

Chad Estes said...

I know this post is a couple of years old, but I thought I'd mention that David Trotter just released a book about this situation in his and his family's life. I just reviewed the book myself and was surprised by the level of honesty in David's sharing. This story is worth reading.

Anonymous said...

Type-A…driven…passionate.
10 years of non-profit leadership…working 70-80 hours a week.
Burnout…affair.
Rock bottom.
Three days in a psych ward.
Renewal…redemption…restoration.
Reconciliation with my wife and children.
Re-launched my life.
A new normal.

That's from David Trotter's website. I could careless about his relationship with his wife and his children. Im not a part of his family and thank Heavens im not. But what I cannot understand is how he continually uses working for 10 years working 70-80 hours a week and being burnout as an excuse as to why he cheated during a mission trip. Didn't he know that being in full time ministry would be a difficult task? Quite honestly I think he's a sissy. Ghandi once said he had no problems with Christ he had problems with Christians and their hypocrisy. While I am certain Christ's death and resurrection has forgiven everyone's sins.... not everyone is Christ and especially non believers who hold people in ministries to a higher standard. When Trotter goes off and says that he was burnt out on ministry it makes the church look really bad and him as a sissy boy complaining... now he has a book about his fall and his recent return to grace... I am really sorry I dont do this kind of thing often but people like him really disgust me.

Anonymous said...

AWAKEN from a slumber.
Churches follow Jesus Christ,
Cults follow leaders.
The evil don't sow they reap,
Like fishers of men with dynamite!

Anonymous said...

As someone who has had an affair myself, I can completely identify with David. In those moments of the affair, I guarantee he actually believed he was doing the right thing. But, in retrospect I can also guarantee he regrets those decisions more than anything else in his life.

Those that seek to disparage him and throw stones his way are certainly free to do that. In fact, facing this sort of humbling criticism is part of the consequence of doing what he did.

But, ultimately, I believe David knows that he is not responsible to any of you for his actions; God is who he's responsible to. And, it is only God who can offer him complete and total forgiveness.

As some have mentioned on this board already, Jesus famously said, "He with no sin cast the first stone." No one lives without sin. Indeed, by God's measure every single person reading this blog has committed adultery as each of you, if you were to be honest, has at one time or another desired the spouse of someone else. All I can ask is that you try to extend David forgiveness, as living bitter, hating him for what he did doesn't impact his life or his salvation...indeed, it actually hurts you more than anyone else.

David - hang in there. I'm one year and a bit removed from my own life disaster, and I came within seconds of jumping off a parking garage to end what I believed at the time was my completely destroyed and useless life due to my selfish actions. But, God is faithful...He saved me through my beautiful and forgiving wife and I now have a chance at a life I never thought was possible, even before the affair.

Anonymous said...

Me: 30 something woman, degree in Theology, had an affair, read David's book. Agree with a bit of what everyone said.... i want to add: there is nothing more reassuring that hearing someone else has gone through the same and recovered their family despite it all. And for that, I love his story. Those who judge, will all endure something that will humble them into an "aha" moment of shame: those who have so much pride to think they would never do that, just means you will do something else or worse. Because you lack the element of compassion and empathy... which can lead to psychopath tendencies... those who confront their wrongdoings are on the right path.

Mojoey said...

Anon - I'm calling bullshit on this: Those who judge, will all endure something that will humble them into an "aha" moment of shame: those who have so much pride to think they would never do that, just means you will do something else or worse

Most of us live our lives with no life shattering self-induced drama. Your worldview is screw up.

Anonymous said...

I just stumbled upon this and had to comment. I know David and his family. They actually did what many have not been able to do. They made it through one of the hardest events anyone can imagine. The so called blogger here is a moron and if it was not for this topic would be unknown. Pride comes before the fall. I hope you receive more grace than David did for he is a far better man than you. You would have crumbled under his situation. You were probably the kid in school that got picked on and never had a girl until you paid for one when you turned 30. I wish you the best.

Mojoey said...

Let's see... So called blogger. Nope. I'm a real blogger with over 5k posts and 2 million page views.
Moron... No, graduate degree and professional. No morons here.
pick on in school... Not really. More like a popular athlete. Few people picked on me. I was much too big.
Did I get the girl? ...Married 30+ years to my high school sweetheart.
David fall was not the hardest event imaginable. Geez - he cheated on his wife and betrayed his friends, then got his act together and patched things up. It's just a story of a fall and recovery. And dude... we all fall. mine have been epic and hard to take, but I remained true to who I am and my family throughout.

Anonymous said...

'And don't give me the "we all fall" excuse. Some people are held to a higher standard. When they fall, when the break the faith, they are fair game.'

'And dude... we all fall. mine have been epic and hard to take, but I remained true to who I am and my family throughout.'

Talk about contradicting statements. Maybe someone should re-reaad their old stuff before putting something else down. Despite how old this is, the fact still remains that someone making such a big deal out of someone else's drama and mistakes that makes the world as a whole so askew. If nothing else this is nothing more than a tabloid-ish exposé. I'm not here to comment back and forth with anyone, but simply to make the point that this banter, whether justified or not, is helping absolutely nobody. Anybodoy who was affacted by it would have come to know, those who were not weren't informed. If they weren't told, so what? it isn't their business to have to deal with anyways.

Anonymous said...

This is a real ping pong match. Basically if you are called to be a Pastor of His flock and are willfully an adulterer you are never to Pastor again. Does not mean he can't be saved if he repents but David cannot Pastor by Spirit and Truth because he.... David has misrepresented the Body of Christ to the world. He will truely receive forgiveness when he steps down.. I see him as more a motivational speaker than someone who is lead by the Spirit of God. He definitely is teaching salvation by works and increases his name like Mojoey says. Mojoey does not understand he needs to be perfect to enter the kingdom of heaven. He does not understand the message of Cain and Abel and has gone the way of Cain just as David has also. Understanding Gods Salvation by Jesus Christ as a perfect and complete payment for all mankind sins. To much me, me, me, goals, goals, goals, Watched Robert Schuller do the same things for years. Walter Martin while he was alive admonished Robert for several years with his approach to Pastoring. There are many self appointed pastors who truely believe they serving the Lord and are called. If you mirror the ministry of the apostles full of the Spirit of God you'll see there is less me, me, me, goals, goals, goals, Paul himself said the Lord must increase and I must decrease. There is a fine line of crossover deception and anyone doing the work of his Heavenly Fathers is not lopsided like Dave. Almost too happy go lucky, like he is covering up guilt. He should feel guilty standing behind the pulpit and not before the Lord Jesus Christ.