Filed: September 9, 2017 – Defendants: Pastor Mike Meinema & Worship Pastor Tom Lowen
Opening Statement
Members of the jury, Southridge Community Church was supposed to be a refuge – a place of healing after nearly two decades of turmoil at Wellspring. For nine years I served faithfully: life groups, coffee ministry, setup, worship team. I gave time, energy, and devotion. But instead of safety, I found judgment, betrayal, and public humiliation. The evidence will show that the leadership of Southridge did not offer mercy. They offered condemnation. Their actions nearly cost me my life.
Exhibit A: The Context
After Wellspring, my wife and I were broken, searching for a community that could help us heal. But Southridge carried its own shadow. Their worship pastor, Tom Lowen, had been Andrew Thompson’s mentor. His judgmental nature set the tone. What unfolded was not refuge – it was the final unraveling of my faith.
Exhibit B: The False Accusation
Another accusation arose, likely seeded by Andrew’s influence. Instead of following the biblical process of private reconciliation, Pastors Mike and Tom responded with public judgment. During a Sunday service, before the entire congregation, they removed me from the worship team. No chance to defend myself. No opportunity to explain.
Exhibit C: Plea for Mercy
That day, for the first time in my life, I begged for mercy. With two friends present, I explained that my mental health was fragile. I pleaded for compassion. Instead, they doubled down. Their dismissal triggered a full nervous breakdown, forcing me into trauma therapy. But with a two-year waitlist, I barely survived the gap.
Exhibit D: Calls for Help Ignored
In the aftermath, I called Worship Pastor Tom Lowen three times. Each time, I begged for guidance. His response: “Fix yourself. Straighten up.” Not once did he offer to walk with me through the pain his decision caused.
Exhibit E: Silence of the Community
For nine years I poured myself into Southridge. Yet when I needed them, not one person stood up for me. Even close friends like Paul Glasbergen, who told me he loved me, refused to help. His answer: “God isn’t leading my heart to do that.”
James 4:17 says: “If anyone knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin.” By that measure, silence is not neutrality. It is guilt.
Exhibit F: The Consequence
For over two years after leaving Southridge, I was suicidal. The very place that promised safety had inflicted harm deeper than the world ever could. Their failure was not only organizational – it was personal, and it was devastating.
Closing Argument
How could I serve nine years faithfully and yet find no one willing to stand beside me when I fell? What does that say about the love of Christ they claimed to represent?
The court must conclude:
- Southridge leadership failed to embody the mercy they preached.
- Friends in the congregation failed to act when it mattered.
- The result was not healing, but despair.
Final Word
Love that does not rise above ordinary human behavior is no evidence of divine power. If those who claim Christ cannot show greater love, why should anyone believe their testimony?
Southridge used me for my time, my money, my service – until I was of no further use. Then they cast me aside.
Yet in their failure, truth set me free.