To All Partners and Friends of Ascend Ministries and Bob Hazlett,

 

As the board of Ascend Ministries, we wanted to make everyone aware, for the sake of transparency, of events that have taken place in the life of our beloved Bob. We love, cherish, honor, and appreciate Bob for who he is, what he stands for, and how he has carried himself in his walk with Christ, and certainly in his call as a leader in the Body of Christ. We affirm his godly character as beyond question. 

 

Life can present challenges and painful things to all of us that we have to face and deal with. Some of those challenges and pains can be of long-standing duration. In many such instances, it takes great care and discernment in the wisdom and discretion of the Spirit, engaging the Sacred Text, and seeking out godly counsel, to come to a sense of clarity and peace for all concerned. For Bob, the challenges, and pains we are pointing to were of decades-long duration and involved many interactions with counselors and therapists in relation to his marriage. However, sadly, the marriage ended in divorce.

 

All of Bob’s spiritual advisors are well aware of that and were privy to all the dynamics involved. As a board, we will say without any hesitation, Bob’s honesty, transparency, and purity have remained intact throughout. While we realize as readers that many questions may rise, we also are aware of the character of the women and men of God who have walked with Bob through this process. 

 

Those who give Bob oversight and those who professionally offered Bob therapeutic counsel have walked with Bob every step of the way through this process. He has handled himself in a most forthright way with them all. While this may be difficult to process for those who were not involved, the situation was examined thoroughly and conscientiously, with great and sober care. Bob sought out highly trained counsellors. His spiritual advisors were apprised of this process. He was given much needed help. We seek to guard as best as is humanly possible the privacy and dignity of all. What we can say both as a board and on behalf of those who give him spiritual oversight, is that Bob has walked through this process with virtue, transparency, honesty, and integrity. 

 

While some might not question Bob’s godly lifestyle, knowing the nature of the culture of suspicion in which we live, some might be tempted to believe that selfish motives are hiding somewhere in his heart. We have not found this to be the case at all. We have examined Bob thoroughly and carefully and find him to be a trustworthy overseer of what he is responsible for in Christ and in his sharing of the Gospel. As a servant of Christ and of His Gospel, Bob has indeed done all that has been required of him. Yet, he would be the first to say, with Paul, that he does not have the capacity to know fully the secrets in his own heart, only God can know that (see 1 Corinthians 4:1-4). Yet what we can say, and what Bob can say, is that insofar as it is humanly possible we all believe that to be the case. All of us, including Bob, trust God in that regard, and are confident that Bob’s work will be found trustworthy in the day of judgment. Bob is fully prepared to give his account, in that final day, to the God he serves. That is indeed sufficient from our perspective. Paul’s warnings against any of us playing God in that regard in relation to him are clear. We have all conferred our blessing on Bob’s full engagement in the work Christ has called him to.