Our Case for Leaving the Upper Room
While we have loved our time with the Upper Room, the North East Texas Board is moving to leave that organization. We have come to a crossroads where the biblical and doctrinal position of the Upper Room is at odds with our own, and we wish to part ways in peace and with gratitude for that reason. In Galatians 2, we see a Biblical example where there are times when ministries go in different directions. While we want to leave in peace and with gratitude, it is important to note that we feel this separation is necessary.
What does this mean for our community? The Board met on Saturday, November 15th, and voted to pass changes to the Bylaws that remove our affiliation with The Upper Room and all affiliated ministries. The new Bylaws leave it open for our community to find another program to continue the ministry. We are following the procedures laid out in our Bylaws, so we want to be transparent with the community. The community has sixty days to respond to the proposed changes. If 25 NET Emmaus community members send in a written objection, the proposed changes to the Bylaws will not pass.
We will have a community gathering on January 24, 2026, at the Lakeview campgrounds from 2 -5 pm. This date is at the end of the 60-day window. At that point, we will respect the wishes of the community.
If 25 or more written objections from the NET Emmaus Community are received, then the proposed changes to the Bylaws will fail. In that event, the current members of the NET Emmaus board will resign at the end of January. We will stay an active board for a week after the community gathering in order to hand over the assets, legally change the paperwork, and give any documentation to the newly elected board. If you wish to send in a written objection, the address is: NET Emmaus Registrar, P.O. Box 23, Cooper, TX 75432
This means that should the proposed Bylaws fail to pass, the NET Emmaus community must choose a new Board of Directors. This gives the community a 60-day window to prepare a new board. The NET Emmaus Bylaws and the manuals from the Upper Room have legally binding stipulations about who can be on the board. Here are the guidelines for the makeup of the board (this information is found in the attached Bylaws, but here it is for quick reference).
Ecumenical board members (meaning not all board members from the same denomination)
Minimum of 15 people
Not more than 2 from the same church
No family members
One clergy for every three lay persons
50-50 ratio of men to women
Elected by the community (we will have elections at the January 24th meeting if necessary)
We share this information with you because we know that not everyone wishes to disaffiliate with the Upper Room. If you want to step up and fill these positions and continue with the Upper Room, we want you to have the information you need to do that correctly. All of the board members have been involved in the discussions over this decision and welcome any discussion and questions the community may have. A list of the board members will be attached to this message. This is a legal organization, and the community doesn’t always know what the Bylaws, manuals, and technical requirements are. Cassandra Rogers has read all of the documents and will be available to answer any questions between now and the end of January.
In the event that the proposed changes fail, meaning that the NET Emmaus, LLC will continue its affiliation with The Upper Room, the current board members, after resigning from NET Emmaus will begin the process of creating a new organization using the Bylaws that did not pass. This will provide a ministry opportunity for those who have loved and benefited from the Walk to Emmaus to continue to serve on a similar 3-day weekend retreat.
It is important for the NET Community to understand that the new, proposed Bylaws simply remove language referencing an affiliation to the Upper Room and The Walk to Emmaus. And it adds language that allows the community to find a new program. The Board has already been researching this with prayer and attention to the needs of our community. The new program we will start with is The Great Banquet. It is very similar to the Walk to Emmaus, and our community will find it to be a very familiar transition. Cassandra Rogers went through this program in October as a guest (their version of a pilgrim) and felt it was everything we love about Emmaus, without the concerns we have with the shift in direction the Upper Room has taken. Over the next 60 days, she will share information about this program.
How did it come to this? Over the years, The Upper Room, which houses the Emmaus ministries, has subtly been shifting away from an ecumenical ministry and stepping towards a ministry of inclusivity at the cost of the transformative power of the gospel. These changes have been most evident in the updated Chrysalis model (which we are legally bound to follow for our Chrysalis flights, just as we are legally bound to follow the current model for the Walk to Emmaus).
1) In the new model, they have an alternative communion that removes the confession of sin and examination of self. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 informs the Christian that partaking of Holy Communion without examining oneself “eats and drinks judgement upon himself.
2) The Chrysalis model removes most masculine references to God, and even creates a new pronoun for God in order to avoid referring to Him in the masculine… “godself”. While the trinity is a mystery, God very clearly identifies Himself as our Heavenly Father. John 12:49-50 is one of many examples where Jesus states He speaks only what His Father commands.
3) Chrysalis combined the Singles talk with the Married talk and now calls it “Faithful Relationships.” The reasons for this change are not stated, but are nonetheless obvious. Great pains are being taken to make room for what has traditionally, historically, and biblically been considered as lifestyles that are contrary to a “life of piety.” The new message that is all throughout the new model of Chrysalis (which is aimed at our young people) is that God affirms you just the way you are, and that He does not call you to change to live a righteous life.
These are just some of the most egregious shifts the Upper Room has taken that demonstrate their steps away from a biblically ecumenical ministry, toward being one that is in line with the recent changes in the United Methodist Church. The covenant that the Board must sign every year has also seen shifts over the years. The covenant makes it very clear that we are to follow the models presented and always strive to move closer to the way of the model. The Upper Room states that they have no influence from the United Methodist Church; however, the manuals that we have to follow clearly state that the Upper Room contracts and pays for United Methodist Church consultations.
There are times we operate under what we know, but when we learn more, we have a choice to make. We can blindly continue on, as if things were the way they had been before, avoiding addressing the truth, or we can change the path we are on now that we know more. Knowledge demands change. There is a letter from Jeff Dotson, our Community Spiritual Director, that speaks more about change following this portion of the newsletter.
We understand that change is never easy. But sometimes it is necessary. There is no malice. There is no hate. There is love. Biblical love that strives to give God glory in our obedience. As members of the body of Christ and servants of the NET Emmaus Community, we are striving to serve as faithfully as we can by following our convictions. We can love the memories and milestones that were created through our connection with The Walk to Emmaus, and at the same time, not be able to continue down the path they are going. When we had our board meeting, Tim Graham inspired us with a reminder of what Jonah had to do to get back in line with God’s plan. But instead of being thrown overboard, we are choosing to step out of the boat. We don’t know if we will sink, swim, or get swallowed by a giant fish. But we step out with faith like Peter that when we step out, Jesus will be there holding out His hand, guiding us through whatever comes.
Please spend the next 60 days in prayer for our community. Talk with those whom you have met through this community. Let your conversations be guided in love, always God’s love. Yes, people will have differing positions. But don’t we all have the same end goal? In Galatians 2, Peter and Paul are to part ways. But they did so with grace, peace, and both were still pursuing their calling. We wish to do the same.
A Letter from the Community Spiritual Director
Dear NET Emmaus Community:
Change is rarely easy, and even more rarely is it comfortable. Change is often difficult, but not necessarily destructive. Life is a constant change. God rarely leaves things “as they are.” The greatest change in the life of a Christian is the day he/she turns from a life of sin in the world to a life of promise in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our salvation begins with repentance, which is a process of change. We turn from our sin and turn to Christ. When we accept God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, we are immediately changed. We are new creations in Christ, the old has died, and the new is born. Our lives are forever changed, but the change does not stop there. From the day of our salvation, or conversion, to the day we go home to glory is the time of life we refer to as our sanctification. Throughout this time, we are being spiritually transformed, changed. We are being made into the image of Christ. Then, on that great day, there will be one last, great change when we exchange these temporary, corrupt bodies for our eternal, perfect bodies. Another word for the change in a believer’s life is growth, and to quote one of our great Emmaus talks, “We are either growing or dying.” Growth is necessary, change is necessary. Sometimes it is painful, but that pain does not negate the necessity. We must never stop growing. Sometimes our growth includes pruning. We all remember hearing those words, as we looked at the cross in the corner of the chapel, “To make room for something new, something old must die.” For new growth to take place, something old must first be removed.
We read in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” We are embarking on a new journey, one full of change, opportunity, and probably challenges. Two of the hardest parts about change are the uncertainty of the future and the loss of the past. As for the uncertainty of the future, we know how to handle that. We trust God. We have faith in Him. We follow Him. We don’t worry about the uncertainties of the future because we know that wherever it is God is leading us, He is already there. He has prepared the way for us. It seems that the component of change that gives us the most difficulty may be letting go of the past. But God tells us here in His words to Isaiah to not look to the past, and to not pay attention to things of old. I’m sure most of you have heard the analogy, “There’s a reason the rearview mirror is so small, and the windshield is so large.” We are not to focus on the past. Remember the past, enjoy the memories, but we can’t live there. Look to the future because that is where God is. Remember what God has done for you, but look forward to what He is going to do with prayerful and excited anticipation.
On behalf of the NET Board of Directors, I implore each and every one of you, as Cassandra has also asked, to please be in prayer for this community. One of the great blessings of prayer is not found in the answer itself, but in the peace of God we experience when we submit to His will. Prayer does not bend God to our will, rather prayer aligns us to His will. Prayer helps us to better understand God’s will for us in all things. Pray for this board, that the decisions we make would be according to God’s will. Pray for one another, that the choices each one of us makes would be in line with God’s will for this community. Finally, pray for yourselves (yes, it is ok to pray for yourself). Pray that God would open your heart to receive His instruction, to hear His word, and for the strength and faith to respond in obedience. Pray that God would lead you to where He wants you to be and use you to accomplish His divine purpose. “Do you not see it?” Do you not see the way? If not, that’s ok. Rest easy in your faith. Rest easy in the truth that God not only sees the way, but He has prepared the way for us. Like Peter on that storm-tossed boat, step out in faith. Step out in the waters of the unknown because that is where Jesus is. He has promised to always be with us, to never forsake us. Trust Him. Follow Him. Don’t look back, don’t focus on the waves of uncertainty, don’t focus on the things of yesterday. Stay focused on Christ. Stay focused on His purpose for you and for this community, to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Focus on tomorrow, focus on Him, for He is about to do something new.
In the love of Christ,
Jeff Dotson
Community Spiritual Director
Current List of Board Members:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DvcJCn8pSJyho-jpAyk5ccw-X9fqzO2j/view?usp=sharing
Bylaws with proposed changes:
