- C. J. Mahaney
Charles Joseph Mahaney leads the apostolic team of
Sovereign Grace Ministries (formerly People of Destiny International or PDI), a network formed to establish and support local churches, and was one of the founding pastors and leaders ofCovenant Life Church , inGaithersburg, Maryland .Mananey was drawn into the precursor of Covenant Life, TAG, by Lydia Little. She introduced him, as a fiery young convert, to
Larry Tomczak and asked Tomczak to take CJ "under [his] wing and help... grow in the faith" [cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = Clap Your Hands
page = p.164] . Lydia Little later ceased to be prominently involved with the group after being told by Mahaney that "it wouldn't be appropriate for you [as a woman] to be in a leadership position even though [you] have founded" it [cite news
url = http://psalm305.blogspot.com/2006/11/cj-mahaney-sermon-mp3s.html
title = Women and the Church (an interview with Mahaney)
accessdate = 2008-03-14] .Mahaney served as a co-leader (with his mentor
Larry Tomczak ) of that church for 18 years, before the two parted ways, never to be seen on the same platform again. Tomczak himself has described the split as "an unbelievable nightmare" during which his family were "were threatened in various ways if we did not cooperate with [SGM] ... A letter was circulated in an attempt to discredit me and to distort the events surrounding my departure" [cite book
last = Tomczak
first = Larry
title = Reckless Abandon
page = p.15] . No formal public statement has ever been made by Mahaney on this situation.Mahaney led
Covenant Life Church for several years after the departure of Tomczak, before handing over responsibility toJoshua Harris . Mahaney's wife,Carolyn Mahaney , has also written several books and leads the Titus 2 Women's Ministry atCovenant Life Church .For a long time, Mahaney had ties with both
restorationism andMaranatha Campus Ministries [cite book
last = Virgo
first = Terry
title = No Well Worn Paths
page = p.162, 164] . Lately he has moved towards a less charismatic theology and has formed associations with conservative (and sometimes cessationist) Reformed Christian leaders [cite website
url = http://www.t4g.org/2008
title=T4G 2008 Conference
name = Together for the Gospel
accessdate = 2008-02-28] .He currently co-hosts the
Together for the Gospel conference withMark Dever ,Ligon Duncan andAlbert Mohler and serves on the Council of theAlliance of Confessing Evangelicals , and on the boards of TheCouncil on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and theChristian Counseling and Educational Foundation .elected publications
* "Why Small Groups?"
* "Disciplines for Life"
* "Christ Our Mediator"
* "The Cross Centered Life"
* "Living the Cross Centered Life"
* "Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God"
* "Humility: True Greatness"Other sources
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0884192520 Clap Your Hands!] by Larry Tomczak (includes stories from Mahaney's early days in ministry and details the origins of Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Ministries)
References
External links
* [http://www.sovereigngraceministries.com/about/bio/cjmahaney.html Biography]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.