The Pathway to Party Unity
June 19, 2023 | Montgomery County, TX
An alarming trend has emerged in Montgomery County that mirrors Establishment Republican behavior across our state and nation. Rather than standing up for what’s right even when it’s hard, Establishment Republicans are looking the other way in the name of “unity.”
Christians are called to seek unity
Many New Testament verses warn against causing division and caution those who would divide the body of believers. For example, Romans 16:17 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul encourages believers to avoid divisions and “be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
Yet, Paul also says in Ephesians 5:11, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
Division in the local Party
The Montgomery County Republican Party is currently experiencing a dispute between the County Chairman and the Precinct Chairs who make up the majority of the County Executive Committee (CEC).
The division centers around Chairman Bryan Christ’s continued efforts to silence the conservative Precinct Chair majority when the majority vote is expected to go against the Chairman’s desired outcomes.
The Precinct Chair majority has made many efforts to resolve the division, including:
Participating in mediation led by the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) on Sept. 30, 2022.
In spite of the Precinct Chair majority’s willingness to work together, as evidenced in the RPT mediation report, Chairman Christ was unwilling to heal the divide and would not allow RPT Chairman Matt Rinaldi to impartially lead an organizational meeting to settle disputed issues according to Party rules and bylaws.
(Please note that while the mediation report says “Confidential,” it has since been publicly released.)
Calling a special meeting on Dec. 6, 2022, to discuss and settle disputed issues.
Unfortunately, Chairman Christ refused to preside and instead tried to derail the meeting. (Click here and scroll down to “Chairman’s Attempts to Invalidate Meetings.”)
Continuing to pay rent for the Republican Party Headquarters for months without access to the facility.
When committee chairs followed the proper procedure to reserve the Headquarters for holding meetings and conducting training, Chairman Christ refused to give them the access code to the facility.
Instead, they were forced to scramble to meet at restaurants or local business offices to get the work of the Party done. Then, on April 2, Chairman Christ announced that he had closed and liquidated the Headquarters without giving prior notice to the CEC majority.
Additional examples may be found on our County Party Updates page, our News Releases page, and our County Party Resolutions page.
The majority of the Montgomery County Republican Party CEC even filed a Petition for Writ of Mandamus with the Texas Supreme Court in an effort to compel Chairman Christ to perform his statutory duties and stop violating state laws and Party rules.
The Precinct Chair majority asked the Supreme Court to tell Chairman Christ to report the properly elected Precinct Chairs to the Secretary of State, and not interfere with the properly elected Treasurer as he files required financial reports with the Texas Ethics Commission.
It’s important to note that this action was taken at the suggestion of Republican Party of Texas leadership and no Party funds were used for this lawsuit. Precinct Chairs had to pay for the legal fees out of their own pockets to try to get the County Chairman to do what he was elected to do on behalf of voters.
“The precinct [chair] group’s primary goal was to have a single meeting with all precinct chairs present. They repeatedly expressed willingness to just follow the bylaws, or make concessions if necessary to have a 3rd party led ‘organizational’ meeting to bring the sides together.”
RPT Officials Committee Member Matthew Patrick
Chairman Christ ignores another opportunity to unite the Party
On May 20, a meeting call for the regular scheduled June 6 CEC meeting went out to all CEC members, including the Chairman. On May 23, Chairman Christ sent out a second meeting call for the same date and time but a different location from the May 20 call. The second meeting call was a direct violation of a recently passed RPT rule that was designed specifically to stop dual meeting calls by Chairman Christ. The Chairman chose to ignore this rule. He can no longer be given the “benefit of the doubt” when he says he is dismayed or upset by the disunity in the Party when he is repeatedly the agent of that division.
Instead of working with the CEC, the Chairman and his team continue to accuse the Precinct Chair majority of stirring up division and have even made slanderous accusations against Party officers. All so Chairman Christ can circumvent the will of the majority.
How can we achieve unity in the Party?
The Bible provides instructions for dealing with disputes. For minor conflicts, we are told in Proverbs 19:11 to overlook the offense, but major offenses should be looked at in a different light. Matthew 18:15-17 provides more detailed information concerning proper conflict resolution for more serious offences:
“If your brother or sister sins against you, go to them. Tell them what they did wrong. Keep it between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them back. But what if they won’t listen to you? Then take one or two others with you. Scripture says, ‘Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.’ But what if they also refuse to listen to the witnesses? Then tell it to the church. And what if they refuse to listen even to the church? Then don’t treat them as a brother or sister. Treat them as you would treat an ungodly person or a tax collector.”
There can be no unity without reconciliation. Since the Chairman has rebuffed the Republican Party of Texas’s attempts to settle the dispute and the local Party’s efforts at resolving differences, we’ve had to face difficult choices.
Do we turn a blind eye to wrong-doing? Do we throw out properly seated Precinct Chairs to satisfy Chairman Christ? This would create harmony with the Chairman and his followers, but division within the rest of the Party.
The unity described in the Bible does not call for “unity above truth.” We must follow Biblical principles of reconciliation to achieve it. Toleration of falsehoods and circumventing rules does not promote unity. Dealing with conflict within a body of believers is necessary to the health of the organization.
“…the precinct chair group was more inclined to make concessions and more desirous of bringing the County party back together.”
RPT Officials Committee Member Matthew Patrick
Rules and bylaws are the framework for unity instead of chaos
The pathway to unity is not through avoidance or overlooking injustice. It’s only by treading the rocky road of reconciliation that we can achieve authentic unity in the Party. This must be done according to the Party rules and bylaws. Rules and bylaws are the framework that allows for unity to exist within a large group of people. Our County Chairman’s disregard for this framework has created chaos instead of unity.
Telling people to “just get along” without addressing the root of the problem is like walking upon the scene of a mugging and telling the parties to stop fighting. It doesn’t work because the observer isn’t considering the original cause of the confrontation.
True reconciliation that leads to unity requires a willingness to delve deep and honestly deal with what you find. It requires addressing the needs of both sides, not just the side you think will benefit you the most. All of this must be done within the boundaries of the rules and bylaws to allow everyone to come together and accomplish the work of the Party.
Similar issues across the state
Throughout Texas, more than 40 counties are experiencing similar disputes within the local Republican Party as new grassroots Precinct Chairs seek to make their voices heard. These disputes are a microcosm of problems facing the nation. Everyday Americans are being forced to choose between standing up for what’s right or looking the other way. When we speak up, we’re called racist, intolerant, are accused of being divisive, and can even be prosecuted for our convictions.
Looking the other way in the face of problems has led to the border crisis, which continues even after the close of the 88th Texas Legislative Session because the Texas House caved to special interest groups in the name of “compassion.” But what is compassionate about human trafficking and people dying while making the dangerous border crossing? Republicans in the U.S. House initially asked for a return to December 2022 funding levels, but when the White House refused, the House succumbed, locking in reckless spending.
In Montgomery County, some Republicans continue to donate to Chairman Christ’s Political Action Committee, and even blame the Precinct Chair majority for wanting to follow the rules instead of encouraging Chairman Christ to fulfill his duties as the elected County Chairman.
Montgomery County is critical to keeping Texas “red.” We cannot turn a blind eye when state laws and Party rules and bylaws are swept under the rug, even if that would be the easy route. Too much is at stake in our county, state, and nation. We continue to pray for Biblical reconciliation that will lead to authentic unity within the Montgomery County Republican Party.