Month: August 2014

Does Membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Benefit Donors?

The mission statement of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is “Enhancing Trust in Christ-Centered Churches and Ministries.” A primary means of pursuing their mission is through promotion of their seven standards of stewardship.

The ECFA website states that the standards are “are fundamental to operating with integrity.” The ECFA tells the public that organizations who voluntarily agree to adhere to the standards “must comply with all of the standards, all of the time.”

But what happens when an ECFA member does not adhere to “all of the standards, all of the time?” What does the ECFA do to alert the public when non-compliance is discovered? The disappointing answer for donors is that the ECFA may do nothing to alert the public when an organization is or was out of compliance. In contrast to former years when the ECFA publicly suspended organizations, now the ECFA conducts a private review if there is concern over compliance with standards. Michael Martin, Director of Legal Services and Legal Counsel for the EFCA told me, “When standards-related issues are under review with respect to a particular member, ECFA does not comment on our review.”

I have written numerous emails and left phone messages with the ECFA regarding the Mars Hill Global Fund since May, 2014. I am aware that former members of Mars Hill Church have also contacted ECFA about the use of donations to the Mars Hill Global Fund from 2012-2014. In response to one of those former member emails, Michael Martin replied:

We are aware of the issues you mention and are in communication with leaders of Mars Hill concerning matters which relate to ECFA standards.

True to his word, the ECFA did not comment from May until July 25 when the organization released a statement to World Magazine:

The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) conducted a review of Mars Hill Global and issued a statement that read, in part, “The Church has gone the second mile to address use of any funds if they were not used consistently with donor intent. This commitment, which ECFA will periodically verify, demonstrates the integrity of Pastor Mark Driscoll and Pastor Sutton Turner.”

In other words, trust us, we will let you know. However, the problem for prospective donors is no one let them know. This statement is very close to an admission that the church did not comply with ECFA guidelines “all of the time” (“The Church has gone the second mile to address use of any funds if they were not used consistently with donor intent“). About donations to the Global Fund between 2012-2014, the church had already acknowledged that the “preponderance of expenses related to church plants and replants in the U.S” which was a change from their 2013 Annual Report when they reported that Global Fund money went to mission efforts in India and Ethiopia. There was no report of money spent on U.S. church plants. Yet, donors would not have known that if not for those outside of Mars Hill Church and the ECFA writing about it. Mars Hill Church is still misleading people about how they portrayed Mars Hill Global and has certainly done their part to keep this information out of public view by scrubbing video evidence. Apparently, the ECFA also believes that these matters should be handled secretly without potential donors knowing what is going on.
The ECFA touts their standards as “fundamental to operating with integrity.” They are good standards. However, if the public does not know that an organization has not or is not following them, then how can that integrity be assessed?

In recent years, the ECFA has removed very few organizations from membership due to violations. Most former members have either voluntarily given up their membership or merged with other organizations.
In the old days, it seems to me that donors had more of an advocate with the ECFA. For instance, witness this response from then ECFA president Paul Nelson to criticism received in 1997 when the ECFA suspended Gospel Rescue Mission (a homeless mission?!) for using generic fundraising letters (a more minor offense than re-routing mission money, in my view):

The ECFA, Mr. Nelson said, does not want to punish member organizations, which by joining are voluntarily submitting to accountability. “By the same token we must call attention to the issues when a violation has occurred, and that’s what we’ve done in this case,” he said. “Our whole approach is not to be adversarial to the membership but to take disciplinary steps when we have to, which is what we felt we had to do. Now we’re prepared to work with them, if they are prepared to work with us.”

At the time, the ECFA seemed to take a more diligent approach to their public role. Nelson added:

The standards have not changed, Mr. Nelson said, and the suspension is a reminder that ECFA intends to be vigilant. “I think it does send a clear message-that if there are practices going on, and if those practices are widespread, that are borderline, or are moving in and out of compliance-that ECFA is serious about truthfulness in communications.”

As an evangelical donors to evangelical causes, this research into Mars Hill Global and the ECFA has been surprising and disappointing. More so than ever, if I have doubt about an organization, I will check that organization’s ECFA status but that will be only the beginning. I now know that an organization could be out of compliance even if accredited. Worse yet, the accrediting group could know an organization is out of compliance and never make it known. I will use the ECFA standards, but realize I will have to explore compliance on my own with the organization. I will have to ask for reports of how money is used (apparently the ECFA is not going to require this report from Mars Hill Church regarding their Global Fund) and not assume that accreditation means the organization has been or is in compliance with the guidelines.

Unfortunate, but good to know.

For more on Mars Hill Global, click the link.

For a donor-centered watchdog organization, see Ministry Watch.

Former Mars Hill Church Staffer Speaks Out

Earlier today, I posted volunteer pastor Matt Rogers’ note in response to the Mars Hill Church demonstration. Not long after I received Rogers’ commentary, I received the following email. Clearly Rogers likes where he is and thinks people should just trust their leaders.  The following person left Mars Hill within the last two years and is not yet comfortable being named in print. However, I have verification of the person’s identity. It is hard to believe that Mr. Rogers and this person are talking about the same place, but they are.

Hi Warren,
As a former employee, I experienced firsthand the culture of fear, destruction and lives affected on many levels.  When I see people defending Mark Driscoll on Facebook, when I see the manipulation and regurgitation, my heart breaks.  I desire for people’s eyes to be opened – to think for themselves and take an honest look at what is being presented and said.  I don’t want others to go through the same abuse that I and others went through.  If something I can share with you, whether new information or perhaps filling in some blanks, can help spare heartache for others down the road – that would be amazing.
Thank you for your time.  I look forward to connecting.
Sincerely,

One is saying trust me, the other is saying the trust was broken.
The turnover at Mars Hill over the past two years is far greater than for most non-profits. The average turnover rate is about 15%. As I noted previously, over 40 elders have left since late 2011. There are about 60 elders so the rate is quite high compared to non-profits.

Trust Me: Mars Hill Church Pastor to Congregation About Sunday's Demonstration

Matt Rogers is a volunteer pastor at Mars Hill Bellevue. Bellevue is where the ex-member demonstration was held on Sunday morning. I have obtained a copy of a response to the demonstration which is attributed to Rev. Rogers and posted on The City, Mars Hill’s private church discussion and media center. Other than the title, I am going to post this reply without comment. I am interested to hear reader reactions.

From Pastor Matt Rogers:
This past Sunday outside our building about 60 professing Christians led a protest, left a bit of trash, and slandered good men. Inside the building our church family worshipped Jesus. Let that image be what defines us. Others will cast aspersions, but we will worship Jesus.

We cannot let fear rule our church. We must choose love. Choosing fear would lead us to attack those who are attacking us. Instead we will choose to love them by praying for them. Choosing fear will drive us to anger and bitterness which will spill out in how we talk about them, engage with them and eventually even with each other. Choosing love will be our witness to all the outsiders watching us right now that we forgive just as God in Christ forgave us. By refusing to give into fear we will commend Christ to our city.

Choosing fear shapes how we interact with each other as well. Choosing fear leads to second guessing and distrusting the statements of our leaders. Choosing fear leads to not standing up for the truth and the honor of good men because of what might come our way. Choosing love will enable us to show grace toward one another, to trust the Spirit at work in one another, and encourage each other to do the same.

Trust is a choice. At some point you simply have to choose to trust someone or not trust them. Extending trust to another Christian is trusting the Holy Spirit at work in them. Trusting a fellow Christian means that when there is sin the Spirit will bring repentance. Trusting a fellow Christian means trusting that they will be more like Jesus tomorrow than they are today. I don’t want to live with a heart filled with cynicism and fear. I simply don’t know how to love others when my heart filled with cynicism and fear.

As elders we should have done more to communicate with you. By not saying more clearly that much of what you read online is slander, half-truths and gossip we left you in a place of wondering what is true. When this recent storm began a few months ago I looked into all of it because I had a responsibility to as an elder. What I have consistently seen is a pattern of repentance when sin was present, growth when errors were made, and patience when the accusations were false.

Let me say very clearly that Pastor Mark, Pastor Dave and Pastor Sutton are honorable and trustworthy men. I count it a privilege to serve with them not because I have anything to gain, simply because it is true.

I am asking all of us to choose to live in a way that is joyful and trusting vs cynical and fearful.

Meanwhile, others will remind us of our sin, but we will worship the Savior who died for our sins. Others will try to turn us against one other, but we will worship Jesus who gave His life so we could be one with Him. Others will try to keep us living in a past from which we have repented and changed, but we will worship Jesus who makes it possible for us to have a new beginning.

Mars Hill Church Demonstration Tells Leaders We Are Not Anonymous

MarsDemoPhotoI spoke earlier this afternoon with Rob Smith who told me that 100-125 people participated in the demonstration* outside of Mars Hill Bellevue this morning.  According to Smith, the church sent out coffee and donuts but otherwise did not engage with the demonstrators formally   and a woman offered the demonstrators welcome packets.

After Mark Driscoll told the congregation that people expressing concerns about Mars Hill were doing so anonymously, the participants wanted to correct that impression.

Smith said several current Mars Hill Church members participated in the event. Smith said they wanted to work for church change from within. Mars Hill members have no ability to vote or influence church actions.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a blog post on the event.


King5 has a report.

*News reports say between 50-65 showed up. Smith said 100-125 because some people left early and some came later. I heard from others there that the number was more like 80.

Mark Driscoll Issues Apology for Pussified Nation Comments; Is This Just the Beginning?

Late yesterday, Christianity Today was provided a copy of the apology Mars Hill Church pastor Mark Driscoll issued about his comments as William Wallace II on the Mars Hill Church discussion group Midrash in 2000. I have the entire apology in full from an email sent to members:
DriscollWmWaApology
This is a good start. However, I think this apology and Christianity Today go a bit beyond what Driscoll does in his Confessions book.  From the CT article:

In his 2006 book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev, Driscoll acknowledged and apologized that he posted to the forum under the pseudonym in response to postings from “emerging-church-type feminists and liberals.”

“I went on the site and posted as William Wallace II, after the great Scottish man portrayed in the movie Braveheart, and attacked those who were posting. It got insane,” he said in the book. “This season was messy and I sinned and cussed a lot, but God somehow drew a straight line with my crooked Philistine stick. I had a good mission, but some of my tactics were born out of anger and burnout, and I did a lot of harm and damage while attracting a lot of attention.”

In that book he refers to the discussion group as him “raging like a madman” but he does not apologize for the thread. The section CT cites where Driscoll admits to sinning and cussing is on the next page and seems to be a general disclosure rather than an apology for the “pussified nation” thread. The CT article puts them together as if they occurred in close proximity in the book.

Here is the section of the book where he discusses the discussion group:
ConfessionsWilliamWallace
In the book, Driscoll’s disclosure that he was frequently angry was mixed in with positive descriptions of the results he claimed with the men in his church and occurred on the next page. At times, it is hard to tell if he is confessing or advocating the harsh tactics.

While the apology is commendable, Driscoll has more to do. Stories of former members (e.g., We Love Mars Hill) and leaders (e.g., Kyle Firstenberg, Repentant Pastor) are plentiful. I have conducted numerous interviews with former Mars Hill pastors and ex-members and they often disclose instances of similar crude language and intimidation in public settings more recently. For instance, one ex-pastor told me that Driscoll once publicly pressured a colleague who didn’t like to swear to use crude language in the meeting. According to that pastor, Driscoll later apologized. However, others in the room were uncomfortable and have not heard anything from Driscoll.

Several former ministers indicated that Driscoll publicly asked their wives about their favorite sexual position. One ex-pastor told me that mediation should theoretically include the wives of the ex-pastors because they experienced a similar culture of fear and intimidation as did the pastors. However, he added, “there’s no way I’m letting them [Driscoll and Sutton Turner] get close to my wife. That would not be safe for her and just setting her up for potential further abuse.” 

I have been told worse stories by multiple sources, but I just can’t bring myself to disclose them due to their offensive and graphic nature.
While disturbing, I include these anecdotes because I have heard them from several sources reporting independently. I also believe they illustrate the concerns which repeatedly surface and why some feel strong enough about Driscoll to engage in a protest tomorrow at the church. For instance, former deacon Rob Smith disclosed that Driscoll used vulgar language with him and threatened his ministry when Smith crossed Driscoll in 2007.

“It was the worst conversation I’ve ever had with any human being on earth,” Smith remembers. “He was vile, he was vulgar, he threatened me with obscene language, said that he would destroy me, destroy my career, and make sure I never ministered again. I was shocked that a man of the cloth would speak that way to someone who worked with him for years. I went from a man of decent character to the worst troublemaker in Mars Hill history for simply asking that someone else have a fair trial.” (From The Stranger)

Another distinctive feature of the many conversations I have had with former Mars Hill folk is their desire to experience reconciliation with their pastors. They have sought public avenues because they say they care about their pastor and want to see healing. They have sought to bring their concerns privately to those in leadership without being heard.  When Driscoll says in his statement that he hopes those he has “offended and disappointed will forgive” him, I think he will find many ready to do just that — if he asks them in person.