Decision Day for Michael Peroutka and Republicans in Maryland Tomorrow

A lot of important elections tomorrow. One I have been following is Michael Peroutka’s bid to gain a seat on Anne Arundel County’s county council. Peroutka is the subject of an election eve article in The American Prospect. The article asks if a neo-Confederate, theocrat can get elected in one of the richest U.S. counties. Good question; we’ll soon find out.
Peroutka, who doesn’t believe in civil rights or public schools but deceives the public about having one of his Constitution clubs in the public schools he dislikes, might win. Even though he was a defender of the white separatist League of the South until recently, and according to a source who does not want to be named, still supports the League financially, Peroutka might garner enough votes to defeat his Democrat challenger.
No matter how you look at it, a Peroutka win would be a disaster for the GOP.

Dave Bruskas to Become Interim Preaching Pastor at Bellevue Church

Looks like Bellevue Church wants to be the Mars Hill legacy church. This just came out:

On Becoming a New Church
From Pastor Matt Rogers:

Yesterday we honored Thomas Hurst who made the decision to step aside as the Lead Pastor of the Bellevue church. We also touched on the future for our church family and where we believe the Lord is leading us. As your elders look toward a new beginning, we have tremendous hope and confidence that a great future is ahead for us as we proclaim and live the gospel of Jesus Christ together as a church family!

Pastor Thomas and Angela have walked through incredibly difficult trials of cancer and losing a son while being faithful examples of trusting the Lord in suffering. They have poured themselves out for this church family in the midst of those trials because they love you and they love Jesus very much. The Hurst family will continue as members of our church as they pray through what God has for them in the future. Pastor Thomas has been great pastor, a great friend and a great encouragement to us. Please take a moment to send Thomas and Angela a note of thanks and keep them in your prayers. As his last official act as Lead Pastor Thomas declared himself the head of our Greeting team, his first day in his new position will be this coming Sunday!

A New Eastside Church

As Pastor Dave shared last week Mars Hill will transition to fully independent locally governed churches January 2015. Based on overwhelmingly strong support from leaders across our Bellevue church your elders are committed that Mars Hill Bellevue will become one of these new churches on January 1 2015.

We have been through too much together not to stay together.

We have celebrated hundreds of people meeting Jesus and being baptized, we have grown as disciples of Jesus Christ, we have walked through very difficult trials—together as a church family. The greatest fruit in our relationships comes over time, staying together, growing together, and seeing more of Jesus together.

Bellevue is a large financially healthy church and we have every reason to believe we can be a healthy and strong church based on the Eastside for many years to come. Pastor Dave Bruskas has agreed to serve as our interim preaching pastor here in Bellevue while we search for a permanent Lead Pastor. This Bellevue church is known around the world for the way you have served and loved one another and the broader church of Jesus Christ. We have already been contacted by several highly gifted and qualified pastors. We are committed to continuing bold Bible preaching that lifts up the gospel as Jesus Christ as the great hope for our city and the world.

Some Things Will Never Change

As a new independent church some things will be different. All ministry direction, production, staffing, and governance will be done together as a local church. We are establishing a new 501©3 corporate entity, creating new bylaws, selecting a new name, establishing a new structure and setting up new financial accounts. With all of us working together we will bring the best of Mars Hill while learning from our past to build a great new church.

After discussing a transition with dozens of leaders around the church you have our commitment that some things will never change. Your elders are absolutely committed to ensuring we are under Bible focused preaching that boldly proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will never compromise the truth of God’s word, and we will serve our good King with excellence!

For the next few weeks we will be seeking input from leaders from around the church, working through transition details, and look forward to having a lot more to share with you at our first Vision Meeting Sunday November 16 at 12:30.

This morning I woke up thinking about Ephesians 3:20-21 and believe this is an important reminder for our church family. In the last several months the Lord has brought much repentance, much growth and we are stronger and more dependent on Jesus than we have ever been. I am grateful for that work in my own life and in the hearts of the people in this church. He has used all of this for his glory and our good to make us into a church more reflective of our savior.

Together let’s proceed forward with confidence that the gospel will continue to change lives in this city and this church! Let’s pray to celebrate thousands more people meeting Jesus, to dedicate our lives to the forward progress of that gospel and growing together as disciples of Jesus Christ! Please be praying, please dream big about what God will do and let’s join together to build a new church with our hope firmly rooted in our savior Jesus Christ!

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

For more on Thomas Hurst’s resignation, see this.

How long before Mark Driscoll comes back as a guest speaker?

Mars Hill Church Elders Post Letter of Confession to Bent Meyer and Paul Petry

Pastors who voted to disqualify Paul Petry and Bent Meyer as elders have issued a statement of confession and repentance (UPDATE: the former website has been taken down. You can read it via the Wayback Machine). It begins:

Dear Paul and Bent, we want to publicly confess our sin against you regarding events that took place at Mars Hill Church back in 2007. We were wrong. We harmed you. You have lived with the pain of that for many years. As some of us have come to each of you privately, you have extended grace and forgiveness, and for that we thank you. Because our sin against you happened in a public way and with public consequences, we want to make our confession public as well with this letter.

More commentary to come but really it speaks for itself.
Note: The title has been changed twice to better reflect the actual events of 2007.

Mars Hill Tacoma to Become Independent Pending Bank Approval; Will The Leaders Open the Books?

According to this Tacoma News Tribune article, the Mars Hill location in Tacoma plans to pursue independent status. If the bank doesn’t approve them for a take over of the loan on the building, the congregation will seek a new location.
Lead pastor Bubba Jennings is supposed to meet with officials of the credit union which financed the building on November 18 to learn if the congregation can keep the building they meet in now.
Jennings told the congregation to keep attending and giving because the bank will evaluate those metrics in order to decide whether or not to transfer the note.
More of the same top down approach seems to be the order of the day. Jennings announced that he will tell the congregation what the new name of the church will be.
Tacoma becoming independent does not surprise me, but there are red flags for potential members in this announcement.
First, Jennings doesn’t know how much money the loan will be. He is talking about placing the congregation on the hook for a large amount of money to maintain their building without knowing the terms.  Second, there is only one fund to give money to now at Mars Hill – The General Fund. I would not give anything unless I thought it would go to the local branch. Current Mars Hill leaders have a track record of using the donations in questionable ways which should make potential donors skeptical of the claims that giving is needed to help locations become independent. Without full disclosure, how would anyone know that the donations are not going to pay executive pastors’ (Driscoll, Turner, and Bruskas) severance pay? In the past, church leaders have told the congregation that donations would go to Ethiopian and India church planters, yet very little money ended up there. Also, the leaders used a “Jesus Festival” to bring in dollars but no such festival was ever held.
Bottom line, unless current church leaders come glean on the Driscoll’s investigation, the Global Fund, Jesus Festival, year end giving campaigns, and pastors’ compensation and severance packages, I don’t think the current leaders have earned trust. Failing to address these issues is deliberate. Too many public calls have gone out to open the books for the leaders to say they are unaware of the need for disclosure.
 

Mars Hill Bellevue Pastor Thomas Hurst Resigns

During the 10:30 am service this morning, lead pastor Thomas Hurst announced his resignation. It was announced that Hurst wanted a break from ministry saying that today was his last day as pastor. Hurst then told the congregation that he wanted to be the guy to lead the new Bellevue Church but that he is tired and just can’t do it. The Hursts don’t plan to leave the church as members but Thomas is going to step aside as pastor. Hurst said the church leadership is looking to find somebody to preach the Bible for the new church.
Hurst is listed as a member of the new Bellevue Church board which will take over for the closing Mars Hill Bellevue campus.
 
bellevuechurchboard