The problem with us Christians is that we are far too optimistic anytime anyone sticks the title “church” up and claims that what they are doing is Gospel Gold. If we just read the Words in red, Jesus straight up, it is clear that this is not the case. The system that God Himself set up got so corrupted that it was intent on killing God’s son! Jesus warned about the kind of “temples” and converts the Pharisees make in Matt. 23:15.

It is clear that since then there have been two very separate organizations spreading “churches” around the world. Some of doing legitimate work for the true God, but according to Jesus the majority are not. Jesus told us to look at the fruit that is produced. When I did that and asked the question is the Acts 29 network a work of God with good fruit or a work of someone else with bad fruit the answer was crystal clear. We need to look at the fruit or else we are just fools…

Do you take into consideration the fact that Matt Chandler already runs a large organization, the Village Church? Perhaps he could have cribbed a bit from how they do things? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Do you take into consideration the fact that Matt Chandler already runs a large organization, the Village Church? Perhaps he could have cribbed a bit from how they do things? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Sorry… Clarification needed. I don’t know of any fallout post Driscoll. I was referencing the Driscoll fallout itself, which obviously had some ripple effects that went beyond the actual fallout.

Paul – I would be interested in knowing more about the post-Driscoll fallout at Acts 29. I suspect many people would be sympathetic to that.

Appreciate your final comment.

In defense of my comment, I will point to what you said – “what Christian organization is this not true of?” — I was a lot more balanced than many observers of Acts 29 who want blood and first born children.

Any organization who could pull the game changing move with Mars Hill can’t be all bad.

It would be difficult to overstate how big a job it was to restructure and reorganize the leadership of A29 following the Driscoll fallout. From my vantage point, that has mostly been done with a great deal of perseverance and humility (certainly with bumps along the way. And that is true of an organizational restructuring).

In any organization, when things are bing restructured, it can be difficult to get the full picture of a problem that might exist as pieces of the puzzle are slowly being presented in isolated situations. Sometimes, even when many pieces are presented at the same time, you are left with the difficult task of interpreting each piece and subsequently determining exactly where it fits, or if it even fits at all. Beyond that, when the dust settles, you look back and realize that mistakes were likely made (hindsight is 20/20). It’s at that point you begin to move “swiftly” and make some decisions that likely could have been made earlier.

What is important, and what I was trying to point out, is that this could certainly be a sign that an organization is working towards and pursuing health. Unfortunately you chose to paint this in a negative light by stating that “people who are in the market for such services should be aware of what they are getting into” (what Christian organization is this not true of?).

In any event, I appreciate your critical thoughts about all things related to the broader evangelical community.

Swift?

Looks like the other leaders have known about this for quite awhile.

“While none of this may influence how to plant a church, those who are in the market for such services should be aware of what they are getting into.”

A bit disingenuous don’t you think? One would think that swift decisions to remove people in power who have abused said power might be a sign that the organization as a whole is committed to health.

“While none of this may influence how to plant a church, those who are in the market for such services should be aware of what they are getting into.”

A bit disingenuous don’t you think? One would think that swift decisions to remove people in power who have abused said power might be a sign that the organization as a whole is committed to health.

Perhaps the basic problem with this kind of ‘religion-gone-horribly-wrong’ is that too many people think that God (onto Whom is constantly being projected too many all-too-human attributes) is like them!

I will never forget something that an aged priest once said to me. He said that, if I wanted to begin to get some idea of what God is like, I should take a long, hard and brutally honest look at myself, and then remember that God is the opposite of that!