I haven’t watched it all yet but for those who want to get all perspectives, this is a valuable session with Justin Dean. Some of it leaves me scratching my head but if he is serious, it helps give insight into the demise of the church. I’ll add observations throughout the day and evening.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/1GMMjjZO_Xo[/youtube]
Dean talks about Mars Hill Global Fund (42:00) and calls the accusations about it “craziness.” He says there were “a lot of evil people out there” (42:51) attacking. Dean said there was “evil at work, God at work” that led to the church’s demise. He is still demonizing those who he apparently still considers his opponents.
Let’s remember we are talking about a church that Paul Tripp said was “without a doubt, the most abusive, coercive ministry culture I’ve ever been involved with.” Dean doesn’t seem to have a category for that. Is Paul Tripp evil?
As I listen, I get the impression that the whole thing still seems overwhelming and beyond comprehension. I also suspect that he really doesn’t know the shenanigans his superiors were involved in.
Open forum in the comments section. A caution: Keep the conversation respectful of Dean and those on all sides of the Mars Hill fence.
Category: Mark Driscoll
A Year Ago World Magazine Broke the Mark Driscoll New York Times Best-Seller List Story; Will Hillsong Host His Comeback?
Seems like yesterday that ResultSource and Mars Hill Church’s book selling scheme came into the public consciousness. However, it was a year ago today that Warren Smith’s article was posted. The next day, I posted the contract signed by Mars Hill Church executive pastor Sutton Turner and ResultSource CEO Kevin Small that spelled out the arrangements which if followed would lead to a spot on the New York Times best-seller list.
While it took several months for Mars Hill Church to unravel, that March 5, 2014 revelation seemed to alert even friends that something might be seriously wrong at the megachurch. The disclosure ignited an ongoing conversation about the ethics of buying a spot on best-seller lists. Later, it became known that Les and Leslie Parrott, and David Jeremiah also used similar schemes to elevate their books to the best seller lists. However, they have not experienced the same level of criticism and attention as has Driscoll.
In the aftermath of the Mars Hill debacle, at least one publisher (Crossway) took a vocal stand against deception in book marketing, but it is not clear that the revelations about buying a NYT’s best seller has led to significant changes. Christian media (with two exceptions) have not been aggressive in reporting on Christian authors who have manipulated the best seller lists. The largest Christian publishers (HarperCollins Christian and Tyndale House) and have refused to answer questions on the subject.
Since he resigned in October 2014, Driscoll has kept a relatively low profile. He may return to the limelight in June and July as a speaker for the Hillsong conferences in Sydney and Europe. Hillsong still has Driscoll listed as “the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and one of the most popular preachers in the world today.” I recently wrote and tweeted Hillsong to ask about the description and speaking engagement. No answer as yet.
Quest Church Paid 9 Million for Mars Hill Ballard
Wow, Mars Hill Church made $4.2 million on the sale of Mars Hill Ballard to Quest Church.
I reported last month that Quest Church purchased the building. The price was revealed yesterday in an article in the Puget Sound Business Journal. Read that article for the details.
That profit should help pay for the severance packages of the executive elders and perhaps give the “independent” churches some seed money. At least that is one theory about where the money will go. Despite soliciting donations up to the very end of the public ministry of the church, Mars Hill Church leaders (whoever they now are) have not been transparent about financial matters.
Relevant Magazine Asks What We Can Learn From the Downfall of Mars Hill Church, No Voices From Exiles
Ruth Moon writing for Relevant Magazine interviews Jennifer McKinney, Gerry Breshears, Samuel Rodriguez, Francis Chan, Kate Bowler, and William Vanderbloemen to seek answers to her question.
Seems like it all comes down to celebrity and business. Don’t worship the pastor and don’t make church a business.
While those are two important components, I hope there is more to learn than that.
Some observations:
Breshears is described as Driscoll’s mentor from 2000-2010. According to Driscoll’s 2012 job description, Breshears was still mentoring him in 2012. Note this excerpt:
External Accountability
o James MacDonald, Darrin Patrick and Larry Osborne.
o Gerry Breshears will serve as a theological accountability/consultant to Pastor!Mark.
o Dr. Catanzaro will serve as health accountability for Pastor Mark.
In December 2013, when I contacted Gerry Breshears about plagiarism in his book with Driscoll, he told me that Driscoll’s apology via Tyndale House about Call to Resurgence was sufficient, even though Driscoll never addressed plagiarism in subsequent books.
Breshears now has lots of observations about Driscoll and Mars Hill. For instance, he opines:
“The goal was always, ‘We’re going to win more people for Jesus.’ The goal was good. And Mark as a preacher was pretty much right on target, but the high-pressure, performance-driven, get-results culture was deadly,” he says. “The underlying culture increasingly became, ‘We must be business efficient in all we’re doing.’ More and more, Mars Hill became a brand.”
So Mars Hill was the brand? Those familiar with the church, especially those in the media and communications team, know that Driscoll called himself the brand.
The article is interesting and I appreciate the observations but I think former members should have been interviewed. Their voices are missing. They are still waiting for the shell of Mars Hill Church to provide answers and accountability to be learned.
Vanderbloemen mentioned the church succession plan. Here it is.
Quest Church Has Purchased the Building Formerly Known as Mars Hill Ballard
It is official: Quest Church in Seattle has purchased the old Mars Hill Ballard location. In a press release out late last night, the church announced that it will rent the building to Cross and Crown Church, the current occupant until they can move into a new facility.
Sources in a position to know have told me that Cross and Crown Church leaders (formerly Mars Hill Ballard) plan to move into the old Mars Hill University District building sometime later this year. Mars Hill Church is in the process of selling and distributing assets, including this sale and the distribution of the University District building to Cross and Crown. Mars Hill has been silent about the pace of dissolution. At one point since the announcement of Mars Hill’s closing, executive elder Dave Bruskas told me that the [email protected] account was being monitored. However, no answers have come as the result of inquiries to that account.