Tag: Mars Hill Church

GoFundMe Account Set Up For Resigning Mars Hill Pastors

A GofundMe account has been set up for Adam Ramsey, Gary Shavey and Dustin Kensrue.  These three were part of the nine Mars Hill Church pastors who called on Mark Driscoll to submit to an elder directed restoration process.  A group of supporters have now set up a fund to help them with the transition after resigning this week.
The website gives more explanation for the effort:

To date one of the volunteer elders was dismissed from his role at the church. The remaining elders have been given a choice on how to proceed according to the these guidelines: When asked if the letter would be discussed the answer was ‘no’. If the elders wanted to stay they would have to champion change within current leadership structure by voicing concerns/issues through proper chain of command, which also means they are not able to talk with elders from other churches or skip levels of command. This is essentially a siloed format in order to keep control. If the elders would not abide by the current chain of command then they were asked to resign. The elders holding to the convictions in which they put in the August 22nd letter that the leadership structure was dysfunctional and not walking in the light could not in good conscience remain in Mars Hill Church. Three men, so far, have determined that they cannot abide by this request and have elected to resign their jobs, elderships, and memberships at Mars Hill. These men are Adam Ramsey (former student ministries pastor), Dustin Kensrue (former Bellevue Worship Pastor) and Gary Shavey (former Bellevue Biblical Living pastor). We believe that these are only the first and that more will follow—likely more than even the remaining elders from the original nine who signed the letter.

As I post this, the site has raised over $10k. Not bad for an hour.

Mark Dunford Explains Dismissal from Mars Hill Church and Much More

Mark Dunford was one of the nine elders who called on Mars Hill Church lead pastor Mark Driscoll to submit to an elder directed restoration plan. Dunford was relieved of his status as an elder at Mars Hill Portland by Tim Smith, lead pastor at Mars Hill’s Portland franchise. It has been assumed that Dunford was relieved of his elder status (he was an unpaid elder) due to his participation in the letter. Now, the rest of the story from his vantage point is available in a statement he just released with his wife and linked to on Facebook (full statement is at this link).
According to Dunford, he was informed of no problems with his status until after the nine elders sent their letter to the Full Council of Elders on August 22. The reaction of the Portland elders surprised him.

Several of them said that they felt “personally betrayed” by me. It was called “immature.” It was even called a “coup d’etat.” Unlike a coup d’etat however, our aim was to restore the leader currently in place, not permanently remove him. Sunday morning was awkward at best, and of course, that is the morning where Mark Driscoll stepped aside for six weeks. This, after the Executive Elders (of which he is one) added three additional members to the board that would adjudicate his charges and having created/restored the Board of Elders to investigate those charges. I want to be clear that the elders themselves are not involved with selecting who would serve on those boards. Again, it was the EE who made those decisions.

Regarding his dismissal, it came from the local elders at Portland:

On Wednesday, August 27th, I was called to a meeting with Portland Elder Tim Smith and a second Portland elder (who has asked not to have his name used). Tim made it clear that the Portland elders felt betrayed and were unwilling to work with me. In his words, he was able to “choose his team,” and was thus able to dismiss me. He made it clear that I had not disqualified myself and therefore, there were no formal charges. They simply did not trust me.

According to Dunford, rumors were spread that the reason for the dismissal related to his marriage. In this letter, Dunford make it clear that the rumors are false but unfortunately not uncommon in relationship to people who leave the church. Such rumors and insinuations have been used about others to give cover for dismissal. You can read the whole unfortunate experience in his statement.
Like Dustin Kensrue’s resignation letter, this statement pulls back the curtain for stakeholders to get a glimpse of the inner workings from the perspective of one former insider. There is much pertaining to the inside perspective on what externally was portrayed differently.
Full text of Mark Dunford’s statement.

Mark Driscoll No Longer Teaching at Corban University?

The question mark in the title is because I was unable to get anyone from Mars Hill Church or Corban University to confirm the meaning of what is now on Corban’s website regarding the course in Apologetics Mark Driscoll was supposed to teach during this academic year. Classes have started but apparently Mark Driscoll isn’t at the head of the class at Corban. Another executive elder Dave Bruskas has also been removed. The course was slated to be led by Driscoll at Mars Hill Church but now the course has been moved to next semester with (TBA – to be announced) listed where the instructor’s name should be. Before: CorbanUnivScheduleOld Now: CorbanUnivScheduleNew Calls to Mars Hill Schools, and Corban University were not returned. Perhaps Driscoll could still be announced next semester; no one wants to announce anything at present. You can read more about the joint program here. For more on the Mars Hill partnerships with Corban and Western Seminary, see Becky Garrison’s reporting in this post.

Mars Hill Church Posts Bylaws

Apparently Dustin Kensrue’s resignation letter (and perhaps this post today) sparked enough concern at Mars Hill Church to add a line to the Governance page of the church website. Earlier today, I noted Kensrue’s call for transparency and noted that the state of Washington and the ECFA require disclosure of bylaws to members. For Mars Hill Church, members refers to elders and not church members. The posting of this link, especially if they somehow let members know they can now see them, is an improvement. Here is what the Mars Hill Church governance page looked like on September 2 (via Google cache): Governancenobylaws090214cache Here is what it looks like today: Governancebylaws090414 Note the orange arrow. This line was added since September 2 (some sources tell me it was added today), complete with links to the Mars Hill Church bylaws and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. The link leads to the copy of the bylaws which I have been using to discuss governance at Mars Hill. Now maybe we’ll get some Mars Hill Global numbers…

Citation Error in Sutton Turner's Book Invest? (UPDATED with reply from Mars Hill Church)

While Mark Driscoll has garnered much attention regarding his citation errors (e.g., plagiarism, factual errors, inadequate citations), Driscoll’s assistant and fellow executive elder may also need to do some correcting. In chapter four of his book, Invest, Turner lists differences between a job and a ministry:

  • If you want praise and recognition for what you do, it’s a job. If no one else besides Jesus needs to commend your work, it’s ministry.
  • If you do the job as long as it does not cut into other things (such as hobbies, family activities, etc.), it’s a job. If you are willing to make sacrifices in your personal schedule, it’s ministry.
  • If you compare your lot with others who have more free time, more money, and more possessions, it’s a job. If you pray for others rather than compete with them, it’s ministry.
  • If it bothers you when the phone rings on evenings and weekends, it’s a job. If you see random calls at odd hours as opportunities to serve with joy, it’s ministry.
  • If you want to quit because the work is too hard, the pressure is too great, or your performance is criticized, it’s a job. If you stick it out—until Jesus clearly tells you that it’s time to move on—it’s ministry.
  • If you use the church as a stepping-stone, a payday, or a gold star on your résumé, it’s a job. If you’re working for the church because you love Jesus and you want more people to meet him, get saved, and be transformed, then it’s ministry.
  • Turner, Sutton (2013-12-16). Invest: Your Gifts for His Mission (Kindle Location 673). Resurgence Publishing, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Compare Turner’s list in his 2013 book with this list from a 1999 sermon by Mickey Anders.

Someone has said there is a huge difference between having a job at church and having a ministry at church.
… If you are doing it because no one else will, it’s a job. If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry.
… If you’re doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a job. If you’re doing it to the best of your ability, it’s a ministry.
… If you’ll do it only so long as it doesn’t interfere with other activities, it’s a job. If you’re committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a ministry.
… It’s hard to get excited about a job. It’s almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry.
An average church is filled with people doing jobs. A great church is filled with people involved in ministry.
Dr. Mickey Anders,
Sermon: “The Beginning of Ministry,” First Christian Church, Pikeville, Kentucky January 24, 1999

There are other lists attributed to Anders and very nearly the same list also attributed to a Melody Blevins.  Anders was, until recently, affiliated with the South Elkhorn Christian Church in Lexington, KY. Many lists like this are printed without attribution and often add something to Anders list (although I have no way of knowing what was in Anders original list). Take this one for instance:

Is it a Job or a Ministry?
Some people have a job in the church. Others get involved in a ministry.
What’s The Difference?
If you’re doing it because no one else will, it’s a job.
If you’re doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry.
If you’ll do it so long as it doesn’t interfere with other activities it’s a job.
If you’re committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a ministry.
If you quit because no one praised or thanked you, it was a job.
If you stayed with it even though no one seems to notice, it’s a ministry.
It is hard to get excited about a job.
It is almost impossible not to be excited about a ministry.
If your concern is “success”, it’s a job.
If your concern is “faithfulness”, it’s a ministry.
An average church is filled with people doing jobs.
A great church is filled with people who are involved in ministries!

The list attributed to Melody Blevins has similar points:

A JOB OR A MINISTRY – by Melody Blevins
Some people have a JOB in the church; others involve themselves in a MINISTRY. What’s the difference? If you are doing it just because no one else will, it’s a JOB. If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a MINISTRY. If you quit because someone criticized you, it was a JOB. If you keep on serving, it’s a MINISTRY. If you’ll do it only so long as it does not interfere with your other activities, it’s a JOB. If you are committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a MINISTRY. If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it is a JOB. If you stay with it even though nobody recognizes your efforts, it’s a MINISTRY. It’s hard to get excited about a JOB. It’s almost impossible not to be excited about a MINISTRY. If our concern is success, it’s a JOB. If our concern is faithfulness, it’s a MINISTRY. An average church is filled with people doing JOBS. A great and growing church is filled with people involved in MINISTRY. Where do we fit in? What about us? If God calls you to a MINISTRY, don’t treat it like a JOB. If you have a JOB, give it up and find a MINISTRY. God does not want us feeling stuck with a JOB, but excited and faithful to Him in MINISTRY.

The lists are not identical but they seem similar enough that attribution certainly would be appropriate. At least one reviewer of the book took the list to be original with Turner.
This list or construction might not be original with either Anders or Blevins, but the point is that it does not appear to be original with Turner. Various lists like this have gotten passed around the web since the early days. It didn’t take me long to find two possible authors but no one is cited in Invest. When in doubt, an author should footnote and describe where the material was discovered. An author can adapt material but this should be noted in a footnote.
I have asked Sutton Turner for comment and will report if he replies. Perhaps this is a rare coincidence. However, the Blevins/Anders lists clearly predate Invest, and unless another explanation is offered appear to be the basis for this section of Turner’s book.
UPDATE: Both Sutton Turner and Communications Director Justin Dean responded to my request for comment. Turner took the request seriously and replied that he would correct the problems identified when the book was reprinted. Justin Dean also wrote to say:

We are looking into the best way to cite this in the footnotes and will update the book upon reprint. I don’t have any other information about this right now but we will look into it and make any changes necessary.

His answer was in response to my question about the nature of the error. Did Turner use material he knew wasn’t his or was it an oversight? I am still not clear on this but I can say that it was refreshing to get a serious respectful reply.