Tag: Mars Hill Church

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.

James MacDonald Resigns from Mars Hill Board; Update on Paul Tripp's Resignation

As has been widely discussed on social media, Mars Hill Church announced in the weekly email to their congregation that James MacDonald, pastor of Harvest Bible Fellowship, resigned from the Board of Advisors and Accountability. The BOAA is Mars Hill Church’s governing board and is made of the executive elders (Mark Driscoll, Sutton Turner, Dave Bruskas) and four men who are not members of Mars Hill (now just two — Larry Osborne and Michael Van Skaik). The email message also provided a confusing update on Paul Tripp who also resigned from the BOAA. In reaction to the emails, two current elders blasted the emails as being “spin” and demonstrating a lack of transparency.
The entire message is below (link to image):

“Upcoming Changes to the BOAA

Dr. Paul Tripp joined our Board of Advisors and Accountability in November 2013 and has been an immense help to our leaders over the past year. Dr. Tripp has extensive experience in discipleship and Biblical counseling. Earlier this month, we made the decision together to open the opportunity for him to work with greater focus on issues directly related to his expertise, namely the continued development of our community and redemption ministries.

Because simultaneously being a board member and a consultant does not allow for the required definition of “independence,” Dr. Tripp graciously submitted his resignation from the BOAA in early June, so that he can more extensively serve our church as a consultant. We are excited to continue this work with him, and are thankful for his continued support of Mars Hill Church.

Similarly, Pastor James MacDonald informed the board at the July meeting of his decision to transition from his current role on the board pending his replacement. Pastor James has been a great help in forming the current board’s direction, and we are very grateful for his time and wisdom over the last several years. About this transition he commented, “I have great love and affection for Mars Hill Church and I want to make clear this change is not because I am unhappy with Mark’s response to board accountability. On the contrary, I have found him to be exemplary in his current readiness to live under the BOAA oversight. I am not resigning because I doubt Mark’s sincerity in any way. I believe in Mark Driscoll and his heart to leverage difficult lessons in service to Christ and his church in the years ahead. I am excited to continue to support that trajectory as Mark’s friend, as I focus my efforts on Harvest Bible Fellowship.”

About these transitions, Pastor Mark shared, “I am thankful for the service of both Paul and James, two men I admire and respect. Their service on our board has been a blessing to me and Mars Hill Church in countless ways. The amount of hours they have given as volunteers is extraordinary, especially in light of their other ministry demands.”

Candidates are currently being interviewed to replace these open board positions. They will be submitted before the Full Council of Elders for their approval as soon as possible.”

Taking together this message and another one which was sent today to the full council of elders, the timing of the resignations is confusing. According to the above communication, a joint decision was made “earlier this month” (although the email is dated August 1, I assume “this month” means July) “to open the opportunity for him [Tripp] to work with greater focus on issues directly related to his expertise, namely the continued development of our community and redemption ministries.” Then the email discloses that Tripp “graciously submitted his resignation from the BOAA in early June” so he could work as a consultant for the church. This email makes it sound like he resigned a month before a decision was made to retain him as a consultant. 
Tripp’s decision to resign sparked concern in several of the former pastors who requested mediation with Mars Hill. Currently, a mediation group is holding meetings with former pastors and others who desire reconciliation with the executive elders. That group of elders were not informed of Tripp’s June resignation until this week.
Another point of confusion was the timing of James MacDonald’s resignation. According to the email above, MacDonald informed the BOAA of his decision to resign at the July 6 BOAA meeting. However, the full council of elders were told today in an email from Sutton Turner that MacDonald informed the BOAA board chairman “late this week” that he would like to step off the board. See the email below:
BOAAFullCouncilMacD
The email to the full council of elders also says MacDonald’s announcement was a “surprise to the Executive Elders.” It is unclear which email is correct.
In addition to concern among former elders, the announcements today also upset at least two current elders who spoke on condition of anonymity because they fear retaliation. One said, “Once again, just another sad example of trying to spin the truth into something more manageable, instead of just accepting reality.” Another current elder was more pointed, saying, “Time and time again I’ve seen Sutton lie to the church and not be willing to be transparent about what is going on. Our people deserve better. Sutton is a sad excuse for a pastor and should have never been put in this role.”  
While there may be an explanation for these discrepancies, these current elders believe they have been deceived about the reasons for the BOAA resignations.
 
 

A Prediction: Somebody in Seattle Will Say Something Before Sunday

I don’t often do this but I am going to predict that someone at Mars Hill Church will issue an apology or some kind of statement before the scheduled Mars Hill Church protest on Sunday. I know I could be wrong but I have seen a pattern where the church puts out statements on Friday. In some circles, this is seen as a way to have the last word on a story or to avoid excessive coverage since Friday is often a time of low media interest.
Several matters have garnered national media attention this week and I have a feeling we will hear something (perhaps about Paul Tripp’s resignation, the return of William Wallace II, the planned protest on Sunday, and/or the newest plagiarism incident).
Stay tuned…