Barring intervention, we now know that the trajectory of Mars Hill Church is toward dissolution.
However, several questions from members and former members persist without answers. Even in the increased communication from Dave Bruskas and lead pastors, some business is unfinished. I will list them here and hope the church will eventually address them.
Global Fund
How much was collected into the Global Fund from 2012 to 2014 and how much did Mars Hill Church leaders spend on Ethiopian and Indian outreach during that time? Another question relates to the ongoing needs for support experienced by the Ethiopian and Indian church planters. Who will support them? The current Mars Hill leaders have a responsibility to see that those needy families get the money raised in their name. The church should address how the Ethiopian and Indian pastors are going to get their severance pay.
Severance Pay
Another issue about which I get many emails is the status of executive elder salaries and their severance packages. Members and former members want to know if the executive elders are getting a year long severance, how much they are getting, and whether or not the severance will be paid after the church dissolves. Church leaders continue to ask members to give, but haven’t answered some basic questions about the stewardship of those funds. This is a red flag.
Driscoll Investigation Report
A third common question I hear is: When is the report on the Driscoll investigation going to be released? I am hearing that some elders want to release it now, some want to wait until January 1, and others don’t want to release it ever. The elders went part way toward disclosure but have still not directly disputed the Board of Advisors and Accountability’s claim that Driscoll was not disqualified. The matter of disqualification is relevant to the second question above. If Driscoll was disqualified then his employment agreement would have allowed for the church to handle his departure differently with more favorable financial ramifications to the church. In tight times, when members are being asked to give to a church which is dissolving, this is a relevant matter.
Non-Disclosure Agreements
Although I don’t think these are binding, several former leaders have written to say they feel their hands are tied unless the church releases them from the non-disclosure agreement. Apparently, some of these men have asked for clarity and received no answer.
It is beyond me how the leaders of any church can ask non-voting members to give sacrificially without being transparent and providing disclosure on basic issues.
Readers, what questions do you have?
Tag: Sutton Turner
Megachurch Methods: Preaching for Profit
Many people have commented on the memo from Sutton Turner recommending a $650k salary for Mark Driscoll in 2013. However, beyond the extravagance of the salary, something else caught my eye:
In this memo, Sutton Turner pulled back the curtain to a megachurch universe few of us will ever know. In doing so, he disclosed something of the ministry practices of Board Members of the Association of Related Churches. Apparently being a lead pastor at a megachurch is a platform for celebrity status that leads to the preaching circuit where the real money is to be made. Turner said such jet setting was not beneficial to the local church and “drove up the total cost of the preaching role.” I have no doubt that he is correct.
On the other hand, Turner’s response isn’t much better. According to Turner, Driscoll wanted to teach more frequently: “nearly every weekend of the year!” Actually, that is better than what Turner says about the other pastors (you know who you are). However, should meeting basic expectations lead to such a huge level of compensation? My concerns in this post are less about one more reason why Mars Hill finds itself in a fix right now, and more about the corruption of evangelical megachurches. It is still, after all I have seen, beyond my comprehension that it is considered to be business as usual to use the church as a place of personal enrichment. These ministers are not just making a living, they are living the good life with little earthly accountability for how God’s money is spent.
Obviously, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is no help. In fact, their guidelines on executive salaries may be part of the problem. Church boards are supposed to use compensation studies of other similar churches to determine salaries. It appears that these churches are using each other as benchmarks. You raise yours and I can raise mine. In this way, salary inflation is far outpacing the income growth of the rank and file, leading to mid-year, end of the year, and all kinds of special offerings. Some of the donations go to the intended purpose, but much goes to propping up the infrastructure (e.g., Global Fund).
Something is very wrong when the benchmark is a pastor who preaches in his own church 15-30 Sundays, engages in a lucrative speaking tour, and forces the church to pay for someone else to do his job.
Mars Hill Church and Mars Hill Go: Still No Financial Transparency
Today, Mars Hill Church rebranded Mars Hill Global by calling their missionary efforts Mars Hill Go. However, the revised Mars Hill Global/Go Frequently Asked Questions page still does not answer one of the most frequently asked questions — how much has Mars Hill Church spent on mission efforts in India and Ethiopia? From the FAQ page:
Where have past gifts been used?
During fiscal years 2009-2014, over $10MM dollars has been given to Mars Hill Church by the Mars Hill Global Family. During that same time period $22.48MM has been spent on church planting in the US, India and Ethiopia. In 2009-11 over 80% of funds given by the Mars Hill global family went to Acts 29 church planting and funds were consistently spent in India for church planting in each of those years. In 2012- 2014 expenditures for church planting efforts in India and Ethiopia were increased with the preponderance of expenses related to church plants and replants in the U.S.
This remains the same as when the FAQ was about Global. The period of interest is 2012-2014. The church knows what they spent on missions but they won’t release the numbers. The memo posted yesterday indicated that the plan was to fund “highly visible” mission projects costing about $120,000 per year. Given what the church claims to have done, I estimate they may have spent a little more than that. However, why not tell the church and the “Global family” how much they spent and where they spent it? The leaders revised the FAQ page today, but again failed to include the figures which would address how they handled the donations. Why not be transparent?
In 2012, Sutton Turner told the executive elders Mark Driscoll and Dave Bruskas that churches should be transparent:
It is my belief that the reason we have such poor giving by our Church is the lack of stewardship in the Church staff. Churches with excellent stewardship see greater giving because people know that every dollar they give will go towards the mission of the Church. It is very clear this has not been the case at Mars Hill Church.
What was true then is still true today.
Sutton Turner’s Last Day at Mars Hill Church
If the Board of Advisors and Accountability announcement is accurate, today is Sutton Turner’s last day at Mars Hill Church. On September 19, the BOAA told the church:
Earlier this month Pastor Sutton Turner informed our board of his intention to resign from his current staff and elder position. His personal decision is a sober acknowledgement that it would not be financially feasible for him to stay on staff as the church rightsizes itself, and secondly, not emotionally prudent to subject his family to what has been an ongoing season of personal attacks. We want to be clear: there are no disqualifying factors related to his decision.
Although there were rich days during his time at the church, Turner leaves the church where he came to it: in financial crisis. In 2012, Turner revealed to his fellow executive elders and lead pastors that the church, financially speaking, was “in a big mess.” Today, I reported that Mars Hill Church’s chief financial officer Kerry Dodd said the church is in “the most trying circumstances in our church’s history.” Layoffs and location closings preceded Turner’s announcement.
Turner has already removed references to Mars Hill Church from his Linked In profile, writing instead that he worked for a “non-profit organization.”
Turner leaves a gap on the executive elder board with no public announcement about how that vacancy will be filled. As the chief operating officer of Mars Hill, Turner oversaw the day to day operations. It is not clear who is doing that at present.
Some Observations on the Mars Hill Church Weekly
As usual on Friday, news about Mars Hill Church was posted on the website. Nothing earth shattering was shared but some items caught my eye.
First, I note that Mars Hill Downtown campus is having a celebration (and a moving party). However, I saw nothing about a similar party at the University District location. U-District’s pastor Drew Hensley was one of the signers of “the Letter” whereas the downtown location pastors did not sign it. Now perhaps, U-District didn’t want to have a party, I don’t know, but the lack of mention is noticeable.
Second, there is more news about Mars Hill Phoenix becoming Phoenix Bible Church. The fledgling congregation has found a place to meet on Sunday.
Third, Sutton Turner is pictured in the report getting a farewell laying on of hands. For his part, Turner seems to want distance. His Linked In Profile now refers to Mars Hill Church as a “non-profit organization.” In the description (not shown), he doesn’t mention Mars Hill Church. He says he was chief operating officer for a non-profit organization with 15 sites, in 5 states serving the needs of 13,000 people. It doesn’t appear that he is seeking ministry jobs.
Mars Hill Church members: Wouldn’t you like to know what Matt Rogers told the staff on behalf of the Board of Advisors and Accountability?