Month: September 2014

Rob Asghar at Forbes on Mars Hill Church: The Enron of American Churches

Forbes’ contributor Rob Asghar takes no prisoners in his articles today on Mars Hill Church.
The first titled, “Mars Hill: Cautionary Tales From The Enron Of American Churches” analyzes the situation from the perspective of toxic leadership, and the second titled, “How Toxic Followers Enable Toxic Leaders” takes a hard look at the precursors to the recent decline at Mars Hill Church and wonders why so many missed the signs.
While hindsight has a distinct advantage over prophecy, Asghar pulls out some of Driscoll’s statements that have repeatedly been raised by ex-members. For instance:

In his investigation, Welch cited a public boast by Driscoll that should have been an adequate preview of unattractions to come. “There is a pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill bus, and by God’s grace, it’ll be a mountain by the time we’re done,” Driscoll said. “You either get on the bus or you get run over by the bus.”

There are several links to this blog as well as the Seattle Times Sunday article by Craig Welch.
All in all, if you are following this saga, the article is a must read. Asghar ends with a guarded prognosis:

Mars Hill’s story is far from finished. It need not end up being another Enron. But it does face enormous challenges to recover any sense of health and stability.

James MacDonald Regrets Wrongful Discipline of Harvest Bible Chapel Elders

Perhaps James MacDonald can do more good for Mars Hill Church off the Board of Advisors and Accountability than he did for the church while on it.
This is an extraordinary account of repentance and apparently reconciliation at Harvest Bible Chapel reported in Christianity Today late yesterday. CT’s article begins:

On Sunday, prominent pastor James MacDonald told his 13,000-member Harvest Bible Chapel congregation that he and his elder board were wrong for how they publicly disciplined three elders last year.

“For many months, we have labored under the awareness that our church discipline of a year ago was a failure in many respects, not the least of which was the complete lack of biblically required restorative component, which wronged the brothers that we were attempting to help,” MacDonald said in a videotaped message.

Harvest’s elder board has now “lifted all discipline” from the former elders (Scott Phelps, Barry Slabaugh, and Daniel Marquardt), apologized to them, and been reconciled to them after “outside Christian leaders” recently brought everyone back to the table, MacDonald said.

“Although the remaining elders of Harvest agreed to the need for such discipline, we almost immediately realized that we erred in the manner in which it was done and in what it implied,” said MacDonald. He noted, “We delayed making this confession, not wanting to worsen matters as we prayed for a true reconciliation. Praise God, that reconciliation happened meaningfully and mutually this week.”

The video from MacDonald and former elder chair Robert Jones is here.

I suspect this is difficult for Paul Petry, Bent Meyer and Lief Moi to watch, but perhaps hopeful as well that such a result could also come to Mars Hill Church.

Gofundme Account Set Up for Former Mars Hill Church Pastors Ryan Kearns and Ryan Welsh

A GoFundMe account has been set up for former Mars Hill Church pastors, Ryan Kearns and Ryan Welsh.  They were laid off in the recent round of layoffs at Mars Hill and they both signed the infamous letter directing Mark Driscoll to step down and enter an elder directed restoration plan. According to the GoFundMe page:

Pastor Ryan Kearns and Pastor Ryan Welsh were both laid off from Mars Hill Church on Monday, September 8th and only given one month’s severance. Both men were amongst the nine pastors who put their jobs on the line by writing and signing a letter sent to the Full Council of Elders on August 22nd that called for major changes in Mars Hill’s governance and for Mark Driscoll to submit to a restoration plan. 

The two Ryans spoke up at Mars Hill and were laid off. Other pastors were given chances to transition to other positions. The bold ones were not. Eight of nine who wrote the letter to the executive elders are now gone.
 

Capital Gazette (MD) Columnist: Michael Peroutka is Not a Republican

Mike Collins, columnist for the Capital Gazette, has a helpful summary of Michael Peroutka’s statements which build to the conclusion that Peroutka can be called many things, but Republican is not one of them. Peroutka is running for a seat on Anne Arundel County Council, founded the theocratic Institute on the Constitution and is a member of the Southern secession group League of the South.
In an odd twist, I suppose you could call him a RINO.
Collins exhorts his fellow Republicans to consider the impact of their vote:

Before Election Day, I ask Republicans in District 5 — and throughout the county—to think through some questions: Do you want this wretched man to take on the proud label of Republican? Does he truly belong in the party of Lincoln and Reagan? Does he have a real allegiance to our party?

You need to do so because a vote for Peroutka will make him not only your representative, but also your responsibility — and our party’s.