 |
| Mars Hill's Tacoma campus, just across the street from my former church.
Photo (c) Tacoma News Tribune/Dean Koepfler - thenewstribune.com
|
My wife and I began our life together in her homeland - the Pacific Northwest. It's a beautiful part of the world, and through a variety of factors, most sociologists agree that it is the least "churched" region of the United States. That's not to say that there aren't some wonderful churches in the Northwest; it's just that most people you meet at work, at school, or at the grocery store probably are not connected to any church. Some sociologists go so far as to say that the Northwest is the "none-zone," which means that given the opportunity to respond to a survey questions about religious preferences, most people would respond with "none."
I moved to the "none-zone" in 2005 to do youth ministry at a wonderful church, which just so happened to be located in Jill's hometown. Almost immediately upon my arrival, I began to hear about some of the so-called "mega-churches" in the region. (Side note: we need a less fearful and more helpful moniker than "mega-church.") One of these churches is known as Mars Hill Church (marshill.com), based in Seattle but housed in more than a dozen campuses across the region. The founding pastor of Mars Hill is a man named Mark Driscoll.
At the time, Mars Hill was on my radar screen for being big, but not for much else. I learned more about Mars Hill from some of my friends who attended the church, and then later from my seminary professors and colleagues. Like any church, plenty of criticisms and discussions abound, but for many, Mars Hill (and Driscoll's) hard-line stance on forbidding women in leadership was the most top-level issue. Other criticisms - such as lack of accountability among church leaders and a highly-elevated senior leader/communicator - weren't as high-profile at the time, but are now surfacing as major cracks in Mars Hill's foundation. Two articles published just this week tell a sad story of the church and its founding pastor:
The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/23/us/mark-driscoll-is-being-urged-to-leave-mars-hill-church.html?_r=0
The Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2024380355_marshillxml.html
Even though I have my points of departure from Mars Hill and other churches like it, I've been encouraged by friends and mentors to try to maintain an attitude of humility about their ministry. Regardless of theological differences, the ministry of this church has helped expose thousands of men, women, and children to the gospel of Christ. For that, I'm grateful for Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll.
No leader should ever be put in a position of infallibility, and no pastor should live without clear boundaries for accountability. I meet with three other men my age every week to share, pray, and keep each other accountable. I have several mentors who ask me difficult questions about my heart and my love for Christ. My senior pastor and I are held to high accountability by our elders, and one of the biggest reasons I chose to be a Presbyterian pastor is our systematic emphasis on accountability within our leadership.
I'm not saying Mark Driscoll should become Presbyterian. I'm not saying that I'm perfect in my life and ministry, or in my commitment to accountability. I'm saying that being above-board and transparent is crucial for any leader, and if these reports are true, accountability has become a major issue at an important church in an environment surrounded by people who are far away from God. This should grieve us within the body of Christ.
We should never rejoice when any Christian leader stumbles or falls. We should never cheer when people with whom we have serious disagreements suffer. As a leader of a church, I can guarantee you that Mark Driscoll is hurting right now, and we need to be praying for him, his family, and their church's witness in the Northwest and around the world.
Solo Dei gloria,
Travis
No comments:
Post a Comment