Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. - 1Timothy 3: 2-3 (ESV)
The sad saga surrounding Mars Hill Church appears to be coming to an end. Mark Driscoll has resigned his position as lead pastor after months of scathing criticism and thousands upon thousands of people leaving the Seattle based church. Let me first say that this is the right decision for the church as a whole. I mean the body of Christ, as well as the individual churches involved. It is also the right decision for Mr. Driscoll, who hopefully will spend some time in repentant reflection. Christians are notorious for burying their wounded and I do not wish to be part of that tradition. We should pray for Mark Driscoll. We should pray for the restoration of his walk. No one is beyond the redeeming and healing power of Jesus and Mark is still a brother in Christ as far as I know. Ours has never been the place to judge salvation, just fruit.
We should also pray for Mars Hill Church and the congregants who have left and those that remain. We are all part of one body according to Scripture. When one part hurts we should all hurt. We need to keep the remaining leadership in prayer because the statement put out today indicates that they still do not get it. They still are muddying the waters and confusing the people. This is apparently how they have been trained but it needs to stop or we will continue to see the erosion at Mars Hill we have seen recently as upwards of 7,000 people have left. In their statement today the board of overseers wanted to make it plain that they had not asked for Driscoll's resignation. The implication seems clear. Their findings from their exhaustive investigation would not have resulted in asking him to step down. Therein lies the continuous problem. They felt justified to release publicly five findings. Within these findings we continue to see the problems that led to the downfall of one of the most promising ministries of the past 15 years. Here was point number one:
"We concluded that Pastor Mark has, at times, been guilty of arrogance, responding to conflict with a quick temper and harsh speech, and leading the staff and elders in a domineering manner. While we believe Mark needs to continue to address these areas in his life, we do not believe him to be disqualified from pastoral ministry."
Let us be clear. If we were talking about occasional interactions involving an arrogant spirit, I for one would suggest some counseling but not removal. This is beyond dumbing down what happened at Mars Hill. Mark Driscoll famously preached in a sermon that he was leaving a "pile of dead bodies" behind the Mars Hill bus and "by God's grace it will be a mountain by the time he is done." These dead bodies Driscoll so gleefully referred to were actual people. Actual sheep he was leading. That transcends "arrogance" just a bit. This is also something he has never publicly acknowledged or apologized for; nor sought forgiveness from. This alone disqualifies him from pastoral ministry and I would direct the Board of Overseers to the key verses for today. These are just two verses from the list of pastoral requirements Paul gives Timothy. Driscoll has clearly not been beyond reproach. There have been multiple and corroborated instances of him demeaning his own elders verbally, insulting things as petty as their weight. That would mean he is disqualified under self controlled, respectable, hospitable, and not quarrelsome. The notion that a Board of Overseers would think these are areas a pastor could work on while continuing to lead the sheep is staggeringly ignorant. Again, we are not talking about isolated instances but rather how he behaved regularly. I am sorry but point one alone disqualified Mark from pastoral ministry. Too harsh you say? That is what is at the heart of so much wrong in the church today. We allow what God has said we should not allow. No one is saying Mark Driscoll is not fit to be a Christian. The point is he was not fit to be a pastor. With a pile of dead bodies exceeding 7,000 now, we should be far more concerned for the sheep of God. Here was point number two:
"Pastor Mark has never been charged with any immorality, illegality or heresy. Most of the charges involved attitudes and behaviors reflected by a domineering style of leadership."
He has never been charged with leprosy either. What's the point? It seems by listing things he may not be guilty of, they hope to ease the truth about what he has been guilty of. I might add here that many people, myself included, find it incredibly immoral and potentially illegal to steal over $200,000 in tithe money to cheat the NY Times Best Seller list. A charge Driscoll has never addressed or apologized for. Instead, the board claimed he was within his rights to use the funds as such. No offense but that dog don't hunt. Remember - above reproach! When the story first broke, Driscoll lied and claimed he did not know what the agreement was for with the marketing company even though his signature is on the contract. Let us not lose sight of the fact that he gained financially from this arrangement. I am not so quick to dismiss immorality when it comes to these charges. Number three:
"We found some of the accusations against Pastor Mark to be altogether unfair or untrue."
This has been a staple of the excuse videos Driscoll kept trying to make to deflect criticisms. Make vague and unsubstantiated references to "some" things being untrue. This way there is doubt in people's minds about all the accusations. For the record, if the Board of Overseers spent as much time and effort as they claim, they should release all of their findings. If they think a charge was unfair - let's clear it off of the record. I for one do not wish to be unfair to Mark Driscoll. If something is untrue - say what it is. Otherwise, stop muddying the waters. Number four:
"Other charges had been previously been addressed by Pastor Mark, privately and publicly. Indeed, he had publicly confessed and apologized for a number of the charges against him, some of which occurred as long as 14 years ago."
Another attempt to paint Driscoll in as favorable a light as possible without providing any substance. Yes, he did apologize for the rantings he made on a message board over a decade ago. Good for him although that was one of the least serious charges. The truth is that if he had made so many overtures privately, then former victims would not have banded together to form the "we are not anonymous" group. As for the notion that he has "publicly confessed"; the record says otherwise. He has never addressed the most serious charges against him. Never addressed the taking of tithe monies. Never owned the decision to cheat the NY Times Best Seller list. Never owned his rampant plagiarism. Never addressed the pile of dead bodies sermon. Sorry, but he simply has not. The fifth point allows us to end on a note of agreement:
"We commend Mark for acting upon the vision God gave him to start Mars Hill Church and for his ministry of faithfully teaching the Word of God for the past 18 years. We commit to pray for him, for Grace, and for their children as they transition from ministry at Mars Hill Church."
Amen, we all should pray for Mark and his family. We should pray for a personal restoration in his walk with Christ. Now is not the time to be talking about ministerial restoration. Now is the time for personal healing for Mark, his family, Mars Hill, and the body of Christ. This sad story should be a stark reminder of two things. First of all, no matter how much success you may experience, it is always His church. Once you start thinking it has anything to do with you - you give the enemy a foothold. Secondly, this story reminds us of the dire importance of true accountability in leadership. You cannot surround yourself with yes men. It will always lend to your downfall. Even with the release today of their statement, the Board of Overseers at Mars Hill remind us how much trouble they are still in. They remind us that they still do not get it. Mark Driscoll was not the victim here. As he moves on I will pray for him and his family because we should not bury our wounded. But I will pray for the real victims here as well. The bullied, the maligned, the disparaged, the cast aside, the pile of dead bodies behind the bus Mark Driscoll is thankfully no longer driving.
Rev. Anthony
