Ministry Seattle Reboot: Life After Mars Hill Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra / May 30, 2017, The Gospel Coalition

Four years ago, Mars Hill Church in Seattle seemed too big to fail.

Just 17 years old, the church was drawing an average weekly attendance of 12,329 to 15 locations. In fiscal year 2013 alone, Mars Hill baptized more than 1,000 people, planted 53 churches in India, and supported 20 church planters and evangelists in Ethiopia. It released 50 new worship songs, gave away more than 3,000 Bibles in the United States and Ethiopia, and took in nearly $25 million in tithes and offerings.

Then, in a few breathtaking months, the whole thing collapsed. Founder and lead pastor Mark Driscoll’s bent toward the provocative, which was part of his draw, increasingly came under fire, fanned by a series of controversies.

Driscoll announced he was taking a break in August 2014, then resigned less than two months later. By the end of October, lead preaching pastor Dave Bruskas announced the whole thing was shutting down.

“We don’t have anything in church history this apocalyptic, as far as a behemoth like Mars Hill—not only a city but national and international voice—collapsing in a two-month period,” said Taproot Church pastor Dan Braga, who watched the whole thing from the adjacent suburb of Burien.

Mars Hill’s final announcement was optimistic: “With her final breath, Mars Hill gave birth to 11 newly independent churches where, by God’s grace, the gospel will continue to be preached, his name will be glorified, and thousands will be saved by Jesus.”

Technically, that was true. But the legacy of Mars Hill is a lot more complicated.

Tidal Wave of Hurt

The collapse of Mars Hill released a tidal wave of hurt, disillusioned people. Many quit Mars Hill; some quit church or Christianity altogether. Hundreds limped into other area churches, asking about church bylaws and pastoral pay structures before even introducing themselves.

“We had some serious trust issues,” said Neil Huck, who started attending Mars Hill in 2004. He spent a decade growing from “a baby Christian to a less baby Christian” under Driscoll’s leadership.

“It’s like your dad left, and your family is broken,” he said. “There is nothing healthy about that. You get through it, and your faith strengthens, and good has come from it. But it wasn’t healthy.”

Read more here

An “Evangelical” Church in Nashville Embraces Gay Marriage, Churchleaders.com

What strikes me about this sermon is that it reveals that the church’s transition actually occurred three years ago, not three weeks ago. But the church’s identity is so bereft of biblical ecclesiology that they apparently don’t realize it. What do I mean?

Pastor Mitchell says in the sermon above that when the church began their “conversation” about sexuality three years ago, they extended “partial membership” to practicing gays and lesbians. That “partial membership” consisted of welcoming them to be baptized and to the Lord’s table but of barring them from leadership and from the “sacraments” of baby dedication and of marriage. The only thing that changed three weeks ago was that those final three barriers were removed. So what gives?

Well, in the evangelical tradition, baby dedication and marriage are not sacraments. The only two sacraments (or ordinances) are baptism and the Lord ‘s Supper. Those two ordinances are defining marks of church membership, but leadership, baby dedication, and marriage most assuredly are not. That means that GracePointe crossed the theological Rubicon years ago, but apparently no one noticed.

And this underlines a problem that makes many churches vulnerable to the same kind of error that has now emerged at GracePointe. Churches that do not have a biblical ecclesiology will be more likely to fold than those that do. A biblical ecclesiology is God’s provision for sound teaching, qualified leadership, and meaningful membership—all three of which are essential to a healthy church and which are certainly missing at GracePointe.

Galatians 1:6-10 English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

No Other Gospel

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant[a] of Christ.

Further Reading

1)     The rest of this article

2)   More on Gracepointe Church

3)    How Evangelicals are changing their minds on Gay Marriage, Time Magazine

John Pavlovitz, " Stuff That Needs To Be Said” Blog When Your Pastor Is Bigger Than Jesus!

John Pavlovitz, " Stuff That Needs To Be Said” Blog

When Your Pastor Is Bigger Than Jesus!

“We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first — rock and roll or Christianity.”

These words were spoken in 1966, by Beatles member John Lennon. (Blogger’s note: For those under 30, please see here before proceeding)

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Many Christians at the time were outraged, perfectly illustrating how to completely miss a point, as the singer/pop star/activist wasn’t claiming that his band was better than Jesus, but bigger; having a higher profile and greater influence in popular culture. (For those who were alive at the time, and whose hearing was permanently damaged by the ear-severing shrieks of young girls watching them, his statement only seems slightly like hyperbole).

Lennon certainly didn’t believe his popularity actually eclipsed Jesus’, but even if he did, the crazy thing, is just how many could say the same thing today, and put up a pretty good argument; singers, politicians, Reality TV stars; all hovering the rarefied air of demigods.

With technology allowing everyone to have their own Public Relations department, and with our seemingly insatiable desire to consume content of any quality, we see megasuperstars being manufactured every day. They acquire massive Twitter followers, generate the incomes of small countries, and impact fashion, politics and social justice causes with ease.

There are lots of these “little Gods” in our midst as believers; cultural idols who threaten to steal our attentions and affections, who campaign to take up our faith-space. That’s really nothing new, as the Bible warns against this continually and clearly.

But most alarming of all, is that there is a new breed of worldwide pop star, whose power and influence daily competes for the hearts and devotion of Jesus followers throughout the world: The Celebrity Pastor.

The rise of massive megachurches, and the influence of religious multimedia organizations, have made modern Christian Church culture the newest star machine; churning out a seemingly endlessly supply of overstyled, attractive, charismatic men and women of God, who are perfectly bred for mass consumption. They seem totally fine with soaking up the spotlight and getting the lion’s share of the glory; leaving Jesus as only a quiet, gracious runner-up.

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