Yesterday the internet lit up with the news of the resignation of Mark Driscoll as pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I have to admit I am both sad and relieved.
Sad
Now, here is a ‘nobody’ (but not to Christ) writing about a pastor of a church on the other side of the world. Why? Because like many men preparing for ministry he held something of a fascination for me. It must have been 10 or 12 years ago that I heard that “something" was “happening" in Seattle. The whole missional thing was in full flow. Christians and churches were rethinking how to reach people with the gospel. I was coming to the realisation that if I was to minister in England I needed to be a church planter. I needed to think these things through too. What could I learn?
I liked the fact that Driscoll seemed to marry together this desire to reach the unreached with clear calvinistic convictions about salvation, biblical views of the roles of men and women, and clarity about human sexuality. The first time I heard a sermon I remember thinking, “He’s not much of a preacher!" - not your well honed, well structured, eloquent ministry. He didn’t have a great voice. He just seemed to yell a lot. But there seemed to be something about the man - a passion and a commitment and a groundedness that communicated those truths in a compelling way. He led people to Christ.
For that reason I am sad that he has had to step down. I have no doubt that much good has been done in leading people to saving faith and raising up men to lead groups that want to plant solid churches in needy places. That includes the UK. I hope and pray that that will continue now, but with our eyes more clearly fixed on Christ.
Relieved
But I am relieved that he has stepped down. It became clear to me a long time ago that there were problems. I remember hearing about the restructuring of the leadership at MH (in 2007?). Now, I am a Presbyterian - I believe in conciliar, mutually accountable eldership amongst connected churches. I was never on board with MH’s independency. However, I appreciated their desire to raise up elders within the church. But on hearing the new structure, I thought, “Is he an episcopalian?" He seemed to put himself above the other elders. In fact, the structure seemed papal. How can that be good for the church?
Add to that a willingness to fudge on certain crucial issues. In the infamous “Elephant Room" debates, where pastors from various theological backgrounds would talk about important areas of difference in doctrine and practice, Driscoll bailed out of challenging T D Jakes on his heretical modalism. The Trinity is foundational to every doctrine, yet he seemed to treat it as nice-to-have. He seemed to put preserving personal relationships above the truth of the gospel.
Finally, the straw that broke the camel’s back for me was Driscoll’s visit to Birmingham for a conference in 2011. By then I had really lost interest in MH. I had learned all I thought I could and moved on to other things. But I went to the conference. There were some useful things there and I met lots of people, even some old friends from Scotland. It was good fellowship. However, at one point Driscoll taught that cessationism (which I wholeheartedly advocate) was a fruit of the Enlightenment. It was a lengthy but bonkers treatment. He was teaching on history when he seemed to know nothing. I sat there with my mouth wide open - really. I actually thought of standing up and remonstrating! That rarely happens to me - only with life-sapping liberals or crazy charismatics. Thankfully, I restrained myself.
My perception had definitively moved from considering Driscoll as a useful man with flaws, to a man who was and is dangerous to the church if left unchecked. The events of the last 12 months at MH have borne that out. I am relieved that he has done the right thing and stepped down permanently. Of course, I am not qualified to say whether he is disqualified from ministry or not. I only hope the Mark Driscoll and his family find rest in Christ and usefulness to him in the future.
Lessons?
Big personalities need other elders to be submissive to. Big personalities need to know they need elders to be submissive to. Sure, God at times does raise up maverick ‘apostles’. But in the end, they must be men under the authority of other under-shepherds.
Men need to be thoroughly tested by the church before leading a church. They need to be tested for theology, heart condition, and life. There are reasons why a pastor or elder should not be a recent convert. Leading lots of people to Christ does not qualify you to be a church leader.
Theology matters. One good thing about the whole MH/Resurgence thing has been to get young men to read good material that they would not otherwise have done. However, with having such a big influence as, dare I say it, a “celebrity" pastor, it may have been narrowly focussed. God matters. Worship matters. Eschatology matters. Salvation matters. The church matters. Sacraments matter. And so on.
Finally, a couple of lessons that are more personal.
Beware of fads and fashions in the Christian church. Beware of giving too much attention to the “happening" people. We are (I am?) easily distracted by pizzaz. We are Jesus followers.
Beware of that secret “pill" by which you think your church will grow or your spiritual life will be fuller, etc etc. There is no alternative to the long slow, sometimes painful progress in holiness in your personal life by the Spirit. The same is true for the church. In the providence of God, some churches boom, some gently ferment, some fizzle out. As I go on in ministry I realise there is no such “pill" which we can all take to generate lasting results. God brings together a pastor, people, elders at a time and place none of which may be under anyone’s control. We apply wisdom such as we have been given, but if we think we can control it then we are fools. All we can and must do are the things he has commanded us, teach from the word he has spoken to us, minister in the place he has put us, with the people he has drawn together, and with the gifts he has graced us. We press on, looking to Christ.