A religious liberty newsletter that is a must-read for people of faith. McLean Bible Church announced that three new elders, Chuck Hollingsworth, Ken Tucker, and Jim Burris, had finally been affirmed by more than 80% of their church family in a congregational vote last Sunday, after a previous election on June 30 was marred by irregularities.. Satan is working overtime to thwart your plans and destroy you.. David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church in June. Accusations Surround Elder Selection at McLean Bible Church Judge Thomas P. Mann rejected McLeans arguments and denied the motion in a bench ruling. For those who are working to reveal the truth and seek righteousness. In his message to the congregation on July 4, Platt revealed that a group of activists inside and outside the church coordinated a campaign to vote down the newly affirmed elders in an attempt to seize control of the church. I thought there was more to Jesus than this. I really wanted to write a book to say, to shout, There is! His stories have appeared in Baptist Press,Christianity Today, The Christian Post, theLeaf-Chronicle,the Toronto Star andthe Knoxville News-Sentinel. Leadership - McLean Bible Church | McLean Bible Church Now some members see Sundays vote on elders as a final chance to reverse the changes Platt has introduced. Some church members claimed at the time (and the lawsuit alleges) that this was a move to intimidate some staff members to vote the way leaders wanted or face retaliation. The discouragement and disillusionment within the body of Christ is "the fruit of a false gospel," he asserted. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. He knows something about trials and tribulations, but his new book focuses instead on joy. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Senior Pastor | ALFC - Abundant Living Family Church Tensions over 'liberal' direction of David Platts McLean David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church in June. The lawsuit against McLean Bible Church was filed after a contentious election dispute at McLean Bible Church. COVID-19 also played a role. McLean Bible Church Is Fighting Back Against Radical Pastor David Platt Following the first failed election, a second election was held in early July 2021, this one where members had to sign their ballots which critics said violated the church practice of using secret ballots. "Further, any persons who were members in June of 2021 would be required to declare that they were still members in good standing if they wished to vote. David Platt is not just a three-time New York Times bestselling author, he is the former president of the Southern Baptist Conventions International Mission Board and current pastor of McLean Bible Church in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. A year-long legal battle over a contested election at a prominent Washington-area church appears to be over for now. On Friday, a Fairfax County, Va., judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by dissident members of McLean Bible Church who sought to overturn the results of an election for church leaders, known as elders. This past spring, hoping to resolve the dispute, McLean leaders decided to discard the results of the July 2021 election. My goal in this book was to hit the prominent issues that Ive walked through. "I have had the privilege of serving this church family for 15 years and I'm excited to see how God will continue to work in and through us in this next chapter. Pastor David Platt, left, prays for President Donald Trump, at McLean Bible Church, in Vienna, Va., June 2, 2019. A lawyer for the plaintiffs had said MBCs response fails to be even a pretense of a good-faith offer to resolve the case and called it a continuation of the Board of Elders determination to avoid transparency and accountability at all costs.. I considered writing an opinion, but given what has been presented, I dont find the issues to be novel or groundbreaking, Judge Mann said. The leaders of McLean Bible, one of the D.C. regions largest and most high-profile evangelical churches, are facing attempts from its own members to spread disinformation to take control of the church, Pastor David Platt warned the congregation in a sermon earlier this month. From 2014 to 2017, Platt was president of the International Mission Board. The churchs constitution requires that new elders receive 75 percent approval and for the first time in McLeans history, a new group of elders failed to reach that margin. Burnett, the lead pastor of the Tysons campus, said that the conflict is "just one more picture of the larger differences we see all over the country. David Platt By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. They organized a new election for elders in mid-June 2022, using secret ballots. "[L]ast month, the Board concocted its latest strategy to deny this Court opportunityto grant effective relief. I talk with so many Christians who over recent years have been disillusioned by the church or discouraged or divided in the church., I talk with so many Christians who over recent years have been disillusioned by the church or discouraged or divided in the church, and people just looking around saying, I thought there was more to the church than this. The elimination of the secret ballot will likely subject these staff persons to discipline up to and including termination and being publicly dismissed from the Church fellowship at the hands of the powerful Board of Elders, who should this Court not intervene will know, to a person, how each member and staff person voted, the disgruntled members argued. He noted that he had been fighting to challenge the church on these points for about two years without success and urged Platts critics to quietly walk away instead of tarnishing the churchs reputation. After the failed election, a second election was scheduled a few weeks later, but this time members were required to sign their ballots. Plaintiffs pray this Court to enjoin Defendants from taking numerous threatened actions to deny Plaintiffs those rights in a congregational vote scheduled for the morning of Sunday, July 18, the members argued. David Platt in Newport Beach, CA - Address & Phone Number For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wade Burnett, lead pastor for executive leadership, put the situation in a national context: The conflict at MBC is just one more picture of the larger differences we see all over the country. Enrollment numbers, financial challenges, and the pandemic spelled the end. Platt is the pastor of McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C., and the author of multiple bestsellers, including, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. David Joseph Platt is an American evangelical Baptist pastor. Lawsuit against McLean Bible Church, David Platt dismissed In that election, the elders were approved, which led dissident members to file a lawsuit. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Article Images Copyright Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Mark Gottlieb, a former elder of McLean Bible Church who served from 1996-2020, wrote in an open letter on July 8 that: The unifying concern among those who knew the church is that David Platt is the wrong pastor for MBC. We were historically a conservative church and David is left of center hes taken our church down paths we never anticipated. All active members were allowed to vote. Despite living through intense division in his own congregation, the pastor believes common ground is possible. Im a work in progress. We are a family, Gods family. Lawsuit against David Platts McLean Bible Church dismissed Wade Burnett, a pastor on McLeans leadership team, said the congregation decided to move forward together in a difficult time. In fact, Elites fear discovery so much they have in the past filed false motions with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and even mislead the Supreme Court. Our mission is to glorify God by making disciples, and multiplying churches among all nations, beginning in greater Washington, DC. Im incredibly grateful for the courage of our church in staying together and persevering, in pursuing peace in ways that required numerous steps of faith, and for trusting God all the way through to the actual dismissal of the lawsuit, said Wade Burnett, a lead pastor at MBC. We hope you will! For now, David Platt has won the battle against internal critics at McLean Bible Church. Once discovery begins, we will enter perhaps most interesting phase of the case. Those dissident members argued that church leaders, including senior pastor David Platt, a best-selling author, had violated the churchs constitution. I know that many churches across America have faced and are facing similar challenges during these days, and it is vitally important that we move past division and live out John 13:35, demonstrating love for one another and love for a world in need of Jesus, Platt said in a statement Monday. He was senior pastor at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, from 2006 to 2014. We come from all walks of life and over 100 nationalities. We believe the same thing would happen on appeal in this matter, as our church has now voted and revoted in ways that are crystal clear. Next up additional pretrial hearings on December 17, 2021. The dispute at McLean centered around a failed June 30, 2021, election. Critics said that, too, should not have been allowed, claiming only people who were church members before June 2021 should have been allowed to vote. David Platts dreams for McLean Bible Church sour as members file lawsuit over elder vote, Woke war: How social justice and CRT became heresy for evangelicals. Because the court granted MBCs motion to dismiss the case against them, the lawsuit is now over and cannot be refiled, according to a press release from the church. He wrote the acclaimed book Radical: Taking Your Faith from the American Dream and started the Secret Church bible study events. 12:00pm. Like many nondenominational congregations, McLean is led by a small team of male elders. Rick Boyer, attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said his clients plan to appeal. Want to share a story? David Platt is not just a three-time New York Times bestselling author, he is the former president of the Southern Baptist Conventions International Mission Board and current pastor of McLean Bible Church in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.. The five McLean Bible Church members who filed suit claim that David Platt, the McLean Board of Elders and McLean Bible Church illegally removed church members just prior to the vote in an effort to predetermine the outcome of Elder elections. The Capstone Report interviewed some of the members who found themselves removed prior to the critical elder votes. David Platt - McLean Bible Church | McLean Bible Church [9] In September of that year, Platt was introduced as pastor-teacher of McLean Bible Church. But when she aligned herself with Gods purposes, she became the Mother of All Living.. The church explained that their constitution requires at least 75% of members to vote in the affirmative to confirm elders, and all three elder nominees received over 80% affirmation from our church family in Sundays vote. On Friday, a Fairfax County, Virginia, judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by dissident members of McLean Bible Church who sought to overturn the results of an election for church leaders, known as elders. All rights reserved. Rumors had begun to circulate around the church that Platt and other leaders planned to sell a church building to a local Muslim congregation for a mosque. under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the MRC are He was serving at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans when the parsonage where he lived flooded during Hurricane Katrina. McLean Bible Church Lead Pastor David Platt has demonstrated how one person with these flawed ideas can turn a [5], In 2006, Platt was introduced as the new senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. ", The church says it made efforts to resolve the complaint and invited the plaintiffs to pursue "Christian mediation and reconciliation." The plaintiffs filed a motion opposing the church's request to dismiss the case on June 15. We are not an event. ", "We believe that although Satan intended to harm and destroy McLean Bible Church, God intended it for good," another Facebook post reads. He explained that most of the people who didnt support the direction of the church had already left and if they were to succeed in ousting Platt more than half of the current members (essentially the majority of the young people) would leave.. Praying for the remnant. I know that many churches across America have faced and are facing similar challenges during these days, and it is vitally important that we move past division and live out John 13:35, demonstrating love for one another and love for a world in need of Jesus, Platt said in a statement Monday. "The final step in the Plan for Lawsuit Resolution involved pursuing the actual dismissal of the lawsuit in light of the church's clear desire to move forward under the leadership of the new board. "And we've exchanged that biblical gospel for an American gospel that prostitutes Jesus for the sake of comfort and power and politics and prosperity in our country. If Im being honest, I hope the vote does not go in your favor on the 18th, because I think it will completely destroy whatever is left of the church and, at the same time tarnish the name of Christ across this nation, Gottlieb wrote in the letter that was shared on a Facebook page called Save McLean Bible Church which has more than 400 followers. Platt said the campaign mainly targeted the Tysons campus of the multisite megachurch as the other four campuses Arlington, Loudon, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Prince William were "almost unanimous in their affirmation" of the three elders. New Age Thinking Lured Me into Danger. Courts arent often the ones to adjudicate matters of church bylaws, but Sarah Merkle, an attorney and professional parliamentarian, told CT in 2021 the incident highlights the importance in any church of establishing and following sound voting procedures. Tysons; Arlington; Loudoun; Montgomery County; Prince William; About. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Please click here to learn how. The dispute at McLean may now end up in court. A small group of people, inside and outside this church, coordinated a divisive effort to use disinformation in order to persuade others to vote these men down as part of a broader effort to take control of this church.. A group of critics that runs a Facebook group called Save McLean Bible Church claimed that church leaders had substituted critical race theory and social justice for biblical teaching. [8], In February 2017, Platt began serving as interim teaching pastor at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia. At the time he was T he year-long legal fight between McLean Bible Church and a faction who accused leaders including David The complaint further alleged that Platt and the current elders have sought to purge the church of conservatives. The mission of the Media Research Center is to document and combat the falsehoods and censorship of the news media, entertainment media and Big Tech in order to defend and preserve America's founding principles and Judeo-Christian values. Tensions over 'liberal' direction of David Platts McLean Bible Church erupt in lawsuit. 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So Why Are Luther Bibles Selling So Well? (Clockwise from top left to right) McClean Bible Church elders, Chuck Hollingsworth, Ken Tucker and Jim Burris. On June 5, all six nominees were approved by the church with a 86% vote, according to the statement. The Cult of Bart Barber has a home on Facebook. [6] At age 27, he became the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States. To some ultra-conservatives, the mere mention of Black Lives Matter is a sign of liberalism, while other conservative evangelicals take a more holistic approach that sees systemic racism as a reality that defies even conservative biblical teaching. Platt recorded aseriesof episodes on the issues of race and justice, with videos named what is your earliest memory of being aware of your race (as defined in American society)? and whats the difference between racial reconciliation and racial justice?, Recently disgruntled members of the church have begunspeaking outagainst Platt and his woke leadership. Following the first failed election, a second election was held in early July 2021, this one where members had to sign their ballots which critics said violated the church practice of using secret ballots. Ministry - Raul Ries Raul Ries All six elders on the ballot received at least 86% approval. The debate over the contested election for three new elders has been a proxy for concerns around the direction of the church after the retirement of its longtime pastor Lon Solomon five years ago. The election came amid simmering unrest at the church, where political polarization in the wider culture seeped into the congregation the larger woke war in the evangelical world. To no surprise to anyone, the elders put up by David Platt and the MBC leadership win in a landslide, one post remarked. Sign up for our NB Daily newsletter to receive the latest news. Christian banned from Turkey appeals to European Court of Human Rights, Country artist Mickey Guyton on the role faith, family played shaping journey to stardom: 'Huge part of my life', John Piper: 'If our only good news is our healing ministry, we're going to disappoint millions of people', Most adults in 17 countries say belief in God not necessary to be moral, have good values: study, Courage is fear that has said its prayers, The End Times battle calls for Spirit-led living, 5 reasons why prayer must accompany evangelism, What people use WhatsApp, Telegram for in Iran, Afghanistan might surprise you, Myth 18: Divorce is the unpardonable sin and 'God hates divorce', Evangelical woman: New immigration bill will increase human trafficking risk, Tensions over 'liberal' direction of David Platts McLean Bible Church erupt in lawsuit, Evangelicals, David Platt march in DC against racism, police brutality: 'Forgive us', David Platt urges young Christians to avoid 'comfortable' Christianity: 'You will waste your life', David Platt says churches must invest more in missions to evangelize 3 billion unreached worldwide, New Jersey churches excluded from historic preservation grant sue county for discrimination, This week in Christian history: Scottish Archbishop murdered, Donatists given toleration, Court orders utility company restore power to church's rehab shelter, Mike Stone accepts nomination for SBC president, set to challenge Pres.