We are voting again so that the entire body of MBC has an opportunity to speak into this critical moment in the life of our church, the church said in a statement on their website about the first election. 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. ", "Families and friendships and congregations and countless other foundational parts of our lives have been upended and changed in ways that have been both painful and disorienting," Burnett added. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. He became popular as a pastor of the troubled Church at Brookhills in Birmingham Alabama when its founding pastor became embroiled in a moral failure. 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. On June 30, 2021, the election of elders for the first time in the churchs 60-year history failed to achieve the required three-fourths affirmation from the congregation. They organized a new election for elders in mid-June 2022, using secret ballots. Members of Save McLean Bible Church, a Facebook page for critics of current MBC leadership, have alleged a Southern Baptist takeover of the 60-year-old nondenominational congregation and liberal drift in its teachings, pinned to Platt coming on staff in 2017. Pastor David Platt, left, prays for President Donald Trump, at McLean Bible Church, in Vienna, Va., June 2, 2019. Video screengrab via MBC. The lawsuit against McLean Bible Church was filed after a contentious election dispute at McLean Bible Church. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The MRC is a research and education organization operating For those who are working to reveal the truth and seek righteousness. Burnett said the group that filed the suit would not agree to meet for reconciliation or to discuss a dismissal. They suggested the process for last summers elder electionas well as the recent redowere designed to uphold selections aligned with current leadership. At McLean, this dispute spilled over into the election of elders. Youd be left with a remnant, with no clear plan on how to move the church forward, Gottlieb wrote. Bart Barber, Majority of pastors love to preach but few like counseling and discipling believers more: study. Thursday Worship. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. WebDavid Joseph Platt is an American evangelical Baptist pastor. That is really what is happening here with this motion. ", Last summer, MBC announced that three new elders Chuck Hollingsworth, Ken Tucker and Jim Burris had been affirmed by more than 80% of the church family in a congregational vote after a previous election on June 30, 2021, was marred by alleged "irregularities.". With our Bibles open, we have the Spirit of God inside of us. 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. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. Sign up for our newsletter: To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. ", "In the meantime, Defendants steadfastly resisted Plaintiffs discovery requests," the plaintiffs added. Tensions over 'liberal' direction of David Platts McLean Bible Church erupt in lawsuit. Nothing has been forthcoming up to the date Defendant filed its Motion for Plea in Bar nearly a full year since this action commenced.". One post quoted Ephesians 6:12 and said, Praying for the remnant. 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McLean Bible Church - Wikipedia [7] The International Mission Board is one of the largest missionary sending organizations in the world. Every time this lawsuit has been filed or amended or refiled, it has resulted in a dismissal, he said. 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 knows something about trials and tribulations, but his new book focuses instead on joy. Judge Thomas P. Mann rejected McLeans arguments and denied the motion in a bench ruling. 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. Word and Way posted David Platts Dreams for McLean Bible Church Sour as Members File Lawsuit Over Elder Vote Platt has claimed that the church is trying to fight off a hostile takeover and that Satan is trying to divide the church. Philadelphia Archdiocese accused of transferring known abuser to Catholic college, Judge dismisses lawsuit by Florida United Methodist churches, Judge dismisses lawsuit by 36 United Methodist churches, Johnny Hunt, disgraced former SBC pastor, sues denomination he once led, Former Bishop Megan Rohrer, forced to resign over Latino pastors removal, sues ELCA, Copyright 2020, Religion News Service. David clearly did not know his flock or listen to them when they shared their concerns.. Im a work in progress. "[L]ast month, the Board concocted its latest strategy to deny this Court opportunityto grant effective relief. Five longtime church members Steve Gaskins, Michael Manfredi, Roland Smith, Deborah Ash and Kevin Elwell alleged in the dismissed complaint that McLean Bible Church and its board of elders denied members the opportunity to cast a secret ballot in the elder election held July 18, 2021. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. David Platt We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. They attempt to avoid this at all costs, filed false motions with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Scandal plagued James Merritt resigns as visiting professor at SEBTS, SBC seminary intends to enforce Biden vaccine mandate, Vivek Ramaswamy & James Lindsay on winning the Culture War, Snowflakes at TBR ban a Christian Nationalist, McLean Bible Church hid financial dealings with SBC from its Treasurer, Johnny Hunt sues Southern Baptist Convention. Lawsuit opposes Platt, McLean elder election Tensions over 'liberal' direction of David Platts McLean By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I think that's what's been exposed over the last few years is we've looked to things to unite us that were never intended to unite us, when it comes to some different convictions on different things where the Bible is less clear or less direct.". 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. 2023 Baptist News Global. During this time he continued in his primary role as president of the International Mission Board. 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. GLOBALIST EVANGELICALS: HOW DEEP IS We hope you will! Today is a victory for truth and transparency.. "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. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "At 28, Pastor Has Five Degrees and a 4,300-Member Flock", "Platt Commissioned by Brook Hills in Final Sunday as Senior Pastor", "Pastor David Platt succeeds Tom Elliff as IMB president", David Platt Joins McLean Bible Church as Interim Pastor; Megachurch's Senior Pastor Stepping Down, "Platt to step down from IMB; Meador named interim president", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Platt_(pastor)&oldid=1151208380, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing cleanup from October 2019, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from October 2019, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 15:45. I thought there was more to Jesus than this. I really wanted to write a book to say, to shout, There is! ", The church says it made efforts to resolve the complaint and invited the plaintiffs to pursue "Christian mediation and reconciliation." Rumors were spreading that Platt intended to sell some church property for construction of a Muslim mosque. The plaintiffs contend that the church board sought to disqualify members from voting, "attempting to purge members by designating them 'inactive' on an arbitrary basis, with no record that the members had missed eight consecutive Sundays, and without investigation into whether the members had 'reasonable excuse,' such as missing services for fear of the coronavirus, or even from the Church's own cancellation of in-person services due to the coronavirus. Next up additional pretrial hearings on December 17, 2021. For now, David Platt has won the battle against internal critics at McLean Bible Church. Pastor Diego MesaPastor Diego Mesa is the Senior Pastor of Abundant Living Family Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Wade Burnett, a pastor on McLeans leadership team, said the congregation decided to move forward together in a difficult time. Platt acknowledged there are issues that divide the church but said Christians must always practice charity. ", In what appears to be a response to the lawsuit's dismissal, critics of MCB posted on the "Save McLean Bible Church" Facebook page a post reading: "When men say its over, God takes over and when God takes over the battle is over. 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.. [1], Platt studied at University of Georgia in journalism and earned a B.A..[2] He also earned a M.Div, Th.M, and PhD from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Theres so much more to the church and so much more to Jesus. David Joseph Platt is an American evangelical Baptist pastor. In our country, the realities of racial division in the church we want to turn the tide on, he explained in a recent interview. Subscribe to CT 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. The Plan proposed to allow a new vote on the Elders but one that would not only include the hundreds of new members selected by the Board in December, six months after this action sought to preserve the status quo, but would also conveniently elect hundreds of new members selected by the Board in May, just before the sham Elder vote in June," the plaintiff's motion reads. We want to move forward in unity, and we do not believe any appellate court would restrict us from doing that., Local news, weather, sports, events, restaurants and more, Lawsuit against McLean Bible Church, David Platt dismissed, Commanders draft class fills several needs, features plenty of value, From World Series hero to MLBs worst, Patrick Corbin keeps taking the ball, Commanders draft Illinois DB Quan Martin, Arkansas C Ricky Stromberg. He preaches a choice between an American gospel or the biblical gospel. "Instead of an eagerness to unite in the church around Jesus, we are quick to divide over the idolatry of personal political convictions instead of enjoying this multi-ethnic beauty Jesus is made possible for us in the church," Platt added. All Rights Reserved. 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.. 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. 2005-2023, Media Research Center. "Amidst a divisive culture around us, members of our church family have clearly stated that they want to move forward together as a thriving, united church bringing hope to the nations, starting here in Washington, DC. About Lawsuit seeking to overturn elder election at David Platts McLean Bible Church dismissed. But when she aligned herself with Gods purposes, she became the Mother of All Living.. At McLean Bible Church on June 2, 2019, Pastor David Platt prays over then-President Trump.. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). Pastor and author David Platt says in a new book that too many Christians have bought into a political-centric false gospel that has led to discouragement and All rights reserved. "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. One of the challenges is that we dont have discernment between primary issues, secondary, and, so as a result, it makes these conversations a lot harder.. All active members were allowed to vote. 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. [8], In February 2017, Platt began serving as interim teaching pastor at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia. Return to homepage. Satan is working overtime to thwart your plans and destroy you. My goal in this book was to hit the prominent issues that Ive walked through. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit objected, saying anyone who joined the church after the June 2021 election should not be allowed to vote. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. MBCs motion was granted and a formal order of dismissal was declared on Friday, June 24. We thank God for todays victory, said plaintiff Roland Smith. People will only put up with this extremity for so long before they fight back, we can only hope that Platt will fall flat when it comes to pushing his radical agenda even further. Wade Burnett, a pastor on McLeans leadership team, said the congregation decided to move forward together in a difficult time. 20 years ago, Switchfoot unleashed the riff that changed Christian rock, LAs Atheist Street Pirates go national in efforts to remove illegal religious signs, Yes, Virginia, the Constitution does separate church and state, 60 years on, Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail relevant as ever, say faith leaders.