Thus, McLean is spending about $4 million less in 2021 than in 2019. 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., Pastor David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church, July 18, 2021, in Vienna, Virginia. The latest controversy revolves around who was eligible to participate in a June 30 vote on elders and has resulted in a lawsuit. AD FREE! It is a mega church in the DC area with 5 locations and claims an attendance of 13,000 each weekend. 13-minute video summary, pastor Kelsey talking about "torching all white people" 51-minute detailed presentation, The sacred duty, and the money trail of . On June 30, 2021, McLean Bible Church (MBC) in Vienna, Virginia, held a members meeting to affirm three new elders via vote.MBC is pastored by former Southern Baptist's International Mission Board (IMB) president and bestselling author David Platt. Are the budget cuts and declining attendance a message that Platts Social Justice Theology is unpopular with churchgoers? McLean Bible Church refuses to conduct meeting according to any established rules of order. Copyright 2021 NPR. There are other internal documents providing similar extensive theological arguments. The suburban DC megachurchs recent scuffle over race and politics is symptomatic of a broader evangelical rift. All rights reserved. And so I think I simply put into words what many people were already sensing.. Life of Christ dramatization The Thorn comes to big screens March 67, New book outlines importance of every Christian knowing theology, Southcrest Baptist in Bessemer hosting Holy Destiny on March 3, Start a new subscription at the group rate. Who knew two nonverbal rocks had so much to say? A password reset link will be e-mailed to you. David Platt's very strong on the issues that evangelicals traditionally have cared about. It does not store any personal data. Some older evangelicals see it as sort of a coup.. The Capstone Report can reveal the photograph was only removed after repeated demands by members of the elder board. degree in Hebrew and Old Testament (1975, summa cum laude) from Capital Bible . Are the culture wars changing how Christian students choose colleges? Platts teaching explains that some people (no doubt an oppressed racial group) can better see sin than those people part of a larger group of people guilty of racism.. He also warned against letting tensions swell. CBN-backed candidate Mike Stone received 48 percent of the vote in last months SBC presidential election, finishing second to Alabama pastor Ed Litton. In its Q&A, McLean states that it is not Southern Baptist and links to an undated letter from SBC Executive Committee employee Ashley Clayton stating, The SBC Executive Committee recognizes that McLean Bible Church is an independent, nondenominational Bible church, and they are not affiliated denominationally with the SBC., However, Baptist Press, the SBCs news service, stated in a July 21 article, McLean Bible Church is a cooperating church with the Southern Baptist Convention, yet like all Southern Baptist churches, remains independent and autonomous in its functionality and governance.. At the time he was the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States. Platt asserts in the course that the Bible teaches both individual and corporate responsibility and that present systems are discriminatory. This fact was pointed out to the current McLean Elders in a document that warned against the syncretism currently shaping Platts approach to social justice. Video screen grab via MBC. To some observers, McLeans conflict seems like a replay of other recent episodes from American evangelicalism, where leaders who appeal to Scripture to address social issues are accused of theological liberalism or secular influence even if they continue to hold traditional Christian views. The letter describes McLean as a partner with the SBC but not affiliated denominationally with the SBC.. Many of its members come from the top ranks of government, media, and business. The conflict at McLean Bible Church is significant not only because of the congregations size and influencewith several thousand attendees and a prominent place in the DC church landscapebut also because the incident marks the latest salvo in an ongoing clash within American evangelicalism. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". And so the church had never before failed to elect elder nominees that were recommended. Church members were required to show identification, and ballots were labeled with members names. The plaintiffs also claim a follow-up election at the church this weekend violated the churchs constitution. Any church member on McLeans inactive list was given a provisional ballot. Why does church leadership refuse to answer question. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Platt and other leaders, they say, have abused their. And rather than try to adjudicate the provisional ballots, they decided the best thing to do would be just to have another vote. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Yet, even before this course, some noticed David Platts trajectory away from the Bible and into the Woke error. Some of the older guard think that that's soft-pedaling some biblical truth. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Platt lied about the extent that Critical Race Theory and the Black Lives Matter movement influences McLean Bible Church leadership. Is this David Platts Stop the Steal moment? And as we walk faithfully with God during these days, keeping our eyes fixed on him, I trust that he will work all these things together for our good and ultimately his glory.. Welcome to McLean Bible Church in the final rundown to Sunday's surprisingly contentious vote on new elders. The document says that Platt says one thing about Critical Race Theory but clearly does another. The church leadership was forced to embrace the Woke Social Justice rhetoric. Plaintiffs hope that a court will declare Sundays election void and require the church to hold a new election. No. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. And that leadership is not listening, he said. Many Christians look at the Bible and then look at the picture of American Christianity around them and think, This doesnt add up. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This is a breach of contract action seeking to remedy Defendants illegal actions to deny Plaintiffs their rights to cast a free and fair vote, to have those votes lawfully counted, and to enjoy their right to a secret ballot, according to the complaint. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Frank gives an insightful answer to this question and analyzes the recent controversy that started when members of a gym said a special workout in support of "Pride Week" was canceled by gym owners that led to an executive at CrossFit was fired for a tweet on his personal account. We hope you'll consider joining us on Sunday for a worship gathering. 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. (RNS) A yearlong legal battle over a contested election at a prominent Washington, D.C.-area church appears to be over for now. Allegations that leaders were seeking to join the SBC in violation of the churchs constitution led McLean to suspend all contributions to SBC causes this month. David Platt asked the remaining Elders to approve the GCJR course curriculum as the main theological underpinning of all other teaching and worship activities at McLean Bible Church. For instance, that they would sell the Tysons location and use it to build a mosque. And the church has not regularly tracked individual attendance for years, he added. Church members are asked for their opinions on things like what color to paint the womens bathroom, he said; why not ask their opinion on more substantive matters such as CRT or joining the SBC? The key problem here is a lack of transparency. Opponents of McLeans current leadership wrote in a blog posted by the right-wing Capstone Report that Plattwho became pastor of the DC church full time in 2018was attempting to purge conservative members., Platt also described one email circulating that claimed MBC is no longer McLean Bible Church, that its now Melanin Bible Church., I know its so ugly and painful to even hear, but I want to point out the approach thats being used by people giving leadership to this group in these meetings, he told the congregation, calling the claims made about him and the incoming elders unquestionably untrue and in many cases completely unreasonable.. When longtime leaders and perhaps thousands of members are abandoning the church, what is the lesson David Platt draws? We're teaching everything that the Bible teaches. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". What happened? See more. The July 18 vote has been surrounded by controversy, with some decrying what they saw as creeping liberalism within the church's . We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. That speaks volumes about the problems in the McLean leadership team and specifically David Platt. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit echo Frazers concerns, saying that the ballots used by the church violated McLeans constitution. Similar to Naples, McLean Bible Church recently held a vote to confirm three elders the first vote failed. With many active members participating in services online, especially those, like Frazer, who are not vaccinated, there is no way to tell who is attending. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In response, Platt accused his critics in a sermon of spreading disinformation and stuffing the ballot box with votes from former members and inactive church members. After my seminary and doctoral work, I fully . 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. David Platt, pastor of McLean Bible Church near Washington, D.C., and founder of Radical, a resource ministry that serves churches, preaches during the second session of the two-day 2019 Pastors' Conference held June 9-10 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Which enabled a small group, just to put it in perspective, less than seven percent of our current membership on Wednesday night, including some people who we know are not actually members, less than seven percent kept elders from being overwhelmingly affirmed by our church family for the first time in our history.. There were not enough provisional ballots to change the outcome, according to an email from church leaders. In recent years, Platt, like other high-profile evangelical pastors, including former SBC President J.D. In a complaint filed Thursday (July 15), five McLean members allege that Platt and other leaders illegally barred them from voting at a recent congregational meeting to approve new church leaders. The churchs constitution requires that new elders receive 75% approval and for the first time in McLeans history, a new group of elders failed to reach that margin. We're glad to hear from you. Critics say the churchs leadership has become woke and has substituted critical race theory and social justice for biblical teaching. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Wait. The church has now grown to a weekly attendance over 27,000 (as of 2019). Critics say the Virginia church's leadership has . 'At the end . Platt said the dissident group claimed it was using the elder vote as part of a constitutional process to retake control of the church. Elevation Church was founded by Furtick in 2006 with just fourteen members. At a June 30 meeting, nominees Chuck Hollingsworth, Jim Burris, and Ken Tucker had failed to receive a clear 75 percent majority, the margin required for elder election. Church leaders say the current round of conflict predates Platts pastorate. Platt begged church members who support the Woke regime to adjust vacation plans to be at the special meeting.