Saturn’s perplexing cloud hexagon. Look carefully at the North Pole. NASA
“The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy.” Edward Lampert
David Platt’s embattled McLean Bible Church has a new leadership pattern. Go to this page, scroll down, and notice that the Lead Team is over all of MBC. It consists of two lead pastors, Mike Kelsey and David Platt. Scroll further down the page and notice they are both elders on the Board of Elders. Church Leaders posted David Platt Assures He’s Not Leaving As Church Votes To Install Mike Kelsey as Lead Pastor.
This past Sunday, McLean Bible Church (MBC) held a church family meeting to vote on Mike Kelsey, the current MBC Montgomery County location pastor, to be the church’s new lead pastor alongside David Platt.
According to a Q&A on church’s website and a panel discussion including Platt (elder, lead pastor), Mike Hollingsworth (elder), and Mike Kelsey (teaching pastor), a recent change to the church’s constitution allows for more than one lead pastor to be elected by the members of MBC.
Sadly, McLean Bible Church continues to be in turmoil. WUSA9 reported Court denies ‘time machine’ remedy but revives election lawsuit against McLean Bible megachurch.
The Court of Appeals of Virginia says members of a Tyson’s Corner megachurch can continue part of their lawsuit over a disputed 2021 leadership election – reviving it after a lower court dismissed the case as moot last year.
…The suit was filed by five church members who alleged senior pastor David Platt and the board of elders violated the church’s constitution by wrongfully deeming members “inactive” and therefore deprived of them of their right to vote in a regular election for three elder positions in June 2021. The members further alleged church leadership denied members the secret ballots guaranteed by the church’s constitution and targeted certain members for “inactive” status because leadership believed they would vote against their chosen candidates.
Some church members contend Platt was taking them down the road to woke and identity politics. Given Platt’s background as a die-hard Calvinista and one of the more prominent “theobros,” I find that a bit difficult to believe. But, hey, I’m not going to his church and would avoid it based on his BFFs in the Calvinista movement.
The lawsuit brought to the surface disagreements over the direction of the church between Platt, a best-selling author and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, and a contingent within the church that believes he has steered MBC away from its founding ethos and the path charted for more than 30 years by long-time senior pastor Lon Solomon. Since taking over from Solomon in 2017, Platt has faced criticism from some members over what they view as his embrace of critical race theory and support for the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as allegations that he wanted to change the church’s stance on abortion and homosexuality.
Some might imagine Platt being careful of whom he picked to be his co-leader. Nonetheless, he forged ahead and appointed (well, I supposed there was some vote somewhere) MIke Kelsey as what appears to be a co-equal lead team pastoral role. Some church members did the due diligence not done by the elders (What do these elders do?) and found a video by Mike Kelsey, who was pontificating without thinking after George Floyd’s death. According to Church Leaders:
A video of Kelsey saying that there are times he feels like torching “all white people, particularly white evangelicals and Christians” resurfaced early this week.
Kelsey made the comment three years ago while he was on an episode of Jennie Allen’s podcast, titled “Understanding Your Role in Racial Reconciliation,” just weeks after a video showed that George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer.
Here is the video. Thankfully, these words are at the start of the interview at 3:10 through 6:00.
I think Kelsey was talking in the heat of the moment. I doubt he plans to torch all white people. The problem is quite evident to me. Platt knows his congregation. He should have dealt with this upfront. Kelsey should have been made to address these words before the appointment to his new role. But, being a Calvinista means never having to say sorry; it will happen when the Spirit (or a whim) moves. Now, Platt has more people upset with the direction of the church, and the complaints will continue. Platt must be too busy to vet and handle difficult situations carefully.
This all demonstrates (at least to me) that the church leadership, namely Platt, is totally in control, which brings up another point.
Who’s in charge?
How do two men, one known and influential, co-lead? I’m sure the typical meme “the Spirit will lead” will be touted in the coming days, but I have some thoughts.
- I predict that Platt will be ‘called’ to greener ($$$) pastures.
- He suddenly, ala Francis Chan, decides to go into the missionary field, giving it all up until he comes back, writes more books, and appears more saintly for doing so while still seeing $$$ ahead. Diversion alert: Did Chan ever document proof for all those miracles he claimed to have witnessed?
- There will be two different messages to the guys from the ‘Spirit,’ and they have a big fight.
- Maybe they are bros and will work in perfect harmony.
- There will continue to be lawsuits and problems at MBC.
- I would never be a member of such a church.
- I think Platt is preparing his exit strategy.
So what say you?
And to make us all smile
David Platt is complementarian. Please please please tell me there’s a quote somewhere of him saying that every marriage or partnership needs a tiebreaker vote. If so, I wonder who the tiebreaker is at MBC?
Sarah (aka Wild Honey),
Sarah,
I read Dee’s post earlier and had thoughts similar to yours.
I couldn’t help but wonder……… Well, which man has more feminine traits and which man has more masculine traits??????
Given their beliefs about men and women….. husbands and wives …… a marriage being a partnership BUT, husbands and wives being equal BUT ……. Shouldn’t the more masculine man hold the tie breaking vote? Perhaps they should have their testosterone levels tested and compared …… just for documented medical proof!
Dee, you (are pretending to) set too much store by claimed overt positions.
The fundamentalist ploy always has been to start by saying something that is not to the point, and in any further discussion to only say things that are once again not to the point.
Sadly this has caught on among all the other trendy trends as well.
To an elite this is by design, while among the masses it suffices for it to be a nervous tic.
The aim always has been switch switch switch never mind the bait.
To them and all their identikit copycat lookalikes of all stripes and flavours, truth is no longer relative, it is non existent.
Virtue signaling?
“Since taking over from Solomon in 2017, Platt has faced criticism from some members over what they view as his embrace of critical race theory and support for the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as allegations that he wanted to change the church’s stance on abortion and homosexuality.”
Bigger tent for a greater constituency for more tithing units? Does the church need money? Do the pastors have plans that need money?
Follow the money.
They’ll likely go with the more fatherly one (patriarchy also has sons obeying fathers [sons obey mothers only until a certain age or status change] and daughters obeying until usually marriage)
I think you called it…Platt definitely is exiting and will find a way to make more bank…perhaps without the nuisance of having to care for a flock that may try to hold him accountable.
Gotta say Francis Chan duped me. I thought he was one of the good guys. Now he’s hanging out with Benny Hinn and family which means he’s just another dude all about the benjamins.
Sarah (aka Wild Honey),
Nancy2(aka Kevlar),
You made me smile this morning. Having heard Platt in person several times, I would say he is the feminine side of the duo.
he duped me as well. Just like Ravi Z did until I started looking into him in 2015. Chan MUST provide proof for his claims of miracles. He won’t, just like Benny Hinn won’t. About 20 years ago, Hank Hannegraaf asked him to provide proof for one miracle. Benny Hinn sent him scans of a person who had a tumor, was prayed over, and the tumor was gone…Except he forgot to mention there was a surgery. This stuff drives me up the wall.
The pastors in our congregation don’t articulate a stance on every social issue, candidate, news story, fashion fad, or hairdo. If I tried to corner them, they would patiently draw me out, asking my opinion and my reasoning. They would indicate support for me, typically without saying they agree.
Every congregation is full of people who have their own minds and experiences. It’s sheer folly for pastors to try to make everyone share one opinion on everything. Leave people alone. Let them have their thoughts.
If you need a “standard,” how about this one: “Love one another.”
Maybe these pastors could spend time identifying the actual needs in the congregation and community. I guarantee there are hungry and homeless people within shouting distance of McLean Bible Church.
dee,
Every time I hear or read the name ‘David Platt’, I automatically think of the Platt River….. ‘cuz I think he’s all wet.
HA! good one Nancy2, good one!
Just further evidence that the New Calvinists have made a mess of things in the American church.
Who do you think you are, asking Francis Chan for evidence of miracles? He’s the ManoGawd, you’re just supposed to pray, pay and obey. And not ask questions!
Thaat is why I get in trouble. I ask too many questions. But, it is interesting to learn that those who are next to God have clay feet.
Chan is a master at duping folks; he is continually reinventing himself. Raised as a Buddhist … converted to Christianity … then converted to Calvinism at Master’s Seminary (John MacArthur) … then converted to “New” Calvinism, becoming one of the early leaders of the New Calvinist movement … then left ministry for a season to discover himself … then started hanging out with Catholics … then took a liking to pentecostalism.
To Chan and his faithful followers, Scripture offers this advice:
“We are to no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth” (Ephesians 4:14 TLB)
Max,
Given that his parents seem to have been Christian, it is bit odd to say he was raised Buddhist. At most as a very young child his Buddhist grandmother took care of him.
As I understand it, Chan’s parents were Christian. He was sent to Hong Kong for several years after his mother died at childbirth to be raised by his Buddhist grandmother.
Regarding Mr Chan and his ilk, can I recommend that you read this highly illuminating article on celebrity US pastors in Myanmar?
Here are some of the questions raised –
“ Here are some questions I would ask the creators about their ministry video:
Why are the only motivational speakers in this video Western church leaders? Why didn’t they include the testimony of a Myanmar pastor?
Why were there so many shots of White Americans grandly laying hands on and praying for Myanmar village people? (And did those Myanmar people consent to being part of a promotional photo op? Did they even consent to hands being laid on them?)
Why did the video only include shots of Myanmar village life, or of slums, when there is much more to Myanmar than abject financial poverty?
When the makers of this video used a celebrity pastor’s words, “heart of darkness,” while panning through images of Myanmar, did they really mean to imply that Myanmar is a place of utter darkness and evil?
Did they mean to communicate, by their omission of any Myanmar voices, that Myanmar people won’t have anything to say about all of this?
Did they mean to imply that there are no Christians in Myanmar? (Christians are about 8.2 percent of the population.)”
The full article is here –
https://faithfullymagazine.com/myanmar-francis-chan-ministry/
From the article
“Some church members contend Platt was taking them down the road to woke and identity politics. Given Platt’s background as a die-hard Calvinista and one of the more prominent “theobros,””
So, an “anti-woke” church thinks their misogynist pastor is too “woke”.
Tells me everything I need to know.
No good guys here. They deserve to eat themselves.
And fork over your greenbacks, don’t forget that.
To be fair, that doesn’t sound like duping. It sounds like searching. There seems to be a lot of that going on these days!
Thank you, Lowlandseer, for the link to the Faithfully Magazine article ‘They Look Down on Us’—On Myanmar and Francis Chan’s Ministry Move to Asia by Breanna Randall.
While I didn’t watch the video you mentioned in your comment (and is discussed in the article), I think one can understand what Breanna Randall is writing about….although not, perhaps, the people who need to hear and understand it the most.
And what Breanna Randall is writing about applies to many other places, not just Myanmar.
I consider it duping/deception when a man enters the pulpit to preach the one true way while he is still searching for the one true way.
Just like how al-Qaeda and the Taliban weren’t Islamic enough.
A simple transfer of Ownership from Daddy to Husband.
Just tell you (like Bethel and their Dead Raising Team) that Mighty Miracles of GAWD – Dead being Raised, limbs regrown, gold dust and angel feathers dropping from Heaven – are happening in their Ministry in parts of the world where it’s literally impossible to check out and confirm.
Just like all those headlines in The National Enquirer.
The same Mighty MenaGAWD whose Prophecy Hit Rate is actually LOWER than NE‘s annual “Celebrity Psychics Predict the Coming Year!!!!!” issue.
Friend,
Where this church is located there’s probably not tons of homeless people, although they may be hiding. I did see someone begging up the street when I attended a concert there.
As a former staff member of a so called megachurch (nothing I ever wanted-long story) I have followed Platt for a long time. Sat under his teaching multiple times. Verse by verse exposition. So I prayed for him as he changed and changed. Not for the good in my humble opinion. From my experience I can tell you that this latest “plan” has an agenda attached to it. I have no idea what but I can tell you the plan is not biblical as presented. There are no co pastors in the Bible. The Bible does teach that God will hold someone accountable for the love, care, teaching and leading of His people. He is very jealous about such things. We are to make disciples not hatch plans particularly those that have a human ambition attached to it as I feel this does! Keep praying there are some great believers stuck in this mess and they need our prayers! Satan is creating havoc within our churches!
I liked Platt the first time I heard him speak, but the more I hear him, the dumber I feel. Any allure has worn off for me. He just looks and sounds like a guy projecting a lot of confidence, but not really having it, or smarts either.
Solomon had the leadership skills. Platt comes in and wrecks it.
And in case you missed it – yes, Platt and his cohort are big Wokestirs. They try to piggyback off of current cultural moments with very little discernment. They got the SBC, of all groups, to pass a resolution saying that Critical Race Theory was good, “so long as it was submitted to scripture”????
What in the world. No one who understands or promotes critical race theory would think it would be good to try and “submit it to scripture.”
“Communism is good, so long as it is submitted to scripture.” “Naziism is good, so long as it is submitted to scripture.” “Satanism is good…” – you get the point.
Platt is hiring Kelsey because Kelsey is black. This will bring racial justice to the McLean Bible Church.
Or make Kelsey the Token Black.
“We seat him right at the door
In case anyone visits from VISTA or CORE,
He knows what his place is, we’ll see;
If not quickly fired
That N******* we’ve hired WilL Be!”
— Mad Magazine parody filksong, mid-Sixties.
Oracle at Delphi,
Neo-cals were “liberal theology” all along.