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. We as members of McLean Bible Church are grateful for the Courts ruling today, said plaintiff Steve Gaskins. They suggested the process for last summers elder electionas well as the recent redowere designed to uphold selections aligned with current leadership. In a complaint filed last Thursday, however, five longtime church members, Steve Gaskins, Michael Manfredi, Roland Smith, Deborah Ash and Kevin Elwell accused McLean Bible Church and its board of elders of denying members the opportunity to cast a secret ballot in the July 18 elder election. He was serving at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans when the parsonage where he lived flooded during Hurricane Katrina. Approved by a substantial majority of the church, that plan included the resignation and a re-vote for the three elders. The Board announced a euphemistically-titled 'Plan for LawsuitResolution.' The pastor was among many who participated in protests against police brutality following the 2020 death of George Floyd. Every time this lawsuit has been filed or amended or refiled, it has resulted in a dismissal, he said. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. McLean. in Leadership apologizes for lack of transparency that eroded trust. Pastor David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church, July 18, 2021, in Vienna, Virginia. Pastor Diego MesaPastor Diego Mesa is the Senior Pastor of Abundant Living Family Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The runup to this dispute overlapped a period of tremendous divisiveness in American politics and religion, including the 2020 presidential election, COVID-19 and a summer of racial reckoning sparked by more police murders of unarmed Black citizens. We can experience it., The result is Dont Hold Back, a book his publisher says encourages followers of Jesus to take necessary risks and find unimaginable reward.. Its time for the church to lean into these issues with our Bibles open and to see the beauty of the gospel come to bear on a church that for centuries has been divided according to the color of our skin. 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. 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. David Platt is the popular pastor who heads the Radical and Secret Church brands among other movements. 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, he added. 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. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Trump came straight from his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, and when he entered the church, he was dressed in khaki pants and a jacket over a polo shirt. Every time this lawsuit has been filed or amended or refiled, it has resulted in a dismissal, he said. All rights reserved. Thursday, July 15, five McLean members filed amotion for injunctive reliefagainst MBC claiming that Platt and other leaders illegally prevented them from voting at the most recent congregational meeting. At age 26, Platt became the pastor of one of the largest churches in the state of Alabama, in the heart of SBC country. And I think the effects of that are all around us. I considered writing an opinion, but given what has been presented, I dont find the issues to be novel or groundbreaking, Judge Mann said. 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. David Platt preaches at McLean Bible Church in June. WebPastors Diego and Cindy Mesa. The three elders recently resigned at the direction of a churchwide vote and were put up for a new vote along with this years nominees; all six were elected on June 6 with more than 86 percent in favor, the church said. "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. Growing tensions between disgruntled longtime members of McLean Bible Church in Virginia and the "liberal" direction they allege their Lead Pastor David Platt has been taking the congregation erupted in a lawsuit over a recently held controversial election of new elders some fear could tear the church apart. All rights reserved. 2023 Baptist News Global. 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. Platt believes American Christians have gotten really good at following a really bad gospel one that worships American ideas over biblical truth. 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. 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. "Plaintiffs sought discovery to identify members illegally purged or placed in inactive status. 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. A religious liberty newsletter that is a must-read for people of faith. They organized a new vote for elders in mid-June 2022, using secret ballots. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit objected, saying anyone who joined the church after the June 2021 election should not be allowed to vote. Pastor expresses sympathy for church members 'hurt The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Sign up for our NB Daily newsletter to receive the latest news. Todays ruling is a critical first step in restoring the rule of law and ensuring that critical voting rights protected by our church constitution will be preserved for all McLean Bible Church members..