Discussion of Mars Hill Church Part Two

Baked and Awake

Episode 22

Discussion of Mars Hill Church Part Two

 

Guests: Douglas Moreland, Adam Schaeffer

 

Today is a continuation of the conversations with Douglas and Adam, with the addition of a sample of a Mark Driscoll sermon, and some commentary to further set things up. I encourage everyone who finds this story to be of any interest at all to look into it further- there is an absolute wealth of information out there about the rise and fall of Mars Hill, and the lessons that can be learned from it.

 

Listeners who would like to reach out to Douglas or Adam can contact me in order to connect with them directly.

 

Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode! Please review us on iTunes if you enjoy the content at all.

 

Smoke Indica, Do shit anyway

 

Mark Driscoll Sermon, Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkaeAkJO0w8

 

Chriatianity Today Article Read: http://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2014/december-online-only/painful-lessons-of-mars-hill.html

 

Mars Hill Church Membership Covenant:

https://joyfulexiles.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/mars-hill-membership-covenant.pdf

 

Covenant Text in full:

Mars Hill Membership Covenant "When you make a vow to the Lord, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it." (Ecclesiasties 5:4-5) Purpose When anyone enters into relationship with God by grace from, and faith in, the person and work of Jesus Christ they are entering into two covenants. The first is to journey with God for the rest of their lives and love Him fully. The second is to journey with His other children in the community of the local church. Your membership in a church is an official recognition of this, and the purposes of the Mars Hill Membership Covenant is:

1. To join the Spirit in forming an authentic church community that reflects the relationship between the Father, Son & Spirit
2. To clarify the on-going blessings & responsibilities of each member.
3. To encourage consistency, accountability and loving unity within the church family.
4. To accomplish God's call for the MH church family. This agreement does not imply that you will never fall short of the goals, but that the desire of your heart is to fulfill each of the responsibilities stated to the best of your ability. We trust that your commitment will be a personal blessing to your own journey in Christ, as well a blessing to those around you. The Facts of Membership • A numerical record was kept (Acts 2:37-47) • Records were kept of widows (I Tim. 5:3-16) • Elections were conducted (Acts 6:1-6) • Discipline was carried out (Matt. 18:15-20; I Cor. 5; Gal. 6:1) • Elders will be held accountable for members (Heb. 13:17) • There was an awareness of who was a church member (Rom. 16:1-16) With the help of the Holy Spirit, the church leadership covenants the following: 1. We commit ourselves to lovingly caring for you and seeking your growth in Christ (Heb. 13:17; I Thes. 5:12). 2. We covenant to provide teaching, preaching and counsel from the Scriptures (Gal. 6:6; I Tim. 5:17-18). 3. We commit that this teaching will span the whole counsel of God's Word (Acts 20:27-28). 4. We commit to helping you in times of need (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-35, Jm. 2:14- 17).
5. We covenant that your elders and deacons will meet the criteria assigned to them in the Scriptures (I Tim. 3:1-13 & 5:17-22, Titus 1:5-9, I Pt. 5:1-4).
6. We covenant to pray for you regularly, particularly when you are sick (Jm. 5:14).
7. We covenant to be on guard against false teachers (Acts 20:28-31).
8. We covenant to exercise church discipline when necessary (Matt. 18:15-20; I Cor. 5; Gal. 6:1).
9. We covenant to help you become equipped to serve Christ (Eph. 4:11-13).
10. We covenant to seek God's will for our church community to the best of our ability as we study the Scriptures and follow the Spirit (Acts 20:28, I Peter 5:1-5).
11. We covenant to set an example and join you in fulfilling the duties of church members (1 Co. 11.1, Philip. 3:17, I Tim. 4:12 ). With the guiding help of the Holy Spirit, I, the undersigned, covenant the following: 1. I am a Christian who has been saved from my sins by the grace of Jesus Christ. I have been baptized to give testimony of my identification with the body of Christ & obedience to the Scriptures. 2. I have read and understood MH doctrinal statement and agree to not be divisive to its teaching. I also understand the importance of submission to church leadership and will be diligent to preserve unity and peace (Hebrews 13:7, 17; Ephesians 4:1-3) 3. I will endeavor to maintain a close relationship with the Lord through regular personal Bible reading, prayer, fellowship and practice of the other spiritual disciplines. My journey in Christ will be evident through my regular participation in the corporate worship services, and involvement in a small group or class (Ps. 119:97, 105l; Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25). 4. I will strive to properly manage the resources God has given me, including my time, body, gifts and talents, attitudes, finances and possessions (Eph.5:15-18; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:1-16; Gal 5:22-26; Proverbs 3:9-10). This includes regular giving to MH that is sacrificial and cheerful (2 Corinthians 8&9). 5. I commit myself to the MH church family and agree to aid in fulfilling its missional purpose to both be and bring the gospel to Seattle. I recognize that his will be accomplished by pursuing Mars Hill's core values of meaning, beauty, truth, and community. 6. I commit to using the spiritual gift(s) God has given me for the building up of the church, both at MH and universally (I Pt. 4:10-11; Romans 12:1-8, 1Corinthians 12:7-31). 7. I covenant to practice the humility and sacrificial attitude of Christ by considering the needs of others (Philippians 2:1-11), not gossiping (Pr. 16:28, Matt.18: 15-17), and seeking spiritual friendships (Pr. 17:17). 8. I covenant to have friendly Christian relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ from other churches, but I will not function in leadership or as a member in another church family (Hebrews 13:17). 9. I covenant to follow the biblical procedures of church discipline, and submit myself to discipline if the need should ever arise (Matt. 18:15-17,Gal. 6:1-5). 10. I covenant to submit to the authority of the Scriptures as the final arbiter on all issues (Psalm 119, 2 Tim. 3:16-17). God enabling me, I will strive to consider my commitment to this Membership Covenant on a yearly basis. I understand that it is an evaluative tool, as well as an affirmation of my continuing conviction and purpose. My responsibility will be to notify the MH leadership if at any time I can no longer commit to this covenant, or if I have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding MH. Signature _________________________________________ Date ____________ Printed Name _______________________________ Phone __________________ E-mail ____________________ Address _________________________________ Names and Birthdays of Family ______