”I was invited to a meeting w/ Mark not long ago where he claimed to be an apostle,” Hinn continued, “boasted about his oversight being from apostles at Gateway Church (Dallas) & no local elders @ Trinity…He blamed the Mars Hill fallout on everyone else. Not once took responsibility, and plowed ahead as if nothing was wrong. Protecting himself is his top priority. Ensuring no one could ever dethrone him again.”
Driscoll’s behavior reminds Hinn of his experience with other toxic manifestations of Christianity. “After being in the meeting, I remember thinking that you could take the exact same meeting & stick it in the context of a prosperity gospel scam or abusive cult and it would fit right in. A sobering reminder that the drug of power is addicting, regardless of theological camp.”
Hinn circled back to his opening comments about Driscoll “sinking his teeth into local pastors,” describing the “Driscoll contract,” which is “something [Driscoll] offers to pastors that he coaches privately. It pays the lead pastor a ridiculous amount of money if fired, and basically makes it so that he cannot be fired (except for blatant adultery)…Now, no one can ever do to him what Mars Hill did (in his mind).”
Costi Hinn believes that Driscoll organizes his ministry to pastors around the goal of protecting himself. Said Hinn:
Driscoll treats ministry like a mafia boss treats his crime ring w/ “hitmen” who protect, insulation, illusion, & deception. He coaches leaders, is platformed as a church growth expert by men like Larry Osborne.
And like a coach, he creates a culture, develops players, then deploys them onto the field. Some even become coaches themselves.
The result? Another generation of Driscoll-like leaders who believe they are the “it” factor & the only “anointed,” under the guise of serving others.
Hinn closed his thread with eight reminders about the influence of church leaders, whether healthy or toxic. “Qualified leaders are paramount to church health,” he said, encouraging ministry leaders to be faithful in the spheres where God has placed them. “If you need a contract to keep yourself from getting fired at a church you’re a tyrant,” he said. “Sheep should be rescued from your control.”
A user named B. Kingsley commented on Hinn’s thread, saying, “I worked with Mark, Dave and Sutton for years at Mars Hill until the shutdown, and you nailed it here. In fact I’m going to point people to this thread who need a succinct summation of the core issues.”
