A former elder at Mars Hill Church in Seattle filed charges of mistreatment against pastor Mark Driscoll and other church leaders, but the church’s accountability team couldn’t substantiate them. An article in the Christian Post quoted a letter sent to elders and leaders on Wednesday of this week, stating research performed by the church’s Board of Advisors and Accountability showed the charges made by former elder Dave Kraft were “non-disqualifying.”
“In an effort to substantiate the validity of the anonymous charges, we immediately sent out over one hundred letters to former elders and staff at Mars Hill Church from the previous two years, inviting their feedback and perspectives regarding their time on staff at the church, particularly their interactions with Pastor Mark and the Executive Elders,” chairman of the board Michael Van Skaik stated in the letter.
“… After a thorough review, the charges were determined to be non-disqualifying. However, the Executive Elders were individually and corporately given corrective direction by the Board. Those corrective actions have been followed and have been bearing fruit over the last seven months. We have been very encouraged to see the Executive Elders learn, grow, and repent where needed.”
Kraft, in his statement, accuses Driscoll of lacking in self-control and discipline, being “domineering, verbally violent, arrogant” and “quick-tempered.” Skalk continued in his letter to say that the leaders of Mars Hill “want to seek out and hear the hurts in a biblical manner” and that “by God’s grace, the reconciliation process will continue to move forward one person at a time.”
