Warren Throckmorton has started a postcards from Phoenix series about The Trinity Church, the first from former security director/volunteer Chad Freese on whether a PI was consulted and addressing at whose initiative the consultation was made, reviewing Driscoll's history of firing elders at MHC in `07 where everything seemed mediated by proxies

I would have leaned toward postcards from Scottsdale since that's the location but for the time being "postcards from Phoenix" is the theme.

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/05/26/postcards-from-phoenix-who-suggested-the-trinity-church-hire-a-private-investigator/

One of the recent questions that emerged was who allegedly arranged for a private investigator to tail someone who was formerly affiliated with the church.  

... 

The first one is complex in that it was triggered by a report from an anonymous witness to a recent spirited conversation between Grace Driscoll and another woman after women’s Bible study group. The argument was centered around a woman leaving the church amidst the current upheaval and controversies at The Trinity Church.

As a part of the argument, Grace Driscoll reportedly alleged that former director of security Chad Freese hired the private investigator who surveilled the Manuele family (see here and here for details). The implication was that the church shouldn’t be held responsible for this since Freese did it. This caught my attention for a couple of reasons. One, it demonstrates that recent news reporting is being followed widely in the church. Two, I wondered if there was any truth to the allegation that Chad Freese both instigated the hiring of the PI and then later complained about it.

One of the things that springs to mind about this report is that while it is a report that might need future corroboration or disconfirmation as may happen, there is something that should be kept in mind from Mars Hill history.  The report above states that there was a spirited conversation between Grace Driscoll and another woman after a study group in which Driscoll reportedly alleged that the former director of security at The Trinity Church Chad Freese hired the private investigator who surveilled a family.  

Warren Throckmorton on the elderless church of Mark Driscoll in AZ parts 2 and 3 (also 4), revisiting how neither a board of directors nor a board of advisors & accountability seemed to have restrained consolidation of powers in the Mars Hill years

Warren Throckmorton now has a multi-part series on how Mark Driscoll's newest church, The Trinity Church, has no elders and a board that seems to simply exist.

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/04/26/mark-driscolls-elderless-church/

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/04/28/mark-driscolls-elderless-church-part-two/

That there is a board of directors that includes men who don't attend the church may remind long-time readers who know the history of Mars Hill of the Board of Advisors and Accountability that had a Board of Overseers. 

Throckmorton has noted that Mark Driscoll Ministries is doing business as Real Faith.

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/47-2485096

https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2020/472/485/2020-472485096-17362425-9.pdf

The board members on Mark Driscoll Ministries are 

(1) MARK DRISCOLL, PRESIDENT

(2) RANDAL TAYLOR, SECRETARY (TREASURER)

(3) BRANDON THOMAS, BOARD MEMBER

(4) JOSH MCPHERSON, BOARD MEMBER

For the last of these names that's a name that has, in fact, shown up a handful of times here at this blog.

Throckmorton linked to some audio that Driscoll preached at McPherson's church that went away after a while but a transcript is at the following link:

https://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2018/09/mark-driscoll-posts-excerpt-of-his.html

There was also a listing for Josh McPherson as a Mars Hill pastor for a while, back around September 2014.

https://wenatcheethehatchet.blogspot.com/2014/09/so-is-there-mars-hill-wenatchee-in.html

Now for Throckmorton's part three "Where's the Board?"

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2021/04/30/mark-driscolls-elderless-church-part-three-wheres-the-board/

Alan Jacobs on gaslighting: WtH on gaslighting accusations as a form of gaslighting; and post hoc declaration about the end of MHC from Driscoll as an internal theological battle about transgenerdism and same sex marriage

 https://blog.ayjay.org/gaslighting/

Sutton Turner clarifies two questions regarding "bullet proof vest?" and severance pay correction, there was a severance pay some time after a Ballard sale

While I had not intended to post about this topic until I had more time to assemble background material, Turner has published the interview in two parts and also, more recently, published a clarifying statement.  Plus, this particular sunny Sunday the heat proper has not kicked in yet, so before it gets into the early 90s, let's get this out of the way. 

For those who haven't read the interview ... 

https://investyourgifts.com/honest-answers-1/
https://investyourgifts.com/honest-answers-2/

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2020/07/28/blog-theme-mars-hill-church-interview-with-dave-bruskas-and-sutton-turner/  

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2020/07/30/blog-theme-mars-hill-church-interview-with-sutton-turner-and-dave-bruskas-part-two/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPwP4ng5l4&t=1308s 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWzR1WV91qo

Discussing the interview itself is still an incubating project. However, I want to highlight that there have since been two clarifications from Turner at his blog, published August 5, 2020.  There were two points Turner wanted to clarify, corrections sent his way about two questions: 1) did Driscoll wear a bulletproof vest? (Turner and Bruskas couldn't remember ever seeing that) and 2) what severance payout did Driscoll get after resignation (Turner didn't recall there being the funds for such a thing in later 2014 while he was still there).  There are corrections given by Turner to both those statements and it is those corrections we'll look at in some detail. I'm aware that some view Turner or Bruskas or both as spinning things.  That's possible but ... having chronicled the life and times of Mars Hill off and on for ... a decade ... Turner's corrections do not contradict anything I've managed to document here and the corrections he's given show that, as he admitted in the larger interview, there WAS stuff he didn't have access to on some questions.  So ... read Turner's statement that is reproduced after the break if you want to read more:

https://investyourgifts.com/clarification/

for those who read much faster than people talk, Sutton Turner has published transcripts of his talk with Throckmorton and Bruskas

https://investyourgifts.com/honest-answers-1/

https://investyourgifts.com/honest-answers-2/

It's no less than about 20,000 words, though, so it won't necessarily be a faster read for everyone than listening to two hours of conversation.  

Other projects have my attention but I hope to eventually discuss the interview and a few things that were and were not discussed in it.  It's got a ton of inside baseball stuff that won't necessarily (or quickly) make sense at every point in the conversation to someone who wasn't fairly closely connected to events and people at MHC over the course of it's 18 year run. 

Warren Throckmorton publishes part 2 of interview with Dave Bruskas and Sutton Turner

It may be July 30th where Warren is, but it's still July 29th here where Wenatchee The Hatchet lives.

So ... 

https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2020/07/30/blog-theme-mars-hill-church-interview-with-sutton-turner-and-dave-bruskas-part-two/

Warren Throckmorton publishes part 1 of interview with Dave Bruskas and Sutton Turner

Part 1 has gone up as of this morning.
https://www.wthrockmorton.com/2020/07/28/blog-theme-mars-hill-church-interview-with-dave-bruskas-and-sutton-turner/

Warren Throckmorton has had conversations with Dave Bruskas and Sutton Turner, slated for publication 7-28-20 and 7-30-20

Since the closure of Mars Hill Church Dave Bruskas and Sutton Turner have come around to a new perspective on their time at Mars Hill.  I've blogged about the eight-part series they did on Older Pastor, Younger Pastor earlier this year.  Perhaps a bigger sign that Bruskas and Turner are open to talking about MHC and reaching out to people might be that they've recently agreed to have on record conversations with Warren Throckmorton, who has announced that he's talked with them and will be publishing the conversations soon.  Direct link after the break.

notes on Ep 8 of Older Pastor/Younger Pastor--Sutton Turner confirms that Mark Driscoll has blocked him across social media and won't talk to him in any capacity, and some other things

I thought it was going to be a seven episode run but there are eight episodes.
https://amicalled.com/pastoral-lessons-from-mars-hill-church-e8-lessons-on-recovering-after-crisis/
What is more, Sutton Turner has published the transcript of episode 8
https://investyourgifts.com/recovering-after-crisis/
Ah, thanks!  That sure beats Wenatchee The Hatchet having to spend a uncounted hours transcribing things like Mark Driscoll's 2008 spiritual warfare series before being able to do any analysis of it!

Excerpts from and thoughts/notes on Episode 8 are below:

notes on the Older Pastor/Younger Pastor series with Ryan Williams, Dave Bruskas and Sutton Turner on lessons from Mars Hill--UPDATE: quotes from transcripts

So the seven-part series has recently, if it goes to seven parts, wrapped up.  As Sutton Turner has commented and fielded questions here at Wenatchee The Hatchet he would probably not be too surprised that Wenatchee The Hatchet has taken the five hours needed to listen to all seven episodes, and likely Bruskas and Ryan Williams would not be surprised at this post either.  Nobody who knows the history of this blog as a chronicle of the life and death of Mars Hill would be. So ... some notes ...

discussion series: Pastoral Lessons from Mars Hill Church with Ryan Williams, Dave Bruskas & Sutton Turner

The seventh episode of an apparently seven (?) part series has gone up in which Ryan Williams talks with Dave Bruskas and Sutton Turner.  Owing to offline life events I have had other projects going and haven't tackled MHC related stuff in a while.  Now that Ragtime and Sonata Forms is up, though, I'll have time to get to the series, eventually.  For those who haven't heard of the series the links to the episodes are available after the break.

Sutton Turner and Dave Bruskas have been having a series of podcast interviews ... first three episodes as links for now

https://amicalled.com/pastoral-lessons-from-mars-hill-church-e1-lessons-on-repentance/

https://amicalled.com/pastoral-lessons-from-mars-hill-church-e2-lessons-on-accountability/

https://amicalled.com/pastoral-lessons-from-mars-hill-church-e3-lessons-on-church-growth/

No comments on the material yet as there's other things going on in the offline world but ... for those who haven't heard about these, they're up online and from what I've heard there's plans to have six or seven episodes.  As longtime readers may recall, Sutton Turner has left clarifying comments here at Wenatchee The Hatchet from time to time (as has Justin Dean). We have, of course, not always agreed on things but that's no reason to not let people comment, even if comments are all moderated.

That's all for the moment.  The links, at this point, are fyi.  Will eventually give them a listen but there's other projects incubating, per an earlier post.