Dustin Kensrue of Thrice has announced that he has resigned from his position as a pastor at Mars Hill church. Whilst the reasons for his departure in his statement aren't exactly clear it would seem that the church is doing some things that Kensrue believes to be ultimately damaging.
His statement follows:
"I would encourage you to not muddy the issues by engaging in personal attacks and becoming bitter. I honestly believe that the EE and the BOAA want good for the people of MH. I honestly believe that they love you, and that they love Jesus. But I also believe that they are blind to what is really going on, and blind to what the roots of the problems are. I believe that they are treating the media as their conscience, rather than heeding the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the elders. So speak boldly, but speak in love. Mars Hill is not on a good trajectory. All signs would point to the probability that Jesus is “removing the lamp-stand” just as he warned the church of Ephesus he would do to them in the book of Revelation. The way to prevent this is not simply to ‘return to the love we had at first,’ but first to repent! (Rev 2:5) If Mars Hill is to survive even another six months it needs to be a place of radical repentance: repentance of pride, deception, domineering attitudes, lazy and self-serving hermeneutics, and a slew of other sins. If you are going to stay, I pray that you would be bold yet loving in your confrontation of these sins and your demand for repentance, because the church of Christ deserves nothing less.
With love for the people of Mars Hill and for the glory of the name of Jesus,
Former Pastor Dustin Kensrue"
