NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Three staff members of Southern Baptist Convention entities are among eight leaders of a new leadership school being launched by Mars Hill Church, the Seattle, Wash., mega-church co-led by Mark Driscoll.
Bruce Ware, Gregg Allison and Ed Stetzer will join Driscoll, John Piper and Sam Storms on the faculty of the Resurgence Training Center, a 36-hour graduate program in leadership. The faculty also includes executive director Rick Melson and Bill Clem, a leadership coach with the Acts 29 Network. The new school, according to the Mars Hill website, is intended to develop pastoral leaders for 100 new Mars Hill campuses and 1,000 churches started in partnership with the Acts 29 church planting network, which is exclusively Calvinistic.
When I read this article I say, “Praise God.” It is always a positive thing when Gospel-centered, godly men who love the church get together in order to train theologically-driven, mission minded pastors. Yet, some people will blast this. Lord, have mercy…. And you use the new training center to advance your glorious Kingdom.
There is no reason for Southern Baptists to not like this. This doesnt take away from what the SBC is doing, at all. These men can have two responsibilities without making one suffer. If you are a non-calvinist, that is great. Get trained somewhere that isn’t calvinistic. It shouldnt bother a noncalvinist that Calvinistic training centers exist. I will just say exactly what I mean; anyone who has a problem with this in any way is somewhat pathetic. I dont care that there are SBC leaders that hold only Non-calvinistic conferences, etc. Non-calvinists shouldnt care that some SBC leaders are Calvinistic and are willing to partner with non-SBC people in order to train Calvinistic pastors.