Dustin Kensrue, lead leader singer of the Christian band Thrice, recently resigned from his position as director of worship at the Seattle-based Mars Hill Church amid mounting controversy.
The announcement came after a letter, which was signed by Kensrue and several fellow church leaders, asking that Pastor Mark Driscoll step away from the pulpit and seek "restoration" following numerous controversies, was leaked to the media.
In his resignation letter, Kensrue said that the authority of church elders to correct leadership at Mars Hill "is trampled under the man-made hierarchies and 'chain of command.'"
"I would encourage you to not muddy the issues by engaging in personal attacks and becoming bitter," Kensrue told the congregation.
"I honestly believe that [the Board of Advisors & Accountability and Executive Elders] 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."
Warren Throckmorton, a professor at Grove City College who has closely documented the events occurring at Mars Hill, first published the information on his Patheos blog.
Driscoll recently announced a six-week leave of absence as controversy continues to swirl around him, saying, "The current climate is not healthy for me or for this church," adding, "I have submitted to the process prescribed by our church bylaws as overwhelmingly approved by our entire eldership for addressing accusations against me."
In concluding his letter, Kensrue warns that the Mars Hill Ministry will not work unless true repentance takes place, and encourages members to be bold in confronting church leadership.
"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."
Kensrue, lead singer of the Christian band Thrice, moved to Seattle in 2012 to become the worship leader for Mars Hill Music. Although Kensrue's artist profile remains up on the Mars Hill website, his pastor profile has been removed.
