Seth Udinski, FISM News
The church of one of America’s most prominent young pastors is in conflict over a new elder vote. McLean Bible Church, the Washington, D.C.-based congregation of Pastor David Platt, is apparently in turmoil following a recent elder vote. Platt is well-known as a firey Reformed pastor and best-known for his New York Times Christian bestseller Radical. In addition, his church is one of the most influential in the country thanks to its size and strategic location in the Nation’s Capitol.
Platt and MBC have appeared to defend both sides of the political aisle at different times. The church espouses biblical faithfulness and the authority of the Bible. However, many have accused Platt of buying into critical race theory and leading MBC to the same path, especially since April 2018 when he delivered a critical race-themed sermon at the 2018 Together for the Gospel pastors conference in Louisville, KY. Yet he also publicly laid hands on and prayed for President Trump when the former president attended a service at MBC in early 2019, much to the dismay of many in his congregation. But then in 2020, he wrote a controversial book titled Before You Vote in preparation for the tumultuous 2020 election, which caused frustration among many conservative Christians who accused him of ignoring several crucial issues such as abortion.
Platt informed his congregation of trouble brewing early in July when three prospective elders failed to achieve a 75% majority vote to become elders. According to Christianity Today, there is a faction within McLean Bible Church that spread misinformation about the intentions and integrity of the three prospects, which swayed the vote. Platt said,
A small group of people inside and outside this church coordinated a divisive effort to use disinformation in order to persuade others to vote these men down as part of a broader effort to take control of this church.
According to CT’s report, the church took a second vote and each of the men received the necessary percentage to join the elder board. Despite this, the turmoil at MBC still exists. Hopefully, the church and its pastor will be faithful to the Word of God as they try to navigate the labyrinth of politics in the church.