BOOK REVIEW: Mark Driscoll's Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

Three months ago, I agreed to review Mark Driscoll’s latest book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. (Zondervan, 2006) in exchange for a free copy from the publisher. I am thankful both for the free book and the opportunity to share my opinions regarding the book in this venue.

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True to its title, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. is Mark Driscoll’s personal narrative, though the subtitle, “Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church” comes much closer to conveying the book’s content. Confessions contains Mark’s “blow by blow” reflections on the lessons learned throughout his nine years planting Mars Hill Church in Seattle (9). Though written to an undefined audience, Confessions is most likely to benefit those who are planting and pastoring churches.

Mark states his purpose for writing on the final page of the book’s Prelude: “My hope is that our hardships and lessons will help to serve others who are undertaking similar missions and inspire the planting and renewing of many churches to reach emerging generations” (12). Mark lays the book’s framework with an introduction (Chapter 0) entitled “Ten Curious Questions” and then arranges the remaining pages in seven chapters divided according to stages of numerical, congregational growth:

1. Jesus, Our Offering Was $137 and I Want to Use it to Buy Bullets (0-45 People)
2. Jesus, If Anyone Else Calls My House, I May Be Seeing You Real Soon (45-75 People)
3. Jesus, Satan Showed Up and I Can’t Find My Cup (75-150 People)
4. Jesus, Could You Please Rapture the Charismaniac Lady Who Brings Her Tambourine to Church? (150-350 People)
5. Jesus, Why Am I Getting Fatter and Meaner? (350-1,000 People)
6. Jesus, Today We Voted to Take a Jackhammer to Your Big Church (1,000-4,000 People)
7. Jesus, We're Loading Our Squirt Guns to Charge Hell Again (4,000-10,000 People)

The book concludes with two appendices and a substantial collection of endnotes from which one could assemble a hearty reading list for years to come.

Though arranged according to phases of numerical growth, the book is better understood as it flows from Mars Hill’s initial days, where failure was a constant reality, to the present day, where Mark is striving to prevent predictability and success from becoming agents of slow corrosion and destruction (144). As a result of this steep learning curve, Mark offers gleanings from the diverse personal, theological, pastoral, organizational, and logistical lessons he has learned along the way.

For example, one of the most helpful lessons Mark describes is the role of repentance in the process of pastoring people. As he discusses the four phases of organizational decline (141ff), Mark identifies the failure of church leaders to repent as the death stage (143). “Rarely does the leadership of a church in this phase rise up to repent of the things that are preventing the church from returning to the life-giving creative phase, and eventually the church dies” (144). Thus, when Mark repented of his quest to have a Generation X church, this “set the precedent of me standing up to recant my dumb ideas so that we can get unstuck on our mission of bringing the gospel of Jesus to our city” (66). This trend continues for the leadership of Mars Hill. For, after years of decrying age specific ministries, Mark shares how the elders most recently repented of this overly idealistic posture and initiated a singles’ and youth ministry (159).

As someone who has been part of a church plant and who, Lord willing, plans to lead a plant in the coming years, I found Mark’s book valuable for the simple fact that it offers a complete narrative of his planting experience. Unlike most resources on church planting that either devise hypothetical examples of Church Planting Larry or provide mere snapshots of actual planters, Mark’s book provides the comprehensive story of his own experience. This provides a unique and much needed perspective.

Within this narrative of self-discovery, Mark pinpoints perhaps the most critical make- or- break issue for the success of planters—he admits that he had no idea what he was doing when he started. “I know this may sound nuts, but when you are the only pastor on staff at a small church, you don’t have a boss, a job description, or a general clue what you’re supposed to be doing. In some ways, I felt like the kid in that movie Home Alone” (51). At its most basic level, the strength of Confessions is the outworking of that singular confession.

A second positive for me is that Mark’s book clearly illustrates the precision and strategy required to plant a “successful” church—even if one disagrees with Mark’s definition of success in the end. Having participated in a church plant that lacked the vision and commitment to guiding principles necessary to produce sustainability, I was consistently challenged both by Mark’s visionary leadership and by the elders’ ability to constantly evaluate their plans and practices. Mark’s discussion of reverse engineering (167, put simply, beginning with the end in mind) under girds the entire narrative, leaving me to conclude that little in Mars Hill Church’s development has been accidental (see also “Question 6: What size shoe will your church wear?” 28).

Unfortunately, for me, the book’s many positive elements are virtually eclipsed by two closely linked negatives. First, the prose of the book is constantly interrupted by what I can only call, “Driscollisms.” Phrases like “as popular as a fart in an elevator” (67) and “worse than being a vegetarian chef employed at a steak house” (41) might be funny if used sparingly, but in Confessions they litter the narrative and create the vibe of listening to a bad stand up. Moreover, phrases like “the drummer…beat the kit as if it were Rodney King” (69) lack anything remotely approaching pastoral sensitivity, let alone the sobriety that should characterize the pen of a minister of the Gospel. This barrage of one-liners, similes, and shock tactics distract from Mark’s valuable, instructional points and had the cumulative effect of really annoying me. In my opinion, this is as much the editor’s fault as it is Mark’s.

As I read, I found myself frequently marking “J” in the margin. At first I thought that these referred to the Driscollese jargon. However, by the book’s end, the word juvenile was at the forefront of my mind every time I marked a “J” in the margin. These “J’s” snowball, making for a bumpy and, in the end, sloppy book. Permit two examples to demonstrate my point.

(1) At a church in the suburbs, I was impressed with their very cool building but a bit bummed that the church web address was the same as the pastor’s name, because it seemed a bit pretentious, like rapper P Diddy a.k.a. Sean John, who wears his own clothing line with his name emblazoned on the front of his shirt. Conversely, I was also a little jealous because it did sound a bit cool to have a church named after me, complete with my photo on the side of buses so that everyone would know that I was pastor izzle fo’ shizzle. From the printed material and the sermon, it was readily apparent that this church was into the bling Christ, who will make you rich and cure all your diseases, except for the epidemics of consumerism and eighties charismullet hair, of course. They even taught that Jesus was a rich man and that only people who lack faith get sick, presumably like the junior varsity Job and Paul. For them, Jesus was a piñata, Christianity was a whacking stick, and their mission was to teach people how to get goodies to fall out of heaven (49).

(2) Scrambling for ideas, I agreed to cancel a Sunday church service to let some of our long-haired public-radio types take us outside to do a large joint art project they had proposed. They gave each of us a large chunk of paper on which to paint something that symbolized our personality, which they would then string together as a large mural highlighting the different personalities of our church. As a truck-driving jock who watches a lot of Ultimate Fighting, I can honestly say it was the gayest thing I have ever been a part of. I feared ending up with a church of chickified arty dudes drinking herbal tea and standing around talking about their feelings, as illustrated by their finger painting. To this day, I twitch like a Vietnam vet just thinking about the mural (71).

Second, whatever you want to call these “J’s,” they will keep people from talking about the points of the book that are valuable, meaningful, and worthy of note (e.g., Christocentric ecclesiology, leadership by plurality of elders, safeguarding marriage and family in the midst of planting, the importance of expository preaching, shepherding a church by keeping them on mission, the indispensability of biblical faithfulness, creative strategy, and hard work, etc). What’s worse, I believe they will compromise the book’s longevity. Even more than the language issue that has generated chaos among the fundamentalist wings of the blogsphere, Mark’s approach often appears to be the opposite of judicious. In this regard, Confessions of a Reformission Rev. lacks the propriety and decorum that marks Augustine’s timeless work bearing a similar title.

Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church (The Leadership Network Innovation)

Comments

[Kyle]

"they will keep people from talking about the points of the book that are valuable, meaningful, and worthy of note"

Perhaps true in some cases.

I attend Mars Hill and as such have been involved in many conversations that readers of the book have had, and while at times someone will bring up something they found funny Mark said, the vast majority of the conversations center around the main meat of the book.

Just my 10 cents.

[Joel]

Good review... I also reviewed the book on my blog

I recommended the book when I wrote the review, but now, after a few weeks of letting it settle, I think I would rather just recommend that someone download his sermon about Paul planting the Corinthian church. He shares most of the good content of the book in an hour and 15 minutes.

Good call on the one-liners. I didn't know how to express how they sounded, but "juvenile" is dead-on. (Although the first proof you offered, I thought, was not a good example, since I thought it was one of the better stories in the book... maybe I relate more...)

It's unfortunate, but you are right. This book lacks any timeless qualities. In 2 years, this will be in the 75% off rack at Christian book stores, and the one-liners will come back to haunt him. Let's hope that his book on the Atonement is a little more meat, and less twinkies.

[Kevin Cawley]

Kyle, I'm glad to hear that people at MH are getting into the meat of the book. My statement was based on the simple fact that, thus far, in the blog world at least, this has not been the case.

[Pete]

good job, man...I've posted a link to this.

[Daling]

What kind of scam are you running now? Are you getting free books from publishers? This angers me greatly.

[tyler thigpen]

good review man. what publishers are you hooked up with?
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[Kevin Cawley]

Tyler, mostly publishers that focus on yoga, diet, health, and fitness. I have been approached by several body-building publishers (both for reviews and for personal photos), but try to keep my obligations down...

Lest anyone think I have the least bit of status or clout with publishers...I simply got in on this deal.

[Steve McCoy]

Good review KC. After seeing you at R&R, I think you have developed a twitch to Driscollian humor. ;)

I agree it's overdone, laid on too think. I think this is an area he needs to change, and I think it will change. It may hurt the longevity of the book, but it's hard to read the book thinking they intend it for longevity.

[brett]

I respectfully disagree with your opinion that the "Driscollisms" detract and distract from the meat of the book. I hope/plan to plant a church in the coming years and found great value in his experience, and the "Driscollisms" only help to make it feel like a personal book rather than a textbook of churchplanting theory. I have had many hours of conversation regarding the book with pastor/elders and others at my church, we spend roughly 10% of the conversation laughing at the Driscollisms and 90% discussing the meat.

And by the way, my favorite was either his response to the guy calling him at 3am (page 60) or the unicorns comment on page 103.

[Dwayne Forehand]

Kevin,
I've been attending Mars Hill for a few years so I may simply be used to the "Driscollisms." They do at times slightly distract me, but more often they just give me a little chuckle. Knowing that Mark is solid in content keeps me pushing along. For someone new to him I can see why this would be stumbling block. That's not why I wanted to comment though. I wanted to say thank you for showing that it is still possible to offer a serious critique in a mature, thoughtful and respectful manner. I had almost forgotten what that look liked.

Thank you.

[Michael Foster]

Kevin,

Thanks for the great review! I think Driscoll's next book is of a more expicitly serious tone and we calm the soul's of those who worry Driscoll's wealth of knowledge and wisdom will be forever tainted by his "Driscollism."

[Michael Foster]

opps...I meant "will calm the soul's..."

[Mike Anderson]

Kevin, Congrats on the Challies link.

[Gary Davis]

I have to say that I find myself in agreement with your assesment regarding the value of the book, but dumbfounded at how the "markisms", as I call them, detracted from your reading and gleaning of the book. I for one, am more offended when I read someones stuff and they don't share with me what they are thinking. The may be bad stand-up fodder, but they are none the less honest representations of what he is thinking, or remebering, about that time. It is refreshing for me to know that Mark doesn't like everyone.

[Kevin Cawley]

Gary-- It seems like the difference between us is that I don't think one requires the other. Mike-- def no link for you after that comment. (Was good to see you on Sunday, btw)

[Mark S]

Kevin wrote

"Kyle, I'm glad to hear that people at MH are getting into the meat of the book. My statement was based on the simple fact that, thus far, in the blog world at least, this has not been the case."

Ah, the blog world, second only to the great city in Revelation as the paragon of culture and thought.

[cavman]

I'm still in the 'can I buy bullets' stage. And there are days when it is SO hard to keep going, enduring the hits to the ego (though I must decrease that He might increase) so forth.

Mark is still pretty young for a pastor. Like me he converted from Roman Catholicism. I'm not sure what other issues he may have had as a teen/young adult. But maturity is a process, and what might be easy for some is more difficult for others. I have a sick sense of humor, so I find most of the Driscollisms funny. Perhaps I need to grow up more in that area.
But EVERY Christian leader I've met or heard about has ISSUES, and I've met a goodly number. Perhaps that's Jesus' way of keeping us from idolatry, since we are so prone toward it.

[Dan Weber]

Kevin, Nice review. I am really surprised at how many people who have posted on this have not been bummed out with what you are calling "driscollisms". For the first several years that I listened to Driscoll I too chuckled at his one liners, now I am distraught by the things that I am laughing at, particularly when the chuckle comes at the expense of groups like veterans, homosexuals, and less masculine men. Not even close to acceptable. Nevertheless, Mark is extremely gifted and this book will undoubtedly encourage me and many others. Nice Review. dweb