The abrupt resignation of Lead Pastor Ted Max from a Chicago-area megachurch has prompted protest from hundreds in the congregation and a petition demanding Max’s reinstatement.
At services last weekend—less than two years after he was installed as lead pastor at multi-site Parkview Christian Church—Max announced that he was not in “alignment” with the church’s board and was resigning.
Max announced his resignation live at the church’s three services Saturday night and Sunday at its Orland Park campus. Video of the services were livestreamed at Parkview’s two other campuses in New Lenox and Homer Glen, as well as on Facebook.
Max said he’d been honored “to preach, teach, and lead our church” over the “past 20 months.” But he added that he and church leadership had “come to an agreement that I am not the best long-term fit for this role at Parkview.”
Max then introduced Randy Moll, identified as chairman of the church’s eight-member board.
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“It’s a very natural thing for people to wonder and speculate in situations like this,” said Moll. “So let me just say this plainly: There’s no scandal, there’s no sin, there’s no disagreement over theology or teaching or anything like that.”
Max did not offer any specific reasons for his abrupt announcement, though he vaguely referred to some disagreements about church management.
Posts of the livestreamed service on Facebook received hundreds of comments, many expressing distress over Max’s departure and anger with Parkview’s mostly anonymous board.
Moll, whose LinkedIn profile states that he has been chairman of the Parkview Board for 14 years, was the only member of the board publicly identified at the service. Parkview’s website does not list the church’s board members.
“Not sure I want to be a part anymore,” wrote one congregant on Facebook. “Pastor Ted is the reason we go now . . . I don’t go for the board.”
“We have a right to know who the board members are, and the ‘elders’ that guide the direction of the future of this church,” wrote another congregant. “You ought to consider the perspective of the very people who shape this church, the community of Christ followers who have been moved by Pastor Ted in their spiritual journeys. We deserve answers and transparency.”
Similarly, another congregant, who said she has “tithed at this church for 25 years,” asked board members to, “Identify yourselves and let us ask all the questions.”
In response to The Roys Report’s (TRR) inquiry about the board, Chairman Moll stated that Parkview’s board is comprised of the lead pastor and volunteer lay leaders.
He added, “We do not publicly post the personal information of our lay leaders on the website. However, we have been providing the names of board members to congregants upon request.”
Within hours of Max’s announcement, Parkview member David Heinrich launched a Change.org petition. It stated in part: “We stand in strong opposition against the unexpected removal of Pastor Ted Max from his position as a lead pastor by a small group within the church board.”
By Tuesday, the petition had garnered 1,135 signatures.
Parkview responds to pushback
Parkview removed Max’s announcement from all the livestream videos of its weekend services on Facebook.
However, at 4 p.m. Sunday, the church sent an email to congregants with a link to a YouTube video of Max’s announcement from stage with comments turned off.
In addition to announcing his resignation, Max also urged the congregation to accept the board’s decision and had strong words for those who wouldn’t.
“Don’t be dissension stirrers,” Max warned. “Don’t be pot stirrers. Don’t get out on the internet and post stuff . . . Don’t do it. It’s not what God wants.”
The church also posted a web page on Sunday with information on the Lead Pastor Transition, reiterating what board chair Moll had stated from the church stage. The page referred to the Parkview Board seven times, but did not name its members.
On Tuesday, the church posted to YouTube an additional three-minute video message from Max, which also had comments turned off. The church also posted links on Facebook to Max’s short message and his Sunday announcement but limited who could comment on the post.
“Many of you are trying to support me, and I am truly grateful for your care,” said Max in his short video message. “But I’m not a victim that needs to be saved. Please do not use me to discredit or dishonor the board and the leadership of our church.”
Max explained that, as a voting member of the board, he “offered to step down” as lead pastor. “After further discussion, the rest of the board agreed with me on my decision. I was not fired. This was a difficult personal choice.”
He called his resignation a mutual decision and asked congregants to respect his right to “personal privacy.”
“Everyone thinks that they need to know everything,” said Max. “And the truth is, is there’s times that you don’t. We trust. And I hope you’ll trust me when I say this was agreed upon.”
Max also urged congregants to “(refuse) to post or speak in ways that hurt our leaders, divide our church, and derail the mission.”
After viewing Max’s message, Henrich closed the petition he had launched that demanded Max’s reinstatement.
“Pastor Ted released a video message today, and after watching it with care, I have chosen to close this petition out of deep respect for him, his words, and his wishes,” Henrich wrote in an update to the petition.
Congregants call for transparency
However, Max’s message Monday didn’t satisfy many who continued to comment online.
One member stated she has been with Parkview for “over 20 years” and helped launch the Lockport campus. She wrote, “Instead of letting this highly valuable, much-loved pastor leave Parkview, there must be a better way to resolve these ‘issues.’”
Another congregant wrote, “(I) want to know who the board members are, do they get paid (a)nd why don’t we ever get a financial statement from the church like other corporate companies etc??? Too many secrets.”
A congregant replied, saying she knows all the board members’ names. “You can call the church office and they will give you an email so you can contact them,” she wrote.
Two other congregants responded, saying they had emailed the church but had not received any of the board members’ names.
TRR reached out to several people who had commented online but only heard back from one who was willing to speak further on the record, Nicholas Ipema.
Ipema, a member of Parkview for 11 years, told TRR that Parkview “took me in when I was broken, lost, and hurt.”
But he said Sunday’s announcement left him feeling “disgusted, frustrated, upset, angry, sad, betrayed, confused, and every emotion in-between.”
Ipema added that no board member, or the board as a whole, has given an update in his “almost 12 years” at Parkview. “It’s like they’re ghosts, playing master of puppets, dictating the direction of the church without any say from the congregation,” said Ipema.
He also noted that recently Parkview has received several large grants, which concern him.
Public IRS records from the open-source Grantmakers website reveal two foundations that have given Parkview significant sums in recent years.
Starting in 2021, the Elizabeth Hekman Gordon Family Foundation gave $15,000 to Parkview each year, for three consecutive years. The Freeman Family Fund gave Parkview $20,647 in 2020 and $26,500 in 2022.
When asked about the influence these funds have, Chairman Moll responded that the “receipt of funds are not tied to any particular church metrics or outcomes.”
Over the coming months, Max and two other pastors will rotate in preaching duties, along with guest speakers, Parkview said. The board added that it plans to provide “regular updates” regarding the lead pastor search process.
Julie Roys contributed to this report, which has been updated.
Josh Shepherd is production editor at The Roys Report and a journalist who writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
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14 Responses
That’s a really absurd story. A church that wouldn’t disclose his board members, that’s ridiculous. What’s worse is attendees who never really cared about that until now.
Yes, absurd is a really good word for it. The congregation doesn’t know who the board is or what their vision for the church is? And no financial statements in at least a decade? With all the secrecy, what are they trying to hide? Anyone who asks these questions however, will probably be seen as stirring dissension.
Same old baloney.
A church board forces out the Pastor and then makes him sign a NDA, so no one can talk about the Pastor leaving.
I live down the street from Parkview, while it is not my home church, I would attend Parkview from time to time to get a “Health-Check” on the typical mega church in the U.S.
Needless to say, this is typical of what goes on in Evangelical churches in the U.S..
That is why folks we call it the Evangelical Industrial Complex. Church members ask honest questions to church leadership, and no one will answer their questions.
There is regular Politics, but then there is Church Politics which is so much worse, as the people engaged in Church Politics will pound the table and say how much they “love” Jesus……..
Sad to say these are the signs of the times. Too many churches have adopted the Willow Creek corporate model which in the wrong hands can lead to untold problems.
What kind of church has a secret board? What kind of church doesn’t provide financial updates.
I HAVE OFTEN WONDER WHY PARKVIEW DIDNT SHARE FINANCES WITH IT’S MEMBERS.
PLUS WHO IS ON THE BOARD?
THIS HAS BROUGHT UP ALOT OF QUESTIONS TO ME, BUT I DONT KNOW WHO TO WRITE TO, THEY SIMPLY NEVER ANSWER QUESTIONS.
i AM ABOUT READY TO LEAVE, THS IS NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP N FOR BY ATTENDING AND DONATING
SOMETHING “AIN’T RIGHT”
JERRY MROZEK
PS YES THESE CAPS DO SHOW I AM VERY PI–
Board members not made public? Red flag. What did they think was going to happen? Lots of churches have elected Boards, Elders and Deacons. Not a lot of wisdom in the way they handled that.
“We have a right to know who the board members are, and the ‘elders’ that guide the direction of the future of this church,” Bottom line, no church should be controlled by a “secret group”, the elders should be known and a clear report of the finances given every year so everyone can see how the money is being spent.
Many of us just want transparency. The executive pastor Bill Brown has said nothing…why? Is he even a pastor? Where did he study theology? Why not have an independent investigation, as they are saying there is nothing to hide, well then there is nothing to find.
Thank you for bringing this to light.
I was a member of PARKVIEW for ten years
In the tenure of Pastor Tim Harlow
The leadership the BOARD was a Good Old Boys Club
Never revealed only surmised
Many who are big business owners with much flex to rule not only the church but community
Orland Park is a diverse but wealthy area
Secrets held and never divulged
Most of the people who attend PARKVIEW don’t care
It can be a revolving door of newbies or simple others who like the click formation
Pastor Ted most likely didn’t blend with the BOARD mafia rule.
Not surprised.
The fact that the church doesn’t elect their board members on a regular basis is very troublesome. And those church members have a right to now what was the disagreement. The should know was the board upholding the scriptures or was the board wanting to do things contrary to the word.
agree with the absurdity and incredulity that members don’t know who’s on the board.
But also…he has to quit now that ‘Ted Lasso’ got picked up for another season…he obviously has to head to the UK to start filming.
Also also … what’s with the life preserver? :D
I have never heard of a church having a secret board. Although a bit more common, but still rare is a church that does not give out yearly financial statements. While I am not often a promoter of official denominations, at least there are normally some “sop’s” that churches must adhere to. When churches are completely independent the “board” is the last stop for accountability. Don’t get me wrong, being a part of a denomination does not guarantee good practices, but it can help provide some accountability.
Industrial-Corporate evangelical dictatorships of the deeply concerned for gods work, via secret elders and hidden financial statements.
Christians in name only providing an entertainment center for the itching eared gullible.
I visited this church 20 yrs ago a few times, i walked out both times during worship as it was so loud my ears were imploding. One of those times i returned from parking lot during sermon and was unimpressed by the weak self centered narcissistic pastor [i guess?] He entered with large Starbucks coffee, flip flops, Hawaiian shirt, tanned, bragging about just returning from a middle east church planting tour. That was the sermon with a couple select scriptures tossed in to validate. Never went back.