On Sunday, July 11, the Rev. Todd Elliott got up on stage to say goodbye to parishioners at Beach Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“This is a sad day for our church,” one of the elders said before the other announced Elliott’s departure.
For several years, the church’s elders had clashed with Elliott over who should run the nondenominational church of about 1,600, which had been twice named one of the fastest-growing churches in the country.
The Beach Church bylaws and the Bible put most of the authority on the elders, David Dodge, chairman of the elder board, told worshipers. Elliott disagreed, believing the pastor should have more authority. Things had finally come to a head. Elliott resigned and would be receiving a year’s severance. And the church would begin the search for a new leader.
“I just want to thank you,” Elliott said to thunderous applause from the congregation. “Thank you for letting me serve and be your pastor and teacher over the last 14 years.”
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He and the elders then prayed together and walked off stage, ready to part ways.
But Elliott would be back.
In what has been described as a coup or a revolt, a group of angry church members — organized on a Facebook page called Beach Church Together — rose up to defend Elliott. Within days, the Beach Church elders had resigned, the locks on the church had been changed and the doors opened for Elliott’s return.
He never even missed a Sunday.
“You people,” Elliott said, shaking his head and smiling, back in his pulpit just one week after his resignation — but now with a new message.
Who’s in charge?
First, Elliott laid out a bit of the church’s history, blaming the bylaws for holding the church back and causing previous pastors to leave.
Things would be different, he promised, if the church were to change bylaws to put the pastor in charge. If the church did that — and if the bylaws met with his approval — Elliott said he’d return as pastor and lead the church to its best days ever.
“You will not see a church that will be kicking down the gates of hell like Beach Church will be,” Elliott said, his voice rising to a crescendo. “Because I’m telling you, baby, you’re going to want to invite your neighbors, you’re going to want to invite your friends, you’re going to want to invite your co-workers and your family because we’re going see God move freely in this church like it’s never been seen before. I’m telling you that right now.”
The dispute between Elliott and the Beach Church elders has left chaos in its wake. After the elders resigned, church staff and other supporters of the pastor suspended the bylaws and named a transition team so the church could operate. But the church’s elders say any moves made by the transition team are invalid because they violate the church bylaws.
As a result, the church has two rival groups claiming to be in charge. It is unclear which group’s position is legal.
Competing visions of church governance
The Beach Church dispute also reflects larger conflicts in congregations big and small, where the presence of a charismatic and engaging preacher often draws newcomers and holds the keys to a church’s success.
Many of the nation’s largest churches are run by entrepreneurial pastors, who often operate more like CEOs than faith leaders. That can lead to great success but also often leaves churches with little control over their pastor, at times with disastrous results.
The Roys Report has detailed such results in investigations of controversial megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll and former Harvest Bible Chapel pastor James MacDonald.
David Dodge, chairman of the elder board at Beach Church, said recent events took elders by surprise. They had been working for several years to find common ground with Elliott, he said.
Dodge now believes Elliott, who declined to be interviewed, has violated his severance agreement by trying to come back. But, he said, unless they are willing to sue the staff and transition team, there’s little he or other elders can do.
“The takeover of the church has proceeded quite quickly,” said Dodge.
Dodge added that elders at churches like Beach Church want to follow the Bible’s teachings, which he believes outline how a church is run. But they can’t compete with a popular pastor.
In a statement, the Beach Church transition team defended Elliott and said that a spontaneous uprising occurred upon his departure.
Russell Johnson, a former church staffer who became an elder several years ago, said he and other elders were trying to do the right thing in their dealings with Elliott.
Church members had affirmed their roles and asked them to safeguard the church and make sure the church operated in accordance with the Bible and the bylaws. When elders did just that, he said, the members turned on them, taking what he and other elders described as “a torches and pitchforks” approach.
Johnson, who has been part of Beach Church since the mid-1990s, said he and other elders decided to resign at first, hoping to keep the church from splintering. But once he and other elders realized the church could not function or have an orderly transition without them, they rescinded their resignations. They don’t want to stay long term, but they do want to set things right before they leave.
“We want to make sure the church can move forward in a way that’s biblical,” he said.
Problems with power
Sarah Merkle, who is an attorney specializing in governance and is a professional parliamentarian and a senior editorial adviser for “Church Law & Tax,” a publication for church leaders, said churches are required to follow their bylaws when making decisions.
Once adopted, she said, those bylaws can’t, in most cases, be suspended or ignored. If churches do ignore them, especially on major decisions, they can wind up in court.
She urges churches to pay attention to their bylaws and evaluate them on a regular basis to make sure they still meet the church’s needs. By the time a conflict or problem arises, she said, it’s often too late.
Merkle is also wary of churches that give too much authority to one person. She pointed to the example of the now-defunct Mars Hill Church and the trouble it ran into by giving its pastor, Mark Driscoll, too much power.
A popular and influential pastor doesn’t have a more direct line to God than other people in the church, she said. And pastors, like anyone else, are still susceptible to human foibles.
“We can’t assume that giving all the power to one person who has a charismatic personality is a wise choice,” she said.
Scott Thumma, a sociologist of religion at Hartford Seminary, said most larger churches have an internal board of elders that governs the church and provides checks and balances to the senior pastor. Even so, he said, for the most part, the senior pastor, especially at megachurches, is in charge. The pastor’s authority can be tempered in some ways, he said, but they still have the final word.
“In the end, it’s the decision of that one person,” he said.
Legal action possible
The transition team at Beach Church is moving forward with plans for the church’s future as a pastor-led church. Team members reject the leadership of the elders, who they say had amended the church bylaws to consolidate their power.
But they do say some of the behavior of Elliott’s supporters was inappropriate.
“We have heard of some ugly things being said to the former elders in those early days, and those things were clearly uncalled for, unchristian and unwise, and we hope all who reacted in anger toward the elders have since repented and sought their forgiveness,” the transition team said in its email to church partners.
The church’s proposed new bylaws put most of the authority in the hands of the senior pastor, who’d be overseen by a group of outside pastors. The pastor of Beach Church, under the proposed bylaws, would be allowed to nominate the overseers, who would be confirmed by church trustees.
Elliott has approved the new structure and bylaws, transition team chair Darman Weaver told worshipers at a recent service. A vote on the new bylaws is scheduled for early September.
The elders who opposed Elliott’s return are considering legal action to stop the changes at Beach Church. But that would be a long and difficult process, said Dodge.
He sees what has happened at Beach Church as a warning to other churches. A church’s elders, he said, can never win a popularity contest with a pastor, especially one with a vocal group of followers.
Johnson said he wants the church to do the right thing, both legally and in the eyes of God. The conflict with Elliott and the fallout from the pastor’s resignation he said, has left the elders “broken.”
“And by that, I mean heartbroken.”
Bob Smietana is a national reporter for Religion News Service.
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41 Responses
This church needs to remember something: just because the building is packed and every seat is full does not mean that God is blessing it. Numbers are not now nor have they ever been a sign of God’s approval. Unfortunately, when a congregation decides to lean on the understanding of man instead of the wisdom of God, hearts are broken and relationships severed. And that should be enough to prove to everyone that the Lord is NOT in the works at this church.
The elders and the bylaws are in line with the Scriptures. I’d be very leery of a congregation that is personality-driven and will push for or accept the resignation of an entire elder board to maintain a celebrity figure they support. The fact that he is constantly at odds with a plurality of leadership should be a red flag. This is the sourdough starter for the James MacDonalds and the Mark Driscolls. If they’d had strong and godly elders who held THEM accountable instead of bossing around “yes” men who acquiesced to their wills, maybe thousands of Christians and some seekers would not have been abused and damaged.
I’ve lived through this. Beach Church, you do not want to go down this road–it’s nothing but pain for all of you.
The proposed church structure (which has been “approved” by the “pastor” is like a template for how to establish a “church” that is the antithesis of New Testament teaching and example and that is headed for a bad end.
Amen to all these comments, above.
I’ve been through a church split … a popular, but unbiblical pastor was the root cause of the trouble.
I don’t wish that on anyone.
I have seen both sides of this– from a rogue pastor to elders who squelched any innovation and demeaned their pastor. Unfortunately this article does not give adequate details. Just what were the issues and why could they not come to consensus? Either way, this is a sad development and should really not happen.
Agree with you 100%. The red flag, though, to me is taking away all authority from the board and putting it in the hands of a committee of “outside” pastors, most of whom are probably his friends.
Doug, is Todd Elliott paying you?
I am convinced that a plurality of elders is essential for Godly church government.
It’s not a plurality of elders which makes for godly church government. It is godly elders.
Sandy is right!
Who’s worried about the gates of hell prevailing when corporate culture in tandem with the cult of celebrity are given top priority in the megachurch world?
Lots of good sense in the comments, IMO. The church is the body of interest here, and its governance through an elected body of qualified elders; overseers. The pastor may be an elder, or might not be, either way, he or she is the hired help, not a ‘leader’ (of which we have none in the church – we have servants with mutual obligations to each other). That’s how the employment contract should be set out .
“The church’s proposed new bylaws put most of the authority in the hands of the senior pastor, who’d be overseen by a group of outside pastors. The pastor of Beach Church, under the proposed bylaws, would be allowed to nominate the overseers, who would be confirmed by church trustees.”
The beginning of the end.
When churches fight the Gospel loses
Abusive leadership cuts both ways… sometimes it is an abusive pastor, sometimes it is an abusive board. Unless you are in the room with them or intimately connected to the church you have no idea “what is really going on”. Both the article and some of these comments contain insinuations condemning Pastor Todd. I am not in his church, but I know him to be a thoughtful loving person, who resigned rather than starting a fight.
Pastors today face more pressure and stress that any time in the previous 40 years that I have seen. They are resigning and quitting at an alarming rate. Most desperately need encouragement and understanding, not condemnation.
His demands before returning indicate he is more concerned about the Church of Todd Elliott than the church of Jesus Christ.
John … that is a very unfair statement. You do not know the man, why he made that “demand”, nor what he has experienced. Give the man a break, and have a little trust in him for the hard work he and others did so that they have reached so many people.
IMHO the correct approach would be to put the issue of “board or pastor” to a congregational vote, with the understanding that the loser resigns. Certainly not, however, the removal of all checks on the pastor’s authority.
Since you know him, perhaps you can slip him a copy of Wade Mullens’ book?
No Pastor Elliott, I will never attend your Church…
I have seen where the Pastor is King and is abusive or where the board is King and is abusive… and sometimes both at the same time !!! Horrible experiences….
The U.S. has about a billion independent churches where each church is doing its own thing for the kingdom… and not doing a very good job while they are at it..
How about, no independent churches and a requirement where a church belongs to a denomination or has some kind of EXTERNAL oversight….
Lets pray for pastor Elliott and not assume he is trying to be king. That is simply not fair
@Doug
If a church’s entire elder board resigns, to me there is something seriously wrong with the church. I need to know very little about the church.
Church by-laws and church constitutions exist because states require them. A state requires by-laws to be followed so as to avoid constant mayhem at churches. Yet many evangelical churches still have mayhem and are embarrassment to the cause of Christ.
I could pray for the guy, but I would have to ask a dozen or so questions?
– Where did the pastor go to seminary
– Who ordained the pastor ?
etc.
At this point I have little interest in what the pastor has to say …as I have seen many situations like this play out at evangelical churches and it is not good for the general witness to the unbelieving world as most people see the evangelical church as lacking integrity.
I look at Europe where perhaps 2% of the population goes to church and the evangelical witness is barely existent…. do people ever wonder how Europe go into that situation??
Gordon, much of what you say is true. You are correct that the conduct at churches is incredibly important for our witness to the community. It is tragic and sad when these things occur.
However, not all situations are the same. As the article notes the elder board, in this case, resigned, not due to the conduct of the pastor, but due to the reaction of the congregation to their decision. Perhaps it is a “rebellious” congregation or perhaps the board was in some way “lording over” the congregation. We just don’t know.
Perhaps when the board resigned, the situation fell outside of one covered by the By-laws. Church bylaws are often imperfect, and state laws regarding churches are sometimes not much better. I am quite confident that Beach Church did their best to follow the bylaws and state law when confronted with this mass resignation.
I ask you all again to pray for Beach Church, for pastor Elliott, and for the board members who resigned. We will all spend eternity together
Just seeing all this but Doug is right imo. I went to Beach church and it was wonderful the way it was and it was biblical and not Pastor Todd wanting recognition or popularity. Apparently nothing was agreed on and he sadly left.
It is true that there is the potential for an abusive board. When I was a pastor, I experienced that on one occasion. That said, even if this is true, by this pastor’s response in the aftermath it is clear that nothing good will come of this. I’m so grateful that the replies to this article show a strong understanding of Biblical leadership of Christ’s church (not the people’s church, not the elder’s church, not Pastor Todd’s church).
Ronald the article says very little about his response in the aftermath, and his reasons for it. I think his response is very logical and even handed. Please don’t judge a man you do not know
Immature church attenders love a charismatic CEO big time preacher man.
Thank God there were some elders who weren’t content to be “yes” men. Sadly, they will be vilified and shunned.
Why do we persist in judging someone we don’t know?
It is true that boards can be abusive. I know that as I experienced that personally on one occasion. That said, even if true in this case, it is clear that based on the pastor’s response that nothing good will come of this. Further, it is very gratifying to see that the replies to this article demonstrate a strong understanding of Biblical leadership of Christ’s church (not the peoples’ church, not the elders’ church and not Pastor Todd’s church)
“You will not see a church that will be kicking down the gates of hell like Beach Church will be”
Maybe he just got carried away in the moment, but such a bombastic statement would concern me if I were an attender. The older I get, the more I appreciate the quality of humility in a pastor.
You are right to desire humility… absolutely. But sometimes pastors say things out of conviction and passion that. when taken out of context, certainly seem bombastic. of course so do politicians, business leaders, parents, … just about everybody.
An outside “elder board” is a disaster waiting to happen. This was the approach at Mars Hill, James MacDonald, etc. A “board” made up of outside individuals has not way of knowing what is really going on within the church and the leadership approach of “the pastor.” When something finally comes to the front, it is normally too late and too often not believed by the outsiders. Humility would be willing to submit to a godly local elder board. This movie has played too many times. The church body needs to understand. It really appears as an attempt to consolidate power under this one person. Just a warning to the church family at Beach Church.
Don, you may be correct that an outside elder board can be a disaster. Certainly we all grieve at the way things have worked out in some churches you mention. But there is no perfect church governance model, nor is there a model that perfectly and clearly reflects the Scriptures. The Scriptures are simply not that clear. That is why we have Presbyterians and Baptists. As you imply, mutual humility is necessary to make any model work.
Not to beat a dead horse, but was not Pastor Elliot’s resignation an act of submission and humility? He publicly submitted to the decision of the board. It was the reaction of the congregation to the decision of the board that caused the board to resign.
@Doug, Baptists and to my knowledge, Presbyterians have accountability within the local church. It is not some “Board from outside the church.” There has to be a means to accomplish accountability within the local church (1 Tim. 5:19-20). I don’t see any way for this to happen when the CEO model of church leadership is instituted. CEO leadership is made up of a Board from outside of the corporation that meets on occasion as you know.
Something is truly wrong in a church that has existed for this long that is not able to raise up godly leaders (elders or deacons as they are often called in Baptist circles). To be the sole leader in a church I find to be extremely dangerous, if not unbiblical (see 1 Tim. 5 as listed above and other pertinent passages on church polity).
Regarding resignation as an act of submission – not necessarily. I don’t know the man involved, however I have seen way too many times when people in authority & leadership positions have either threatened or resigned knowing that this a significant power play. Had he not returned to the church, and gone on to another ministry, then I would certainly concur that it was an act of submission to protect the church. However to return forcing himself to be the sole authority (at least that is what I read in this – other than disconnected individuals from outside the church) is not submission nor humility. Humility in my judgment would be the willingness to submit to local church leadership or else leave for another ministry.
This is sounds too much like an individual who leaves a church and takes a contingency of church members with him to go down the road and start another church — something that we were instructed in seminary was highly unethical. Here the only difference is staying in the church.
So why should I care and take the time to respond since this isn’t my home church? Because we are all part of the body of Christ and what happens in the body affects all of us in differing degrees. I have family in Myrtle Beach and one of them is not walking with the Lord. This only adds more to their argument about the church and Christianity and they know about Beach Church. There are those who see this type of thing from pastors and this causes more loss of credibility. I’m listening to the very instructive podcast by Christianity Today entitled “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” and it is very instructive. This scenario sounds like it designed to have the same result. I would encourage you to listen to it.
Obviously, I don’t know anyone involved so I am not making any judgments on them. The Lord will do that. But at the very least, this is not a good look. May the Lord cause us all to walk humbly with Him and serve His Kingdom.
This situation will not end well. With all the examples of what can go wrong when you give too much authority to a strong personality pastor it just seems that they are asking for trouble.
“…a group of angry church members…rose up…” and “Within days, the Beach Church elders had resigned…” Elders aren’t there to fulfill the bylaw requirements of the state, they are those who have followed Christ and are spiritually mature and offer wisdom and perspective gained by experience. They are given by God and appointed to help lead the local body. They are vital to a healthy church
Beach Church “…had been twice named one of the fastest-growing churches in the country.” But growing in what way? Has there been real spiritual growth in a body that dishonors its elders?
My prayer is that pastor Elliot and Beach Church come to see the wisdom and grace found in having elders in their body.
I understand that most of us do not know the situation or the hearts of these men. We do see a BIG RED FLAG when all power is given to one charismatic leader. It USUALLY does not end well.
Sounds like the congregation is in charge. They wanted an authoritarian leader, and they got one. Let’s see how it works out for them.
1 Samuel 8
Mega-churchianity showing its true colors… what a shambolic disgrace… but I think it’s part of God’s dismantling the american church, especially this type. The wheels are coming off the bus and it’s either reform or continue charging for the cliff. Imo the congregants at this particular place want to charge off the cliff with their choice of one strong man leader. Sobering how the disregard of the bylaws mirrors the lawless spirit of the age (we ain’t accountable to anyone but ourselves or a god man leader we set up) that has taken over american evangelicalism…
Tragically, we can add also The Chapel in Akron, OH to the list of churches that have been hurt in the process of a lead pastor who apparently did not have as much oversight as he should have. The Elders (local) are now taking a more active role. “Lead” Pastor with little local accountability will be a disaster!