2 /5 Jon: Shawn is a good pastor and I believe he genuinely cares. But the focus on growth ended up with a lot of people in positions they shouldnt have been. My wife and I were struggling when we got here. The first place we turned was their "marriage ministry", which was lead by a couple who had been divorced multiple times and who didnt seem to currently like each other. The next place we turned was their previous senior pastor Steve... who, incredibly, advised us we should separate over a disagreement about less than $5000 in credit card debt. No infidelity, no abuse, no major issues... but he encouraged us that finance was enough to end a marriage. Completely stunning and not biblical. Somehow, we survived that without splitting.... despite his advice. Finally, my wife entertained joining the worship team. We were both stunned by how much the worship pastor (now departed) emphasized the recognition and notoriety as a benefit of playing with them. Basically the Hillsong "this is a stepping stone for how Im going to launch my real music career" vibe. Every inch of this place felt like a for-profit business run by people who had their own aspirations- except for Shawn. I have nothing negative to say about him. I just wish it had come with a smaller church that allowed him to not outsource ministry to people who generally did more harm than good.
