I posted a blog on Saturday about reports of complaints against The Village Church staff member Jason Holleman and his ‘counsel’ of women in abusive marriages. I have received some messages in my email from that post, one of which really shook me to my core. It was in regards to a Village Church staff member who committed suicide in 2011. This was in the email I received:
I responded to the email and asked who the staff member was. She replied and stated that his name was Mo Murray, who was on staff in the IT department. A quick Google search pulled up a TVC sermon transcript from August 14, 2011, titled ‘The Mission of God’. What most people wouldn’t know is that in the beginning of this sermon, Matt Chandler had something to say about Mo’s suicide….
I really don’t have words to describe how awful this is. How can a man of God stand in front of thousands of people and shame a man who isn’t (and can not) even be there to defend himself? What’s worse is Chandler talks about how rough it had been for HIM and HIS STAFF all week – well hey, what about Mo’s family and friends MATT? How do you think they felt when you got up there and talked about how sinful and selfish Mo Murray was, just a week after he took his own life? What kind of crass and heartless individual does this?
Chandler does go on to say that people should seek professional help for depression when it gets serious enough (I’ll give him credit for that), but that does NOT excuse the way he shamed a dead man from the pulpit.
COMPLETELY INEXCUSABLE
ABC Biblical counseling
The Village Church relies heavily on ‘Biblical Counseling’, primarily the method used by those among the Association of Biblical Counselors (see image below). This type of counseling relies solely on the Bible and typically does not use secular psychological methods. Also, you do not need to be licensed by the state to become an ‘ABC’ counselor. Jason Holleman the TVC groups minister who has a reported 16 complaints against him, was a featured speaker at a recent ABC Conference in April. Jason counsels people who are suicidal.
you're on your own
In the same email that I received from a concerned reader, she related a story to me concerning Jason Holleman and something he shared during a recovery group meeting:
I have to wonder – was Mo Murray one of those men who called for help, and no one answered? Did he just need to hear a friendly voice on the other end of the phone to get him through one more day, but for ‘his own good‘, someone like Jason Holleman refused to answer? Is this an example of all the ‘resources’ TVC had to offer, as Matt Chandler referenced in that sermon when he spoke about Mo Murray’s suicide?
Mo had all the weapons available to you, to me and to anyone else to combat the lies of the enemy in that moment. In a weak moment, he did not pick up those weapons, he believed in the lie and he took his own life.
Matt Chandler
From his sermon at the Village Church on 8/11/11
a timely tweet
I already had plans to write this blog today when I came across a tweet last night that was particularly timely for this topic. A PCA pastor (they are Calvinistas like TVC) posted a tweet about how he would (and probably has) officiated over a wedding of a pregnant bride or the funeral of someone who has committed suicide by pointing out the sin in each of those scenarios. Needless to say it did NOT go over well in the twitterverse, and rightfully so. Point being, there are a lot of ‘Matt Chandler’s’ out there that think it’s perfectly ok to just go around with a spiritual cattle prod poking whoever they want, whenever they want, in any situation they want, regardless of how it makes anyone feel, in the name of ‘bringing glory to God’ or ‘gospel-centeredness’. I don’t know how many books they read to get them to that place of hard-heartedness, but all I can think of is how Jesus responded to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:1-4
“Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.“
Lastly, my deepest condolences to the Murray family, who may never read this, but even still, I want to express how very grieved I am over your loss. I do sincerely hope that this family was ministered to, loved and cherished, despite what Matt Chandler said in the pulpit that morning, and that they have experienced healing in these last 8 years since his passing.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-8255.
Unfortunately I disagree with your assessment. I agree with Garrett and Jeff below. There was no shaming of the deceased. It was a call to those present that a mistake was made and had repercussions. A good message. Difficult, but appropriate.
Suicide is not a ‘mistake’ – it is the tragic outcome of the desperate state of a human soul. Your statement lacks empathy & understanding, which I suspect is what Mo encountered at The Village Church. Shame on you.
Thank you for the work you do. I completely agree with your assessment. Anyone who doesn’t agree I believe they have lost touch with humanity. I wish my friend would have had the support he needed before he did what he did. I just hope he’s in a good place now.
I do go to Village Church and would like to echo Jeff’s comments below. Judging ma church leader from outside a situation you weren’t involved in would be just as bad as Chandler not lifting a finger to help and shaming a dead man from the pulpit, assuming that characterization were true. But that characterization is not even close to true. As a covenant member for 6 years, I can tell you that Matt was absolutely right when he said Mo had all the resources he needed. There are so many staff members who bend over backwards for anyone, whether… Read more »
Randomly and accidentally landed on your page looking for something else. Judging by the amount of comments, not much traffic. Good thing, because this post is absurd. I don’t know Matt chandler or his church. But what he said about the Christian and Biblical perspective on suicide is spot on. It also seems like they have a decent grasp on sin, brokenness, grace and redemption judging by the the snippets you chose to embed. Anyway, seems like a weird smear campaign. I’m intrigued by this enough to comment. It kinda looks like you’re a Christian site? Just anti this guy… Read more »
Just “randomly” landed on this page yet you call her writing a smear campaign, the same language the TVC insiders are using about this site. Hmmmm…