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An update letter from the Summit Madison Elders

August 4, 2024

Dear Summit Crossing Limestone Members and Attenders,

We are adding to this page a letter the Elders of Summit Crossing Community Church - Madison released this week where they take a moment to update their church on several more details involving Mark Sellers, and some things they have concluded about their handling of his employment. If you missed our orginal letter back in May, you can click or tap here or scroll down.

We encourage you to read their latest letter below, and if you have additional questions, please reach out to the Summit Crossing - Limestone elders at elders@summitlimestone.org.

Much love,

The Summit Limestone Elders

Joey Thompson
Greg Clay
Bill Magsig

Here is the letter from the Madison Elders from Thursday, August 1, 2024

Church family,

In addressing the terrible news about Mark Sellers earlier this summer the Elders shared that, with the benefit of hindsight, we now look back on Mark’s career at Summit Crossing with confusion, sadness, and genuine regret. As we have listened to your concerns we have identified a common question, and it has become clear that we need to address some failures in our judgment and decisions. While it is uncomfortable to examine this chapter in our church’s history, we feel it is important to understand what went wrong so that we can own our failures and do better in the future.

To that end, the Elders have continued to review how we handled Mark’s employment over the years, including how his employment intersected with other discipleship and church discipline matters related to Mark. We feel it is important to share what we have identified as our failures in judgment for which we owe you, the congregation, clarity and apologies.

In 2015, while Mark was a member of the church, his name was included in a large leak of users of Ashley Madison, a website that helped facilitate extra-marital affairs between adults. Church leaders confronted Mark and he denied the accusations, claiming his identity had been stolen. A mutual friend of our church leaders conducted a forensic audit of Mark’s computer and searched the “dark web” in an effort to validate Mark’s story. This search established a link between Mark’s credit card and home IP address to Ashley Madison, suggesting he had been active on the website. When confronted with this evidence, Mark maintained his denial by establishing a story that involved an alibi.

Because Mark was not on staff nor an elder at the time, our focus in 2015 was to come alongside Mark and his family and support them in a journey to rebuild trust in their relationship. In the years that followed, Mark submitted to a care plan established by church leadership that included personal counseling, marriage counseling, maintaining transparency, financial counseling, participating in a Missional Community, and regularly attending church.

In 2020, Mark entered the interview process, and the Elders approved his hiring as the Director for Missional Communities. Additionally, several elders met with Mark individually and collectively, confronting him regarding any hidden sin. Mark again denied having been involved in Ashley Madison. Because of the events in his past, the Elders looked to testimony & counsel from others to verify the changes in his behavior over the intervening five years.

In looking back on these events we now see several ways the Elders erred.  We did not give enough weight to the information that suggested he was lying about his identity being stolen. Emails show that the 2015 Madison Elders knew about this information including the possibility of entanglement with the Ashley Madison site, but erred on the side of showing grace to Mark.

In our evaluations of Mark as an employee from 2020 until his termination in 2024, we perceived his tendency to quickly confess and repair when confronted with workplace issues as evidence of humility and servant leadership. We now see it as part of a pattern of deception designed to avoid consequences. In our evaluation of Mark’s application to come back on staff, the 2020 Madison Elders placed too much emphasis on his perceived redemption and restoration and did not give significant enough consideration to the earlier “dark web” evidence in the hiring process.

Throughout this time, we allowed our love for Mark, our gratitude for his role as a founding elder, and our desire to model restoration to cloud our judgment. We never should have rehired Mark in 2020, and it is clear that many have suffered as a result. We are especially grieved over the impact this has had on staff members who worked under Mark during his 2020-2024 tenure and others in our church. We are sorry for the ways our failure to correctly assess Mark contributed to their hurt.

This failure also has impact beyond the individuals most closely connected to it. We are sorry for the ways our failures in this matter contributed to the confusion, sadness, and erosion of trust many have felt in the wake of Mark’s arrest. While we cannot undo the failures of the past, we do desire to bring them into the light by sharing them with you now, asking for forgiveness. In the last two years we have made needed organizational and process changes and are committed to applying the lessons learned going forward to avoid future mistakes.

As it relates to the behavior that led to Mark’s arrest and termination, we continue to cooperate with law enforcement and grieve for the victims we know about outside our church. Our ongoing review has not uncovered any additional information related to Mark’s arrest, but we remain committed to responding with care and compassion if that changes. If you have any information to report to law enforcement, please reach out to Detective Teresa Taylor-Duncan at teresa.taylor-duncan@madisonal.gov. If you are hesitant to reach out to the police, you may contact the National Children’s Advocacy Center (https://www.nationalcac.org/), the National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-422-4453), the Madison County Child Support Hotline (256-427-6099), or church leaders (shepherding@summitcrossing.org).

Finally, we, the Elders of our church, remain open to learning from our mistakes, continue resolute in our submission to the scriptures and our need for the Holy Spirit to guide us, and are committed to continuing communication with you, our church body.

Adam Aberle, Elder
David Ballinger, Elder
David Conrad, Elder
Patrick Johnson, Elder
David Thew, Elder
Paul Whaley, Elder

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE SUMMIT LIMESTONE ELDERS
May 22, 2024

Dear Summit Crossing Limestone Members and Attenders,

We wanted to reach out about a serious situation involving our sister church, Summit Crossing Community Church - Madison. One of their former staff members, Mark Sellers - who until today was the Director of Missional Communities - was arrested earlier today on one count of solicitation of a child under 16.

The Madison Elders released a lengthy email with more details surrounding this situation including details about how they are caring for the families involved while cooperating with police in the ongoing investigation.

We want to encourage you to read the Summit Madison email BELOW.

Please know that even though Mark was not on our staff, and hasn’t had any regular contact or involvement in our Summit Kids or Students programs, we felt it was important to loop you into what was going on since many of you know the Sellers and care deeply about our sister church in Madison.

In addition, even though we are closely connected to Summit Madison, we want to be clear that we are our own, independent church and therefore have limited access to the details of what’s going on beyond the information in the email that was sent out. If there is any more information that directly relates to our church in Limestone, then we will keep you informed.

With that said, we share more than just a name with Summit Madison. We love them deeply, we have partnered with them throughout the life of our church, and we are deeply committed to them. Please join us in praying for them and for everyone involved in this situation.

If you have further questions, please direct them to the Summit Limestone Elders by emailing elders@summitlimestone.org.

Finally, we know news like this can be very difficult for you. It’s natural to have questions or to need to talk about it. If this situation stirs up emotions or personal memories, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Our elders, staff, and leaders are here to support you in any way we can. We are ready to listen, spend time with you, and offer prayer and other appropriate support.

The first step to connect is to email us at elders@summitlimestone.org.

Much love,

The Summit Limestone Elders

Bill Magsig
Joey Thompson
Greg Clay
BELOW IS THE LETTER FROM THE SUMMIT MADISON ELDERS:

Summit Crossing Members & Attenders

In the spirit of full transparency and a desire to care well for our membership and community, we need to inform you about a serious situation involving Mark Sellers, who until today was our Director for Missional Communities.

On the evening of May 13, the leadership of Summit Crossing met with the mother of a minor and became aware that Mark Sellers had been sending sexually inappropriate and explicit text messages to her teenager, who is not a member or attender of Summit Crossing. Elders and leaders reviewed evidence provided by the mom between Mark Sellers and the teenager. We viewed these communications as showing a pattern of predatory behavior and sexual exploitation -- commonly referred to as grooming.

Our Elders and leaders believed the mother, encouraged her to file a police report and shared that we would be reporting the matter to appropriate authorities as well. The following morning, at 9:30 AM, Matthew Wilson, our Executive Director, filed a report with the Alabama Department of Human Resources, which houses the state’s Child Protective Services. Later that same day, Patrick Johnson (Elder), David Ballinger (Elder) and Matthew Wilson met with investigators of the Special Victims Unit to file a police report, and consulted with outside experts, including the National Children’s Advocacy Center, for advice on how to proceed.

Law enforcement officials asked Summit Crossing not to take steps that would alert Mark Sellers to the existence of the report or investigation as other leads included minor(s) under the age of 16. While we honored their request to continue “business as usual” regarding Mark Sellers access to the church, we also took steps to ensure the safety of our members and staff while investigators worked to gather information. Those steps included ensuring Mark Sellers was not alone with children or staff on church property.

Earlier today (May 22), law enforcement officials arrested Mark Sellers on one count of solicitation of a child under 16. Effective the moment of arrest, Mark Sellers’ employment with the church was terminated and he was indefinitely suspended from returning to church property or events. We know the criminal and court process will take some time and we continue to cooperate with investigators, who have indicated that they will follow all leads in this case.

It is important to note that we currently have no evidence that Mark Sellers engaged in similar behavior toward any members of Summit Crossing. In his role as Director for Missional Communities, Mark Sellers did not have regular involvement in our children’s or students’ ministries. However, investigators assured us that they will follow any lead regarding other potential victims. Additionally, Summit Crossing in 2021 adopted a robust Child & Student Protection Policy developed in collaboration with national leaders in preventing and responding to allegations of abuse in churches and ministries. That policy guided our response in this matter, and we are committed to responding well if our current understanding of the extent of Mark Sellers’ behavior changes with new information. Our policy is available for members and attenders upon request at shepherding@summitcrossing.org.

We understand how heartbreaking this news can be, and it's completely natural to have questions or need to talk it through. If this situation has stirred up emotions or personal memories, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Our team, including elders, staff, and leaders, are here to support you. They are ready to listen, spend time with you, and offer prayer and other appropriate support. The first step to connect is emailing us at shepherding@summitcrossing.org.

If you have any information to report to law enforcement, please reach out to Detective Teresa Taylor-Duncan at teresa.taylor-duncan@madisonal.gov. If you are hesitant to reach out to the police, you may contact the National Children’s Advocacy Center (https://www.nationalcac.org/), the National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-422-4453), the Madison County Child Support Hotline (256-427-6099), or church leaders (shepherding@summitcrossing.org).

We are deeply grieved for those who have experienced this sinful behavior by one of our employees. The brave family that came forward – and any others impacted – are made in the same image of God as our church members and attenders. We remain in contact with the family and are following their wishes regarding how we can support them moving forward.

We are also saddened by the impact this will have on the Sellers family. We are committed to supporting and caring for Mark’s family in the days ahead.

Finally, we know this story will likely be shared and analyzed. What concerns us the most is how this might change someone's understanding or heart towards Jesus. We have so much sorrow over that. We remain committed to the truth, doing the right thing and glorifying God. Despite the sorrow we feel, we are reassured that even in the darkest times, we are not alone. Jesus remains our King and Shepherd, guiding us and promising good even in hardship. In our grief, we hold onto every thread of hope the gospel offers.

TIMELINE OVERVIEW
Given the severity of these incidents, we believe it is important to summarize the timeline, though further details may emerge.

May 13, 5:00 PM
Patrick Johnson (Elder), David Balinger (Elder), Paul Whaley (Elder), Jamey Nettles, and a church member (friend of the mother) meet to hear a story from a mother who is not connected to Summit Crossing about inappropriate text messages by Mark Sellers to her teenager.

May 14, 9:30 AM
Matthew Wilson (Executive Director) & Patrick Johnson report the story to the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

May 14, 9:50 AM
Matthew Wilson & Patrick Johnson call the National Children’s Advocacy Center to report the story (no answer, leaves message).

May 14, 10:50 AM
National Children’s Advocacy Center returns call, receives Matthew’s & Patrick’s report and shares best practices/next steps on navigating the situation.

May 14, 12:00 PM
Patrick Johnson receives evidence from the family related to communication between Mark Sellers and their teenager.

May 14, 1:30 PM
Patrick Johnson, David Ballinger & Matthew Wilson meet with police detectives/investigators at the National Children’s Advocacy Center to file a report.

MAY 14 - MAY 22, 10:30 AM
At the request of the investigator, Mark Sellers remained employed while the police were investigating the reports. Summit Crossing was advised not to fire or tip off Mark Sellers by terminating him. Doing so could be considered obstructing the investigation. Having Mark Sellers on church property during the investigation put our church in a very difficult situation. Matthew Wilson was in daily communication with Detective Taylor-Duncan on the status of the investigation. During this time, either our Executive Director and Elder(s) were near and/or observed Mark Sellers at all times while on church property.

MAY 22, 10:30 AM
Mark Sellers is arrested by Madison City Police. Effective the moment of arrest Mark Sellers employment was terminated with our church.

We will hold regular services at 9:00 AM & 11:00 AM this Sunday. While we will not be disclosing more information at this service, we will be gathering to grieve, lament and worship together. Once again we will find our hope in Christ alone.

 Adam Aberle, Elder
David Ballinger, Elder
David Conrad, Elder
Patrick Johnson, Elder
David Thew, Elder
Paul Whaley, Elder
Matthew Wilson, Executive Director