You may have heard about the matter involving John Lindell and Mark Driscoll at the Stronger Men’s Conference. The conference apparently opened with a performance by Alex Magala who took his shirt off, climbed a poll and swallowed a sword. Driscoll was set to speak at the conference. When Driscoll got up to speak, he called out the performance and said that the spirit of Jezebel was in the house. Lindell told Driscoll, Driscoll was out of line. Driscoll was invited to leave the stage, which he did. There is a lot that has happened since that event, including accusations by Lindell that Driscoll tried to divide his church.
My intention is in writing this piece is to give leaders a few tips on preventing a crisis before it happens or averting a media mistake. If you want more substantive information – perhaps you’re navigating your own crisis –you may book a paid consultation at www.spotlightpr.org. In the meantime, here are three reminders to help you prevent a crisis:
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Ignoring a person’s past, if there has not been demonstrated change, is risky.
Mark Driscoll has faced his own set of professional challenges. His background offers context for how we might view what he says and how he presents himself. I don’t believe that people should be tethered to their past, but it’s unwise to completely ignore their past. When I heard Driscoll’s comments about the spirit of Jezebel, I viewed those comments in the context of what I’ve heard about Driscoll. While I thought the performance was unacceptable for a Christian setting, it didn’t resonate as anything close to the spirit of Jezebel. I simply think the purpose of church and Christian gatherings is to develop disciples and teach the bible.
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The best way to manage a crisis is to prevent it before it unfolds
. I would be surprised if James River Church didn’t anticipate Magala’s performance would cause a stir. In this instance, the organizers of this event could have prevented the current crisis had they not invited Magala or provided framing around why he was there and the message the audience should take from his performance. And if no one flagged the potential fallout around Magala’s performance, one has to question why. Having a man take off his shirt in a Christian setting was always going to create challenges from an optics perspective. If this were an event about men’s fitness, it would not have raised the same kinds of questions. But whenever you have people of faith assembled, there is a different expectation, and a higher level of responsibility.
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When planning events, start with the end in mind.
What do you want to happen? How do you want people to think and feel? What do you want the headlines to be after the event? Getting clear about those things that will help you make decisions around everything from which speakers to invite, to what items to include on the program.
In this article, I discussed John Lindell and Mark Driscoll, but this situation is really an invitation for us all. I get it. Whenever there is a scandal, it is easy to focus on the players in that situation. However, it’s a lot more helpful if we focus on ourselves. Where are we vulnerable? Is there anything we can learn? There are certain people whose lives play out on a large stage, but that does not mean that they are the only ones facing crises or challenges.
Jennifer R. Farmer, known as The PR Whisperer, is a crisis communications expert, podcast host, and small business owner. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting volunteering and reviewing bakeries.