McLean Bible Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Dale Sutherland (Lead Pastor)

Founded 1961

Denomination Non-Denominational

Service Times Verify via website — 5 campuses

Men's Ministry Yes

Kids Ministry Yes

Website www.mcleanbible.org

Pastor Credentials Dale Sutherland: served under David Platt; trained in expository ministry

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Trinitarian; Jesus 'fully man and fully God, the one and only Lord and Savior, who died for our sins and was raised on the third day.'

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Statement: 'The Bible is God's Word' and is 'completely true' — affirms full truth though does not use the word 'inerrancy' on public page.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Verify current men's ministry programs.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

'Salvation comes by grace through faith in Christ... a free gift for all who repent and believe; it's impossible to earn.'

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

All-male elders/pastors; specific complementarian statement not posted publicly. Women hold non-pastoral roles (Director of Counseling, Connect Coordinator, Director of Kid's Quest). Yellow until explicit statement located.

Complementarian in stated position — male elders; verify post-Platt continuity

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Confirmed plural-elder governance: Mike Kelsey (Lead Pastor), David Platt (Lead Pastor), Wade Burnett (Exec Pastor), and elders Jim Burris, Ken Tucker, Hooman Gharai, Sasha Varghese, Patrick Lee, Derek Karchner. All male.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

David Platt + Mike Kelsey continue expository tradition.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

'Glorify God by making disciples and multiplying churches among all nations' — Great Commission focus.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Northern Virginia is one of the most progressive metro areas in America. MBC faces enormous cultural pressure. | MOOP-attendance note: Adam Johns attended McLean Bible 20+ years ago — it is where he met his wife Maria. Personal-history connection, but the church has changed significantly since (David Platt took over 2017, multiple board controversies + lawsuits 2021-2024, post-2020 cultural turn). Adam's historical attendance does not extend to current-trajectory endorsement.

Caution

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Non-denominational but with SBC connections through Platt.

Caution

Assessment

McLean Bible Church is one of the most significant evangelical churches in the DC metro area. David Platt's tenure (2017-2023) brought strong expository preaching, Calvinist theology, and Great Commission urgency. The church went through significant controversy and leadership transitions. Dale Sutherland now leads. The church sits in Vienna, VA — deep in progressive Northern Virginia — making it a critical outpost of biblical Christianity. Elder-led, complementarian on paper, strong missions DNA. Key question: Is the post-Platt direction holding firm?

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MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Visited the facility in person

✓ Attended a worship service

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Flip yellow→GREEN. Concrete evidence: published statement of faith on Trinity/Christ/salvation; full elder roster (10 men) including David Platt and Mike Kelsey as Lead Pastors. Gender remains yellow because while practice is complementarian, no explicit statement is on the website. Cultural pressure of NoVA noted but no DEI/affirming language found.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source live

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.