“Distant, external accountability” at a mega-church doesn’t work, in the words of a statement posted Tuesday by a prominent preacher who quit earlier this summer as a member of the Board of Advisors and Accountability at Mars Hill Church.

The statement by Paul Tripp is sharply different from an explanation published the Seattle-based mega-church’s weekly news report to its congregation.

Tripp seemed to indirectly argue that controversial Mars Hill senior pastor Mark Driscoll needs hands-on, in-house oversight.

The board, with a majority of “outside” members like Tripp, oversees Mars Hill finances and sets church salaries. But Tripp played a much greater role in efforts to reconcile the senior pastor with a growing number of former members — including pastors — who accuse Driscoll of abusive behavior.

“We want to seek out and hear the hurts in a biblical manner: A board-approved reconciliation process is currently underway and is being overseen by Dr. Paul Tripp, who flew to Seattle and recently spent a day with the executive elders,” said a board letter earlier this year.

But Tripp hinted at deeper problems in a statement issued through Paul Tripp Ministries:

“It’s because of this love (for Jesus Christ) that I accepted the position on Mars Hill Church’s BOAA. But it became clear to me that a distant, external accountability board can never work well because it isn’t a firsthand witness to the ongoing life and ministry of the church. “Such a board at best can provide financial accountability, but it will find it very difficult to provide the kind of hands-on spiritual direction and protection that every Christian pastor needs. “Unwittingly what happens is that the external accountability board becomes an inadequate replacement for a biblically-functioning internal elder board that is the way God designed his church to be lead and pastors to be guided and protected.” “So, since I knew that I could not be the kind of help that I would like to be through the vehicle of the BOAA, I resigned from the position.”

The explanation comes four days after a national evangelical group, the Acts 29 Network, dismissed Driscoll and the Mars Hill Church from membership, and deleted mention of Mars Hill worship sites from its web page. Driscoll was a co-founder of Acts 29.

Acts 29 came down hard on the Board of Advisors and Accountability, talking of multiple complaints against Driscoll’s conduct and saying:

“In response, we leaned on the Mars Hill Board of Advisors and Accountability to take the lead in dealing with this matter. But we no longer believe the BOAA is able to execute the plan of reconciliation originally laid out. Ample time has been given for repentance, change and restitution, with none forthcoming.”

As noted Tuesday by Warren Throckmorton, a college psychology professor who writes for Patheos, the explanation of Tripp’s resignation given on his website is quite different than that given to Mars Hill members. Decidedly more upbeat, it said:

“Paul Tripp joined our Board of Advisors and Accountability in November 2013 and has been of immense help to our leaders over the last year. Dr. Tripp has extensive experience in discipleship and biblical counseling. Earlier this month, we made the decision together to open the opportunity for him to work with greater focus on issues directly related expertise, namely the continued development of our community and redemption ministries.

“Because simultaneously being a board member and a consultant does not allow for the required definition of ‘independence.’ Dr. Tripp graciously submitted his resignation from the BOAA in early June, so he can more extensively serve our church as a consultant.”

Tripp is still on the program to speak at Mars Hill’s Resurgence 2014 conference in October. So is James MacDonald, another “outside” member of the BOAA who resigned last month.

Throckmorton took note of the “discrepancies,” writing Tuesday:

“The (remaining) Mars Hill BOAA makes it sound like the decision was mutual (‘we made the decision together’) and that the reason for resignation was a conflict of interest. However, Tripp says the reason relates to the “external accountability board” model.

“He has two objections to this model. One, it doesn’t work, and two, it isn’t compatible with Bible teachings.”

At the vortex of controversy, Mark Driscoll has issued a series of mea culpas to his flock, promised to stop being a “celebrity” and concentrate on being a “loving pastor”, and — inaccurately — charged that many of his critics have chosen to remain anonymous.

A letter last Friday from BOAA Chairman Michael Van Skaik seemed to acknowledge substantive problems at the Seattle-based mega-church, which was founded in 1996 and grew to a claimed membership of 14,000.

“I told the lead pastors at the recent annual retreat that we are making real progress in addressing the serious reconciliation and unhealthy culture issues that have been a part of Mars Hill Church for way too long.”

Echoing others who have severed ties with Driscoll and/or Mars Hill, Tripp made a profession of hope tinged with sharp criticism:

“I would love to see the leadership community of Mars Hill Church become itself a culture of grace, and I am willing to help, but not through the means of a board that will never be able to do what it was designed to do.”