CBS News 5 Phoenix Reports on Mark Driscoll's Mars Hill Past

In hindsight, I wonder if the wise counselors are rethinking the decision to omit Mars Hill Church from The Trinity Church website. Thus far, some version of that fact has formed a hook for the Phoenix media to report about the formation of Mark Driscoll’s new church. Watch (text is here):
CBS 5 – KPHO
The absence of Mars Hill from the bios and new church website only invites more investigation on the part of the media. The failure to tie up loose ends in Seattle may continue to haunt the Phoenix effort for quite awhile. And by loose ends, I mean financial disclosures about where and how much member and tither money was made by selling off assets. How much went to severance packages is a frequent question I hear. Furthermore, why did lawyers tell Sutton Turner not to reveal specific figures about Global Fund giving?
More importantly, there are former elders and members who are waiting to hear from the guy who is “healing up.” Be nice if everybody could heal up.

Seattle's Music Scene and the Ghosts of Mars Hill Church

Today, Kathleen Tarrant in the Stranger brings us a beautifully written tour of the Seattle Indie music during and post the Mars Hill Church years. She makes the case that the early Mars Hill era had an influence on Seattle rock which endures today. Some of that persistence isn’t necessarily to be celebrated as many Christian artists were disillusioned by Mars Hill. For those, who want to understand the bigger themes of the Mars Hill story, I highly recommend this article.
A couple of short segment will give a taste:

The expansion continued in the years that followed. Mars Hill would nearly triple in size between 2006 and 2014, with 15 satellite franchise churches in five states. Driscoll’s fame and influence were expanding, too, and the cracks began to show. He doubled down on his anti-feminist, anti-gay agenda and was soon called out for spiritual abuse, bullying, plagiarism, and generally being a fraud. He was caught leaving abusive comments on internet message boards under a pseudonym. Church funds that had been designated for global outreach and a music festival disappeared. In 2012, a company called ResultSource was paid a reported $200,000 to bulk-buy copies of Driscoll’s book Real Marriage in 2012 to send it to the top of the best-seller list. Acts 29, the “church planting” network that Driscoll cofounded, removed his name from their materials. Members left in droves. A group of 21 former Mars Hill pastors filed formal charges of workplace abuse against Driscoll with the church’s elders.

The rise and fall of MHC has left a, um, mark.

Butcher, a former member of Mars Hill, plays drums in the band Copeland. While a member of the church, he was the drummer for the local Christian indie folk band Ivan & Alyosha, and worked as a designer at Tooth & Nail (his design of the band Underoath’s box set was nominated for a Grammy in 2010). His exit from the church lined up with his exit from the band, and he remembers the stigma of association with the church that followed. People rescinded offers for drumming gigs and cast uncomfortable glances at each other when they found out about his former membership.
“I get it,” he says now. “What happened at Mars Hill hurt so many people, including me. There’s a lot of healing to do, and the more transparent I can be and the more I can listen to people who have concerns about the church and what it did—the same concerns that I have—the better it will turn out.”

I doubt Driscoll will try to reprise the edgy young prophet role he played in Seattle. He seems headed for more of a father figure profit role in Phoenix.
 

Former Mars Hill Church Downtown Now Known as "The Mark"

You can’t make this stuff up.
Note the banner on the old Mars Hill Downtown Seattle location of Mark Driscoll’s old church. It is now known as “The Mark.”
TheMarkSeattle
 
CloseUpTheMark
 
 
You can read about the project at TheMarkSeattle.com. Quick, someone check to see if “TheMarkPhoenix.com” is registered.
Here is what it looked like back in the day.
DowntownMHC
 
 
Joel Connolly described the final service of Mars Hill Downtown in the old Methodist church. The announcement day of closing the church was a dark one indeed.
On a serious note, the history of the building is fascinating. It is summarized in this video done by the former Mars Hill Downtown folks.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LOp3OxTT70[/youtube]
 

What's Next for Mark Driscoll?

The first thing will be another video appearance.
This week Brian Houston plans to show his interview with Mark Driscoll to the audience at Hillsong’s London conference. Protesters will be there as well.

The transcript of the interview to be shown at the London conference is posted at the ChurchwatchCentral blog.
Driscoll’s next moves are unknown to him according to this interview with Houston. However, the Driscolls did enjoy a farewell party about 10 days ago in Seattle. Where could they be going? Some say Phoenix. In fact, several people say the Driscolls have been seen frequently around the Phoenix area this summer. I understand North Scottsdale is a beautiful part of Maricopa County in the Phoenix area.
In any case, much unfinished business remains at Mars Hill including how Global Fund dollars were spent and the results of the elders’ investigations.