meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill

Aftermath

The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill

Christianity Today

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, True Crime

4.813K Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2021

⏱️ ? minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Five days after resigning as lead pastor of Mars Hill Church, Mark Driscoll was once again in front of a crowd—this time, a packed conference of pastors who offered him a standing ovation in support. It only took 474 days for him to announce he was planting a new church in Scottsdale, Arizona. But while Driscoll wielded his own force of personality to get as much distance from Mars Hill as possible, life in Seattle was a different story. A confused and hurting church was displaced, hundreds of people were out of their jobs, and the fiercest critics of the church practically threw a party. In our series finale, we follow a few of those threads, which led some people to new ministries, others to new careers, and still others out of the church altogether. We’ll revisit the legacy of Driscoll’s teaching on gender, and we’ll ask whether or not he really preached good news and freedom. We’ll also look for the presence of Christ, working in surprising and unseen ways to bring beauty out of the ashes of what was once Mars Hill Church. As we end 2021, we’d love to invite you to join us as we continue to try to tell stories like this. Subscriptions are a great way to do that, and we’d love if you considered us with your end-of-year giving. “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” is a production of Christianity Today Executive produced by Erik Petrik Produced, written, and edited by Mike Cosper Joy Beth Smith is our associate producer. Music and sound design by Kate Siefker and Mike Cosper Our theme song for this finale is “Resplendent” by Bill Mallonee and the Vigilantes of Love. The closing song this week is “All My Favorite People” by Over the Rhine. Special thanks to Ben Vandermeer Graphic design by Bryan Todd Social media by Kara Bettis and Morgan Lee Editorial consulting by Andrea Palpant Dilley CT’s Editor in Chief is Timothy Dalrymple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Slack. With Slack, you can bring all your people and

0:05.9

tools together in one place. It's your digital HQ where you can increase productivity,

0:11.1

enable flexibility and automate workflows. Plus, Slack is full of game-changing features

0:16.7

like huddles for quick check-ins or Slack Connect, which helps you connect with partners

0:20.9

inside and outside of your company. Slack, where the future works. Get started at

0:26.9

Slack.com slash DHQ.

0:30.9

This is CT Media.

0:39.9

October 20th, 2014. Five days after Mark Driscoll's resignation appeared in the pages of

0:45.3

Religion News Service. A team of shell-shocked board members, pastors, staff and lay leaders

0:50.9

are scrambling to determine how they might care for the few thousand people who are still

0:54.6

around, still struggling with faith and doubt, marriage and divorce, births and deaths.

1:00.6

Meanwhile, a few thousand miles away in Texas. Pastor Robert Morris is on the stage at the

1:05.6

Gateway Conference and in a room with a few thousand people to talk about a scheduling

1:09.8

change. That change happened because Mark Driscoll had withdrawn from speaking at the conference.

1:16.6

Morris talked about his personal relationship with Mark and he said not to trust everything

1:20.6

that you read on the Internet. He did make some mistakes. Here's what I figure. We've

1:25.6

got two choices. One is we could crucify him, but since someone's already been crucified

1:32.6

for him, the other choice is we could restore him with a spirit of gentleness considering

1:47.6

ourselves, unless we are also tempted. It's very sad that in the church we're the only

2:00.9

army that shoots at our wounded. I want you to stop it. I really do. Thank you. I'd

2:07.8

like for you to show your love for him. I'd like for you to just welcome him. Mark, would

2:12.2

you stand up? This is Mark Driscoll. There's a level at which I get this beard of this.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Christianity Today, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Christianity Today and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.