Episode 006: Lessons Learned from the Fall of Mars Hill Church

by Jared C. Wilson May 30, 2017

For The Church Podcast

A Resource for the Church from Midwestern Seminary

Episode 6: Lessons Learned from the Fall of Mars Hill Church

Mars Hill Church was planted in the Seattle area by Mark Driscoll and a handful of other folks in 1996, and it grew into a multisite church with campuses in multiple states, a ministry empire of sorts, reaching thousands of people for Jesus. But in its later years, amidst allegations of unhealthy leadership, accusations of plagiarism, and reports of anger issues and consolidation of power, stress fractures were taking their toll. In August 2014 Driscoll and Mars Hill were removed from the Acts 29 Network, which Driscoll was the president of, and one month later, in October 2014, in response to growing pressure within the church and without, he resigned his pastorate.

In this episode of the For The Church Podcast, Jared Wilson talks with Miles Rohde, lead pastor of Redemption Spokane, which began as the Mars Hill Spokane campus prior to the collapse. We talk about some of the Mars Hill fault-lines, including:

– pastoral plurality without true parity

– workaholism

– lust for bigness

– spirit of competition

– problems with celebrity pastors

– difficulties with video venues

And also, what good might've come from the fall of this influential ministry movement and what the average church leader can learn from the fall today.

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