Jennifer Roach 2002-03

Your Name

Jennifer Roach

Gender

Female

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Member, Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Ballard

What years were you involved / attending?

2002, 2003

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

On the internet

What was the circumstance of your first time attending Mars HIll?

We moved to Seattle and lived a short distance from the Ballard building, which was the only campus at the time.

What about your time at Mars Hill has had a negative impact on you?

Mark's abusive attitude toward women - which was cloaked in being "doctrinally sound" - had the most negative impact on me. When Mark and I disagreed on something, he decided to write an open letter to my husband telling him, "shut your wife up, or I'll shut her up for you."  He used threats and power plays from the very beginning.

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

Please describe why you left Mars Hill and what that experience was like.

When we left, we lost all of our friends.  We were shunned by everyone.  I received anonymous emails from several men in the church, one of whom said that I was, "an adulterous whore" for trying to "take Mark down."  Another said that he understood that I did these things because I was mentally ill.

How would you describe the reason for Mars Hill's closure to an outsider.

Mark's narcissistic and toxic leadership style.

What's changed for you since your time at Mars Hill came to an end?

Our family has moved on to a liturgical church where there is far less possibility of the "celebrity pastor" culture that Mars Hill had.