Member - Ballard, Downtown Seattle, Rainier Valley, West Seattle 2000-13

Gender

Female

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Member, Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Ballard, Downtown Seattle, Rainier Valley, West Seattle

What years were you involved / attending?

2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

My boyfriend's coworker told him about MH, suggesting we may like it.

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

I wasn't a believer but my boyfriend was. He asked me to go to church with him.

What were your first impressions?

People seemed genuinely friendly, not fake or super righteous. I enjoyed the sermon because I felt like I was really learning, not just about God, but history too.

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

We both felt it was the perfect combination of learning the Bible and how it's relevant to our lives in the present. Friendships were genuine and we appreciated the community.

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

See above.

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

Those friendships turned out to be not as genuine as we thought. As the church became multi campus, those friends soon became more invested in their new communities. It felt like we were friends out of convenience, so there was a sense of loss. Leadership became unapproachable which also contributed to that feeling.
The teaching from the pulpit permeated throughout community groups and staff and I became "lesser" as a female all across the board. The part of me that was strong and capable used to be valued and was appreciated in the leadership role I had. Then it became the very thing that was used against me because "I was preventing my husband from leading".

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

Honesty.

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

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

I wanted to leave when Bent & Paul were fired but my husband wasn't ready. When we left in 3/13, we both felt called to go.
We left when the Result Source scandal surfaced, but there were compounding issues that led up to it as well.
Leadership became abusive in sin hunting and their actions/counsel devoid of grace.
When we left, all relationships ended.

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

Pride and dishonesty in leadership.

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

We haven't been to church since, with the exception of a handful of times checking out different churches.
We nearly got divorced and are still feeling the repercussions of MH's teaching on marriage.

Please write anything else you'd like to add.

Mark Driscoll is a coward and I struggle not to hate him for what he's done. Displacing *thousands* of people from church is unconscionable.