My Experience at Mars Hill

Brandon Hurlbert

Mark Driscoll is trending again. This past week I read an interview transcript by John Piper on the subject of Mars Hill and Driscoll. I also read that Driscoll is beginning a new bible study series on Ecclesiastes that will be hosted on his website. I have often wanted to share my own experience at Mars Hill, and now I have the chance to do so. This is my personal story about Mars Hill.

Just over 3 years ago, I sat in a coffeeshop instead of going to church. I hadn’t really been to church in a while, but it was that day that I was repenting for a lot of things. I sat there for a few hours, confessionally typing and reflecting on my life. It was that day, 45 minutes, 1 county apart, and multiple cities away, my future church held its first public service.

Mars Hill Orange County began that January 2012 with a vision to see the cultural christians saved, the sleepy christians woken up, and the non christians meet Jesus here in Orange County. This church was a new location of the expanding Mars Hill Church Network based out of Seattle. Headed by Mark Driscoll, a rather brash, but exciting gospel preacher, the church attracted a lot of members and attenders who had been listening to him for years. This location also featured Dustin Kensrue, lead singer of Thrice. A lot of people were invited for the free concert. Held at the Observatory, a concert venue and night club, to most people this did not feel like church, and this is yet another reason why they came.

I was not one of these people. I never listened to Thrice. I had fallen asleep to the only Driscoll message I had heard. I didn’t even like church, no matter where it was held. I was broken. Spiritually I was in a very deep hole, and I didn’t really know how to get out, but most of my friends went to this church and had invited me.

I went to my first Mars Hill Orange County service in February about half way into the real marriage series. I was greeted on the way in, on the way up to the seats, and as I was seated. The first thing I heard from anyone besides the normal Sunday morning greetings was this: “Here, we are all about Jesus.” This would not be the last time I would here this slogan, but it definitely was the first time in my life. After this phrase, there was a minute gospel explanation, a “why we are all about Jesus”. Then, the worship leader got up and explained that “Here, we are all about Jesus.” Another “why we are all about Jesus”. Next, we sang old hymns that were set to the style of indie rock, and they didn’t suck either. Together, in a place used the night before for a concert of deplorable music most likely, we sang all about Jesus. The band got off stage, and a screen came down. On it, was today’s sermon from Mark Driscoll, which was weird to me at first, but I soon got over it. The first thing I heard from him was again, “Here, we are all about Jesus.” The sermon went on to explain how Jesus can affect your marriage and other things of similar nature. I left that morning, over hearing conversations about how Jesus was changing lives. As I drove away, I couldn’t believe how much this church talked about Jesus.

To sum up two years, I jumped into a community group. It was here that I saw the gospel tangibly affect and change peoples’ lives. I had the opportunity to lead two community groups and coach a region of community group leaders. It was in these groups that I experienced church as a family. We shared our stuff together, we shared meals with each other, and, most importantly, we shared our hearts with one another. Sin was confessed, idols identified, and grace was felt in these groups. Each week was life giving because we focused our attention to the giver of life. Like I said, we were all about Jesus.

Then the controversy arose. Sometime around Easter 2014, the blogosphere erupted with scandal after scandal about Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill. Abuse of church funds, abuse of authority, and emotional abuse of congregants were just some of the accusations. For the next 6 months, our church waited to see what would happen. I need not go into detail, for it is well documented, but Driscoll stepped down to be reviewed by a board of elders concerning these accusations. They found him guilty of some of them but decided that he was not disqualified. Nevertheless, Driscoll chose to step down from eldership. A few weeks later, Dave Bruskas announced that Mars Hill Church would dissolved at the end of the year. Every church decided to continue on as independent churches (and as far as I know, continue to meet). Mars Hill Orange county (renamed MH Huntington Beach) decided that it would be best to permanently close at the end of the year. This news was heart breaking, but we knew that it would be best.

A note here is required. I do believe that there were massive oversights within the church. I myself had been a part of it. There were times where the leadership failed to care for their people. There were definitely times were Driscoll was probably hurtful with his words, prideful in his personality, and not the best pastor. People were definitely hurt, and this is certainly a tragedy. I do not wish anyone who is reading this to think that I take the sins of this ministry lightly, or that i am defending it at all. I am merely giving a record of my experience.

Throughout all of this controversy, we remained hopeful. Not necessarily the hope people think of, but a greater hope. We trusted that Jesus was alive and ring and reigning from his throne. The last few months of our church gatherings were tough. We knew that this wouldn’t last, but regardless we still met until the end. Every Sunday we sang “Rejoice” by Dustin Kensrue. Every Sunday, 300+ men and women boldly and passionate sang the following lyrics:

Turning tragedy to triumph
Turning agony to praise
There is blessing in the battle
So take heart and stand amazed

Rejoice, when you cry to Him He hears
Your voice, He will wipe away your tears
Rejoice, in the midst of suffering
He will help you sing

Rejoice, come and lift your hands and
Raise your voice, He is worthy of our praise
Rejoice, sing of mercies of your King
And with trembling rejoice

We sang that till the end. I believe we sang it because we simultaneously struggled to believe it and because we knew it was true.

January came and our church closed. In the middle of winter, we had lost our family that we had come to love and cherish in the midst of joyous victories and in our terrible tragedy. There was a big “Now what?” on everybody’s minds.

Our church family dispersed and plugged into a myriad of other churches. They joined new families and began to love and serve them. It was hard of course, but it was done faithfully.

Mars Hill ended in failure, but it did not end in defeat. Contrary to Piper’s explanation, this was not a “colossal Satanic victory”. I think Piper has a wonderful point by explaining that God is still control in situations that seem hopeless, and that God, as the general, will willingly permit a tactical defeat for the gospel. However, I wish that no one would see the closing of Mars Hill a defeat in of itself. A tragedy? Yes. Sinful and full of failures? Certainly. Mars Hill showed us many things. In the final years it showed us how angst can kill unity. It showed us how the Church is not unified as demonstrated by the relentless attacks found in the various blogs. It showed us that owning sin is much better than trying to whitewash it. It also showed us that the church in evangelical America still doesn’t seem to understand grace, nor know how to properly apply it.

For me, God used Mars Hill to teach me tremendously. It taught me about community. It taught me about Jesus. It taught me how to love others. It taught me how to repent. In fact, it was here at Mars Hill that God gave me a great love for the church and a great love for reaching the lost.

The closing of Mars Hill was not a defeat. We are unable to make that judgement with such a small view of the battlefield. God, in his infinite wisdom, permitted a local expression of his church to close. If this is the case, and we truly believe that, then we must also believe that this was a good gift to God’s people. In fact, we must believe that this was God’s grace and greatest option to provide the maximum amount of love and care for his people. I don’t understand it personally. I still struggle with it. I will most likely always struggle with these truths, but I must believe it. God used Mars Hill in a mighty way, and in an equally mighty way he closed its doors to make way for another mighty act.

Brandon Hurlbert
Brandon Hurlbert
Brandon is currently teaching Old Testament at Durham University where he received his PhD. His primary research interests are on the book of Judges, violence and the Bible, and film. He is also a research associate at the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence. He went to Biola University and Talbot School of Theology for his B.A and M.A. in Biblical and Theological studies. His passion and his heart is for the Church, with specific focus in integrating academic thought with church life. He can be reached at brandon.m.hurlbert@durham.ac.uk

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3 responses to “My Experience at Mars Hill”

  1. Jake

    It is interesting that you say: “The closing of Mars Hill was not a defeat. We are unable to make that judgement with such a small view of the battlefield.” And yet paragraphs earlier say: “Contrary to Piper’s explanation, this was not a ‘colossal Satanic victory.’” I think the implication is that Piper’s view of the battlefield is smaller than yours despite the fact that he is a global spiritual leader whom Driscoll referred to as a “mentor.” I know Piper’s view is not God-sized… I know staying strong with 300 to the end was meaningful…. But it’s interesting to read how you elevate your view of your church to a nostolgic level (as if people at Mars Hill were the only ones effected by this) and above that of a global spiritual leader who has a pretty respected view of the global church. I think you’re a young college grad who fell in love with a church (not THE church) and would like to hang on to the bits of it that you loved at the cost of denying statements by global leaders who know more than you. It was a failure. It was a defeat. It was both and it was colossal. But it was only A defeat and it will be answered by the King and all will be made new in time. Way to end your time with MH well, but please don’t deny the pain and defeat the whole WORLD experience when your mega-church pastor had a moral failure which he has still not reconciled. It was a colossal defeat because your collosal pastor was defeated by sin.

    Reply
  2. Drew P

    I understand that this is coming from your perspective, the only one you have but I think you may be overestimating your understanding of what happened and particularly of Mark.

    What happened at Mars Hill was the destructive consequences of ongoing unrepentant sin by the head pastor who put himself above everyone else and refused to be held accountable for his abuse of many hundreds of people including those under his care and his fellow pastors.

    The BOAA states him “qualified” but the actual board who investigated hI’m we’re going to remove him from the pulpit under discipline and work to help him be restored.

    Mark found out and quit before they could announce his disqualification. Now, many months later he is claiming God releases him from the trap that was set. He is saying that God told him to run away from loving biblical discipline from his own fellow elders.

    There are many, many instances of Mark’s blatant unrepentant sin out in the open including his misogyny, mishandling and distorting of scripture, using tithe money to promote his own career and name and some of the abusive behavior that he exhibited for years that he has still yet to repent of.

    Mark has not reconciled, apologized or repented to a single one of the Katie’s or staff that I know who he personally and specifically sinned against. He cut them off and has refused any contact or communication even when they have reached out him. Some of them are people who were at Mars Hill working alongside Mark for 13+ years and who were one time treated as family.

    Mark is no longer a pastor. Mark is unrepentant.

    I believe that within the next couple years he will reemerge preaching a false gospel such as the Word of Faith or prosperity gospel and we will clearly see the fruit of his behavior: heresy.

    I pray that this doesn’t happen. I love him and want him to repent and change and be a reflection of the gospel to everyone who has seen this controversy unfold in public. I pray that he repents to and reconciles with Paul Petry and Bent Meyer (look them up) and his former ever friend Lief. Not to mention the long list of other laters and staff that he crushed with his sin.

    Piper was a bit simplistic in saying it was a victory for Satan. It was the fruit of many years of Mark’s unrepentant sin finally showing terrible black fruit and being exposed to the light.

    I think that God, in his mercy, let Mars Hill be torn down.

    He will be glorified in our human defeat or victory, that much is true.

    I encourage you to read welovemarshill.com and joyfulexiles.com

    Reply
  3. Brandon Hurlbert
    Brandon Hurlbert

    Jake – Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I realize that this blog post was way to short to fully capture my emotions and experiences, and likewise, this comment will probably not be able to reply to your emotions and experiences that are in your comment.

    First, I do acknowledge that Mars Hill ended in failure. I tried to make that abundantly clear, so I apologize for not better explaining myself in that regard. I do know that people in Mars Hill, in Seattle, in other churches, and those outside of the church were hurt by Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill for various reasons and in varying degrees. I do believe that Mark Driscoll messed up, sinned, hurt people, and did not do the best job at reconciling with those whom he hurt. So, please understand that I do acknowledge and know all of this. This does still grieve me.

    Second, I understand very well who John Piper is. I love and respect the guy, and have benefited immensely from his preaching and teaching. However, in this particular interview that I referenced, I think he goes to far to claim Mars Hill as a “defeat.” Piper is just a man, and he himself would not be a fan of being called a global spiritual leader. He would most likely tell you that he is a normal guy that is capable of being wrong. And it is for these reasons that I feel that I can suggest that he is wrong in this particular statement. As I wrote in my post, I believe that although the closing of Mars Hill was a failure, it was not a defeat for Jesus, because he has already won the war.

    Third, As stated above, I do not think, nor did I ever think, that Mark Driscoll was a “colossal pastor”. He is a normal guy, and quite short if you ever meet him.

    Finally, I do actually love THE Church. Like, really. My story with THE Church is rather long for one blog post… or really for any blog post. I assure you, my affections are for the Bride of Christ as it exist in all times and places. Jesus revived these affections through the ministry at Mars Hill (see post), but continue to increase as I develop new familial relations at my current church.

    Thanks for reading!

    Reply

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