AFTER years of controversy and months of intense scrutiny and accusations of wrongdoing, Mark Driscoll, the co-founder of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church, has submitted his resignation.
Earlier this year, Driscoll admitted to using church funds to promote his books. Late last year credible accusations of plagiarism forced his publisher to make alterations to his books and issue a statement admitting that “mistakes were made.”
Nonetheless, the Mars Hill Board of Overseers, a group formed to examine the charges against Driscoll, concluded, “Pastor Mark has never been charged with any immorality, illegality or heresy. Most of the charges involved attitudes and behaviors reflected by a domineering style of leadership.”
The statement from the Board of Overseers added, “Pastor Mark has, at times, been guilty of arrogance, responding to conflict with a quick temper and harsh speech, and leading the staff and elders in a domineering manner. While we believe Mark needs to continue to address these areas in his life, we do not believe him to be disqualified from pastoral ministry.”
But the question remains, if Driscoll is not guilty of actions that disqualify him from ministry, then why did he resign? In the resignation letter he sent to Michael Van Skaik, chairman of the church’s Board of Advisors and Accountability, on Tuesday and posted by the Religion News Service earlier today, Driscoll wrote, “Recent months have proven unhealthy for our family—even physically unsafe at times—and we believe the time has now come for the elders to choose new pastoral leadership for Mars Hill.”
Driscoll’s tenure at Mars Hill Church has been controversial almost from its beginning 18 years ago. His use of profanity, sometimes from the pulpit, won attention and some fans who found him to be genuine and authentic. His conservative theology at first caused many evangelical leaders to overlook the controversy. Driscoll was a regular speaker at Christian conferences and a digital star, with his sermons attracting hundreds of thousands of online viewers and listeners.
But in 2007, the church changed its bylaws to concentrate power in the hands of Driscoll and a small group of senior leaders. Church co-founder Leif Moi was forced to resign, as were former pastors Paul Petry, Bent Meyer, and others who objected to the new leadership structure. Some of these former Mars Hill leaders began speaking out online, but the church dismissed the critics and weathered the charges of bullying and autocratic leadership as mere conflicts of style.
But when credible charges of plagiarism emerged late last year, the allegations against Driscoll began to be less about style and more about substance. Former staff members who had evidence began speaking out. Earlier this year, for example, WORLD obtained a copy of a contract between Mars Hill Church and a California company called ResultSource that promised to put Driscoll’s book Real Marriage on the New York Times best-seller list. The church spent more than $200,000 on that effort.
The straw that seemed to break Driscoll’s back was a call by the leadership of Acts 29 for Driscoll to step aside from pastoral ministry and “seek help.” This rebuke was especially powerful because Driscoll had been a co-founder of Acts 29 and many of the men in leadership there had been close to Driscoll.
On Aug. 24 Driscoll said he would step aside for at least six weeks so that a Board of Overseers could investigate the charges against him. That group presented its findings to Driscoll and his wife, Grace, on Saturday.
Driscoll said he and his wife “pledge our full support in this process” of transition. He did not say what he would be doing next, only that he “would also covet your prayers for us as we seek God’s will for the next chapter of our lives.”
The church would not release details of Driscoll’s severance compensation, if any. Mars Hill Church forced other deacons and elders to sign disparage or non-compete agreements in order to receive compensation. Church spokesman Justin Dean would not comment on whether Driscoll would receive similar treatment.
“At this time we don’t have any additional details, but we ask that everyone please join us in praying for our church as we care for the people of Mars Hill Church during this time,” Dean said. World
