Christianity Today reported that, in a letter circulated within Mars Hill Church, nine of the church’s sixty-five pastors have called for Mark Driscoll to step down from his post not just for six weeks, as he recently announced, but for a full year and include all ministry and leadership. They also say the church’s elder board should take a more prominent role in Driscoll’s accountability and restoring the health of the Seattle megachurch.
“It is time to take responsibility for our church, regardless of how much our current bylaws prevent us from exercising that authority,” they wrote in a 4,000-word letter. “It grieves us that the only voice that has never been heard in all of this is the voice of the current elders.”
The letter gave six points, starting with an expression of the pastors’ desire to see Driscoll’s restoration to his position as preaching pastor at Mars Hill. They also called for Driscoll to submit himself to the governing authority of the elder board, who should develop his restoration plan. Finally, they directed that the information related to Driscoll’s restoration be presented to the congregation of Mars Hill in hopes that doing so will help “rebuild their trust in their leaders and hope for their church.”
The nine pastors include the lead pastor of one of Mars Hill’s 15 satellite campuses and four pastors serving at the main campus in Bellevue. In addition, the letter quoted Dr. Paul Tripp, a former member of Mars Hill’s Board of Advisors and Accountability who called the culture of Mars Hill “one of the most abusive, coercive” ones he’d ever seen.”
Religion News Service published a statement by Mark DeMoss, the head of the church’s public relations firm, saying the letter from the group of pastors “will be processed in accordance with Article 12 of the church’s bylaws” but would not comment on the accusations made until they could be examined thoroughly by Mars Hill’s governing body.
