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.