Member - Downtown Seattle 2002-14

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Member

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Downtown Seattle

What years were you involved / attending?

2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

Sister was going to the Ballard church which was at the time, the only location

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

Heard that it had solid teaching

What were your first impressions?

Solid teaching based on the Word. Sermons were rich and unfiltered. No candy coating.
Worship was more band-ish. A bit too showy and thus hard to enter into worship.

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

It’s where I felt home was.

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

Challenged and encouraged spiritually on sundays and in community.

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

Getting involved in community was always difficult. Assimilation was one of MH's weakest areas I felt. Poor follow through. I spent a lot of time trying to get plugged in....MUCH longer than in comparison to other churches of similar size.

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

Reduce the negative items listed above

Which describes you?

I stayed at Mars Hill through closure.

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

Because it was my church. I don't abandon my family even if it goes through tough times. While Mark played a central, leading role,the church was still bigger than him. So it was really sad that the church as a body with its leadership (even with Mark ousted) failed its congregation. The leadership bailed. And what was left decided to close MH..rather than be transparent and continue to press onward.

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

Mark ultimately failed to lead as God has called us to lead. He let pride and arrogance take the best of him. The manner of which he was ousted was wrong as was the manner (and extent) of which the public and worst of all, Christians judged him, was the worst and saddest part of it all. While we all know that sin is sin, the gravity in which he was judged was inappropriate.

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

It’s been an incredibly difficult year looking for a new church home and church body. While I take responsibility for where I am, I do recognize that there was collateral damage from Mark, the board, disgruntled former leaders and leadership team that subsequently decided to shut down MH.

Please write anything else you'd like to add.

The manner in which the church was shut down was the worst part of it all. The leadership was too wrapped up in public opinion and disregarded the congregation itself.

The investigation was never completed. THIS WAS AND IS STILL A PROBLEM!!!! And what’s worst is that the church no longer exists so the leadership removed the avenue for the people (as a church body) to get closure and healing from hearing the resolution of the investigation and subsequently, healing as a body.

Furthermore, this has prevented the possibility for Mark to go back to the church to seek genuine forgiveness and reconciliation....because the church does not exist....there is no effective, appropriate means for him to do so.

This could have been best accomplished by having independent MH churches with the backbone/support structure of MH Church as a large body of smaller MH churches.

That’s what I honestly expected to happen...churches would become independent but yet interdependent. When I got the email that MH was dissolving, I was shocked and numb.

Kyle - Ballard, Shoreline 2004-14

Your Name

Kyle

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Regular Attender, Member

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Ballard, Shoreline

What years were you involved / attending?

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

My sister introduced me to the Mars Hill podcast in 2003 when Mark was preaching through Revelation.

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

Having listened online through Revelation and 1+2 Timothy I wanted to hear Mark preach live when he started Genesis in 2004.

What were your first impressions?

I was hooked. I'd heard music online so I knew it was very well done, but in person it was quite amazing -- felt like a concert. It was dark and there were large candelabras flanking the stage with burning candles; it felt "cool" yet "holy" at the same time.

It seemed... important? At the time I treated the polished production as the result of God being at work with the church.

Having just turned 18 and trying to find my place in the world, I found Mark's pounding home of topics on masculinity to resonate deeply.

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

As I heard Mark preach on topics of culture and as I read various "emerging church" books (including Radical Reformission) I was drawn to the idea of being a missionary at home and living a life engaged with culture.

I came from a very conservative/fundamentalist Christian background where culture was seen as enemy. Embracing culture as not intrinsically bad but as something to be accepted/redeemed/rejected was a useful way to make sense of the world.

I'd been very involved with the local baptist church I grew up throughout high school in, but they saw culture as an enemy and something to be at war with. So attending Mars Hill regularly and serving was "just natural" in many ways.

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

While I don't think the theology at Mars Hill was particularly "freeing," it was much more so than the theology I grew up with. And that was helpful early on especially.

Coming from an incredibly conservative/fundamentalist/isolated background, Mars Hill was the first place I found friends (of which I've kept a very few).

Mark's teaching gave me a framework from which to understand the world (the framework given to me growing up did not work in "the real world"), although I'd later find that framework to be flawed and fall apart.

Early on, my career was largely built through connections made at Mars Hill.

Being able to serve on productions teams was often enjoyable and allowed me to develop skills and knowledge I wouldn't have otherwise. It also served as an early way to develop my leadership skills.

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

Rampant spiritual abuse. Central to that was authoritarian theology. It touched everything including: ideas of gender, ideas of masculinity/femininity, "gender roles," relationships, church leadership, discipline, philosophical conceptions of truth/certainty/meaning, and ethics.

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

Had Mars Hill been able to move away from all of the extremely authoritarian theology/ideology, it would've become a veeery different place (hopefully for the better).

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

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

WORLD broke the story of Mark buying his way onto the NYTimes bestseller list. What Mark did was extremely unethical and it bothered me deeply. What bothered me more was how few people I knew at Mars Hill saw the ethical issue -- most rushed to defend Mark.

I already had other issues such as feeling like I didn't "fit in" at Mars Hill, particularly as I saw my theological beliefs changing over the years.

After trying to have real conversations with fellow Martians for three months and finding out that so few wanted to actually engage with the issues of Mark's actions, I realized I needed to try to find a different church.

Leaving was traumatic. It broke my world. To this day I am estranged from family who stayed at Mars Hill to the end and views me as an enemy who tore down their church. Most of my friends went to Mars Hill and most of them cut off all contact with me fairly quickly; after Mark's sermon on "wolves" I was labelled one by people I had been good friends with for years. I kept thinking "surely Mark will see his error" and everything would be back to normal, but that never happened.

I remember being so excited when A29 killed out Mars Hill. "This is it, at last Mark will see his error," I thought. A few hours later when it became apparent that was not the case, I was soooo devastated. I just wanted my friends and family back. And because of their blind devotion to Mark, that meant Mark needed to publicly own his wrongs and change his ways.

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

Mark and the other executive elders were highly unethical, abusive, liars, and probably crooks. Enough people saw that and wouldn't put up with it. Like the coward he is, Mark ran off (he made a stop at the bank on the way) while proclaiming his innocence.

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

Almost everything.

I spent the first 27 years of my life in the church. After leaving Mars Hill (March 2014) I spent the next ten months trying to find a new church while watching Mars Hill slowly implode. Watching from the outside, being estranged from friends and family... it was traumatic, revealing, and changed me.

Leaving Mars Hill broke my world. But, in February 2015 I realized the god that the Bible speaks of did not exist. And slowly the pieces of everything that happened at Mars Hill started fitting together for me.

I don't think Christianity is necessarily bad or evil. It gives many of my closest friends deep meaning in their lives -- as it once did me. But I no longer believe its claims must be true to provide that meaning. And while Mars Hill was only a small part of my life, the trauma of leaving Mars Hill gave me a unique opportunity to reevaluate my life and examine the claims of the Bible.

Today I'm an agnostic, although I tend to live life "as an atheist." Embracing the values of secular humanism has enabled me to rebuild my life and make sense of it.

Group Leader - Orange County 2011-14

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Orange County / Huntington Beach

What years were you involved / attending?

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

Listened to the Mars Hill podcast

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

Looking for a new church

What were your first impressions?

I loved it. I have never felt so welcomed and loved. Not just by the love and kindness of others, but also because of how I was confronted about sin I was in from brothers in Christ.

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

God called me to be there

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

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

Too many questions, zero answers. Really a complete lack of communication or transparency

Please write anything else you'd like to add.

Here's a link to a blog post about my time at Mars Hill. Be blessed!
http://awakenosleeper.com/2014/12/31/my-time-at-mars-hill-church/

Joel Braun 2001-14

Your Name

Joel Braun

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Ballard, Portland, Shoreline

What years were you involved / attending?

2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

I attended once or twice when I first moved to Seattle and it was at first pres, then did not attend any more. Went to another church and feel as though I was saved there as an adult. That church refused to do pre marital counseling for my wife and I as we hadn't been dating a year. Found a different pastor and then also found mars hill again.

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

My circumstance was that I needed a church in my life that had good teaching and the sermons were hitting it quite often for me and allowing me to grow and shape my understanding.

What were your first impressions?

The teaching was great, the music was amazing

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

Because I was narrow minded in thinking I couldn't find another church family closer to home. I was convicted of that and why we left before its collapse.

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

I have a wonderful relationship with my wife that we received a lot of great teaching from people through mh. I have 3 boys who challenge me, but I wouldn't have had them at my age had it not been for an amazing sermon from Paul Petry.

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

The outcome has me sad and the lies and bullshit that surfaced has me frustrated. My bitterness is no longer and by God's grace I'm free.

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

Leadership was distant and relationships were shallow. Salaries were ridiculous.

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

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

I left because we wanted community with those we attend church with. MH Portland was a 20-35 min drive. We found a great church less than 10 min away and have community there as well.

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

It all boils down to Sin and an unrepentant leader who refused to be under anyone's authority.

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

Church, my opinion of it and certainly my trust in leadership is a bit more reserved.

Member - Ballard 2003-07

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Regular Attender, Member, Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Ballard

What years were you involved / attending?

2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

I went to UW and heard about the opening of this new building in Ballard. Some friends drug me along and the rest was history, as they say.

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

I was with two students from UW and one friend from SPU. They had me sit in the first row of the opening day in the Ballard Campus.

What were your first impressions?

I come from a small town in Montana. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement. I was especially shocked at the amount of young single people that were there. The music was loud and everything was so stinking dark. I was at a loss for words. This was back when Mark was still pretty edgy and, well, almost normal. I even spoke with him after the service and was invited to a bar in the U District a few weeks later where he and about 20 other guys got together and talked about guy stuff. I was sold out after that.

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

I soon found a wide friendship base both on UW campus and in greater Seattle. I co-led a small community group and became a security team member (stage left every weekend for 3 years). I eventually graduated and became involved with a mixed group of people in Northgate that expanded my brain and grew my maturity by leaps and bounds.

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

I went on my first date, had my first relationship and breakup all at Mars Hill. I found support and community and advice at every stage. My relationships were/are lifelong. It was too bad nearly all of these people left the church when the Petry's were shunned, because they were our group/family. The core group who left are still strong and still living life together. That started at Mars Hill.

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

Initially, it was Mark's fall into unrepentant sin and the effects it had on the ones I love. I didn't want to believe what I was seeing and experiencing was actually happening, but when Paul was fired, I knew I had to go. Then I was shocked by the reaction of the larger church body. So much denial and willingness to go along with sin, just because they were scared and didn't want to see the truth for what it was, truth. Eventually, I stopped listening to anything Mars Hill related as the sermons became more bombastic and anger filled.

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

Everything started to change when Mark stopped being held accountable. I loved that there was a group of elders on a board that kept each other accountable. I loved that there was no single pastor that was above everyone else. When the bylaws changed, Mars Hill changed. I also didn't like the satellite campuses. I felt like it ruined the spirit of the church and made everyone disenfranchised.

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

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

I left as a result of the treatment of Paul Petry and his family. It was heartbreaking. Ultimately it caused me to rethink my entire ecclesiology, tore me away from evangelism, reformed who I saw Jesus as and led me to move to Africa.

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

Mark's sin caught up to him. he built an infrastructure around himself that held him as a cornerstone rather than God. When Mark was removed, everything came crashing down.

Please write anything else you'd like to add.

There was a time of deep love and loss at Mars Hill. I felt like a betrayed partner who found out his partner was lying for five years. Ultimately, I have forgiven, but will never be the same. I am thankful for the time I spent at Mars Hill, as much for what it taught me about the body and the positive lessons I learned about leadership, as for the negative lessons I learned about following and the repercussions of blind obedience.