Showing posts with label U-District. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U-District. Show all posts

Joyce Hawkinson 2001-14

Your Name

Joyce Hawkinson

Gender

Female

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Member, Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Ballard, Lake City / Wedgewood, Shoreline, U-District

What years were you involved / attending?

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

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

My daughter was a student at SPU and told me about a Bible study leader who was being asked to move off campus because he was teaching a traditional role for women that the school didn't want to promote.

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

I went to the old Paradox in the U-district to hear him teach, and it happened to be the night he first unloaded on young men about how they should value and cherish the women in their lives.  I had recently been strangled by my then-husband, and the contrast between what I had experienced and what he described made me weep.  

What were your first impressions?

He was genuine, honest about his inexperience, funny, and challenged people to live FOR Christ, not just with an awareness of Christ.  He was a little awkward, but said he had confidence that if he told the truth about what God said in the Bible, everything would be alright.  

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

Every week (and during CG) I was challenged to change -- to allow the Word to transform me from within.  The reformed (Calvinist) approach gave me a freedom to love and serve out of gratitude for grace rather than because of duty and shame.  I began to have joy in my salvation for the first time in my life!  I came to love the music, the sound lyrics, and the experience of feeling like I was singing with a band every week.  
It was also the first time I felt like inviting people to church!  I recommended MH to strangers if they were new in town, to relatives, to neighbors.  
I also felt like whatever I did to serve at MH was contributing to bringing people to Christ because lives were being changed.  
The 'gap' in late 2005, 2006 and early 2007 was caused because we lived in CA during that time, and we really missed MH and Mark Driscoll's preaching.  When we moved back, there seemed to have been a shift in his attitude, and when he spoke one Sunday about learning humility, I realized I was sensing pride.

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

The freedom of a new perspective (Calvinist over Arminian) was very positive, and continues to energize my life.  I learned more theology than in the previous decades I had been a Christian, especially when I was included in the first year of ReTrain for women.  Redemption Groups and the training to serve in that ministry have changed me and the way I relate to others.  I learned to be open about struggling with life, with belief, with grief -- being transparent had always terrified me, but as my theology deepened, I realize I had nothing to fear.  My identity comes from my King, not from what others think of me.

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

There was an arrogance to the leadership in specific places -- not all.  In a matter of discipline over his poor communication, my husband was stripped of his position as a deacon, and the CG we led and hosted was closed.  There was no opportunity for him to apologize (even when he asked for it) and no one called to see how we were doing.  In fact, the pastor wouldn't even look me in the eye at church.  There was no redemptive factor in the whole situation, which seemed to go against what the church is about.  We transferred back to Ballard, and were welcomed, trained with love (thank you Bill Clem) and given the opportunity to work through the situation (thank you Mike Wilkerson).  It became a transformative time for my husband in spite of how poorly it was handled at the outset.

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

I always felt slightly like an outsider, but put it down to my age.  (I'm over 40, considerably, and that wasn't the 'target market.')  I took a leadership role in an online group for people with food allergies, but was discouraged from actually making anything happen other than online communication -- having actual meetings was not said to be efficient use of the building because turnout was difficult to predict and sometimes small.   After three gatherings I was asked to stop scheduling them even though they served the group well.  It would have been helpful to have encouragement as I served instead of having to fight for opportunities.
I would have preferred that we have governance by a board of elected elders, of which the pastor would have one vote.  Transparent and honest financial accounting would have prevented some of the problems that closed MH's doors.    

Which describes you?

I stayed at Mars Hill through closure.

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

We stayed members at MH throughout the disruption although didn't attend as frequently because my husband's 90+ year-old mother had come to live with us and wanted to attend somewhere else.  Anywhere else.  The music was too loud, the pastor wasn't loud enough at times, nothing fit for her.  We continued to attend some Sunday evenings and stayed in our CG, but took her elsewhere in the morning.  It was heart-wrenching to see the disappointment and confusion in people's eyes.  We went to Bellevue a couple of Sundays to try to communicate with Mark, to encourage him, but couldn't get near him.  

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

Pride led to a downfall.  There was too much power vested in one or two men (Driscoll and Turner) and not enough accountability.  That led to actions that couldn't be justified (the Bestseller List deception and the lies about how profits were going back to MH when they actually went into funds for his family that the church would get eventually, after he died.

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

My beliefs in God are solid, but my eagerness to attend church has waned.  We are members at another church and serve faithfully, but it's much easier to consider missing a Sunday than it used to be.  I pray for the leadership who so sadly messed up something that God was using because of their pride and greed.  At the same time, I recognize that in God's sovereignty, He is using even this mess for His glory.  
I miss the music, and I miss Mark's sense of humor and unique perspective.  

Member - Ballard, Bellevue, U-District 2007-14

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Member, Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Ballard, Bellevue, U-District

What years were you involved / attending?

2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

From a friend who began attending in high school

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

I came with that friend in the evening after attending my home church in the morning

What were your first impressions?

The music was excellent, and the preaching was engaging

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

The people at the U-District campus where I attended were hugely important in my life

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

The people I met are still huge parts of my life, including my wife and some of my best friends.
Mars Hill did a pretty good job of shaping me as young man and teaching me to take on responsibility and get my act together. I think my life would have looked quite a bit different otherwise.

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

I've become cynical and distrustful of church leadership.
My faith has gone through a bit of a dry spell in the year since leaving.

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

I would have liked to see the church and its leadership walk in the light, admit wrongdoing, and experience the grace and healing of God

Which describes you?

I stayed at Mars Hill through closure.

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

We left when the U-District campus closed, so a few months prior to complete closure. We stayed because we felt an obligation to the campus pastor and our friends there, all of whom were really great. We had gone through a lot of churn and change in our life that year and didn't want to uproot another thing, even though we really wanted to leave.

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

To a Christian, I would just say that the leadership was caught in a variety of sin - some minor and some major. As they refused to repent, God chose to close its doors.

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

We're at a new church now.
I don't feel the need to defend the controversial or hyper-masculine teachings anymore.

Group Leader - U-District 2012-14

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Group Leader (any leadership role)

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

U-District

What years were you involved / attending?

2012, 2013, 2014

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

I heard about Mars Hill when I discovered clips of Pastor Mark's sermons on YouTube in 2010 while I was studying abroad in Japan.

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

I had moved to Seattle to help with a parachurch ministry.

What were your first impressions?

I was excited to be a part of the church that I had heard so much about through Pastor Mark's sermons. I was excited by everything. The music, the Community Group structure, Redemption Groups, etc.

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

I loved the people, I loved the preaching, I loved serving. I felt like this was a church I would feel comfortable inviting friends, coworkers, and family to and feel confident that they would hear a clear Gospel message.

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

I learned so much through Pastor Mark's teaching. The truths he would share from Scripture would have powerful impacts on my life and others. One of the most powerful things I learned was about men taking responsibility for their actions AND taking responsibility for things that are not our fault. That undercut a lot of my pride and pushed me towards humility. I would hear Pastor Mark preach about loving and encouraging leaders (who we normally take for granted) and gave me a heart to encourage pastors. Pastor Mark would also preach about having an understanding heart and humility when approaching Christians from other churches who believe differently. Those things have stayed with me to this day

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

The dissolution of Mars Hill caused a lot of pain for people whose only experience of church was Mars Hill. They began to question whether it was real, or what they should believe. A healthy step, I think, but a painful one. Some ended up floating, unattached, unaffiliated and floundering in their faith. The most painful thing to see was Community Groups that had walked together for years through trials and joys, split because of differences of opinion on whether to stay or not, or because people chose different churches. I saw that even "theologically sound" men who preached truth are susceptible to hypocrisy and sin. I put less trust in men and less trust in big "Mega-churches" and "Mega-Pastors"

What would you like to have changed about Mars Hill?

I would have limited expansion. There was a push to expand and push beyond the limits that the budget allowed. There was a "Feed the Beast" mentality of "The Show Must Go On" rather than reflection on what was going on with the church, following the leading of the Spirit and how to proceed. I would have loved to see Pastor Mark share the pulpit more, give more opportunities to local pastors to preach. More money, energy, time and prayer dedicated to World Missions. Mars Hill was hyper-Seattle/America focused. More real accountability for Pastor Mark and the other leaders including outside counsel, voting rights for local elders and Pastors in governance. Transparency in finances (how much did Pastor Mark make, was spent on marketing, etc.) since it seemed like churches were understaffed for the number of people they were serving. There was also a flippancy towards the LGBT community that I didn't appreciate. It was as if Pastor Mark had never met anyone who had struggled with Same-Sex attraction and in a city like Seattle, he should have been more sensitive to the struggles in that community rather than reduce an ideology to a joke. I might have agreed with him about what the Bible said, but his lack of tact and empathy was concerning.

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

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

When the ResultSource scandal hit, there wasn't much clarity from leadership on what was going on. The eventual answers seemed reasonable given that I trusted the leadership as opposed to news media and "The Internet". Then there were accusations from former elders. I didn't know any of them, so it was hard to discern who was right. There was silence from Mars Hill leadership on it and everyone pretended like nothing was happening. Then Paul Tripp left the board and contradicted Mars Hill's official statement on why he left. It was still hard to understand what was going on because it was only one side (accusation) and no defense from Mars Hill leadership. The event that brought the most light to the situation was Acts 29 leadership (Matt Chandler, Eric Mason, Paul Tripp) removing Mars Hill from the network. That's when I knew things were serious, and that the accusations were credible. The response from Mars Hill was not very satisfying, but I thought it might be best to give grace and see if anything changed as a result of that. I was hoping to see repentance.

I wanted to see Pastor Mark step down for a time and get some healing and work on reconciliation. When Pastor Mark didn't then there was additional accusations from current and former Pastors that I knew personally asking Pastor Mark to step down. I kept wondering throughout this whole time why these things kept happening. The heat kept getting hotter. Each event or revelation was more damaging than the last. It seemed like God might have been trying to see if Pastor Mark would let go of his hold on his "Ministry", and he kept gripping tighter. It all culminated with a message Pastor Mark was going to give after returning from sabbatical. We were told there would be a big announcement to address the controversy. I went to the 8 AM Bellevue service to hear the message live. I was looking for 2 things. Pastor Mark stepping down, and a change to the board/by-laws to increase accountability. That would have kept me there (reluctantly).

Instead I saw Pastor Mark use the sermon text to lash out at critics. Saying that John leaning in on Jesus at the last supper was to hear a secret and that "he didn't tell anyone, did he?" taking a jab at people that had betrayed his trust and confidence instead of being faithful to the text. And saying that Peter was a fisherman (businessman) to defend himself and Sutton in using business methods in the church. Pastor Mark was going to step away from the pulpit, only for a short while (not resign) and no by-laws would change, elders would not vote.

His apology didn't seem to validate the people that had been hurt and painted himself and his family as victims. It didn't seem like he took the criticism seriously or understood how badly he had hurt others or even if it wasn't true, wasn't willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the church.

That's when I knew I was done. Things couldn't have been clearer about what needed to change and there was seemingly little remorse or repentance. I was leading a CG at the time and our entire CG was ready to leave at the same time. I told my Pastor we were leaving and the day after I told him, it was announced that U-District would be shutting down.

Our CG then began the process of finding a church together, instead of splitting up and going our separate ways. We continued meeting despite not having a church. And then spent 3-4 months in limbo looking for a new church together. It was a difficult time for me as a leader since I wanted to choose a church after about 1.5 months, but I knew others needed time to process, so we waited until 4 months or so before officially "replanting" our CG at a new church.

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

It closed because leadership was prideful and wouldn't change or be more accountable and the church members and leadership revolted, key leadership resigned, and the church dissolved.

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

Not much changed in my core beliefs. Even in my young life I've seen churches come and go and I have experiences with many other churches, so I can sift through what was true, and what was a uniquely Mars Hill emphasis or flaw. The things that changed for me were
1. I no longer trust huge mega-churches preaching truth as healthy by default. I view them with more suspicion and as potential pride-snares.
2. I have less faith in people and more faith in God. Anyone can fail.

Turner - Downtown Seattle, Lake City, U-District 2009-11

Your Name

Turner

Gender

Male

Which describes your role at Mars Hill?

Regular Attender

What Mars Hill location(s) did you attend?

Downtown Seattle, Lake City / Wedgewood, U-District

What years were you involved / attending?

2009, 2010, 2011

How did you first hear about Mars Hill?

My wife and I had recently moved from across the country and were living in Belltown. We did a google map search and found the downtown campus was only a few blocks away. We checked out the mars hill website, liked what we saw, and went the next Sunday.

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

My wife and I grew up in an evangelical church based on sound biblical theology, and were looking for a local church family.

What were your first impressions?

I think we both knew immediately that we had found our church home. The music, theology, people, etc all fit.

Why was Mars Hill your church home?

I personally loved Mark's preaching style. Supplemented by the passion of the local pastors and the many community groups, we fit in and felt welcome right away.

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

The years we attended were a great growing time in our lives. I think the core biblical input and great community greatly helped us. We were able to serve in multiple ways, and really feel connected to the church.

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

At our time in the church, the only real negative I felt was the loss of the Lake City campus, which we were attending at the time. While most of us moved to the U, another great campus. At the time it really felt like a loss, especially with Pastor Harleman being displaced.

Which describes you?

I left Mars Hill prior to closure.

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

We left because of a job opportunity across the country. Leaving the church was one of the hardest things that we've had to do. Mars Hill really did make Seattle home for us.

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

I consider my observations to be similar to an outsiders as I was gone at the time, but I consider it to be internal conflict leading to public conflict.

I don't pretend to know what happened to any particular group, I feel sorry for everyone involved.

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

One of the reasons we felt comfortable leaving was that we found an Acts29 church in our new area prior to leaving.