Who Killed Mars Hill?
In 2014, after more than a decade of tremendous growth and ministry, Mars Hill Church imploded with the resignation of its lead pastor, Mark Driscoll. Once a hub for those disenfranchised with cultural Christianity, Mars Hills characteristic punk rock spirit became its downfall as power, fame, and spiritual trauma invaded the ministry. In this inaugural episode of The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, host Mike Cosper begins at the end, investigating the rubble of Mars Hills fall for answers. Meet Mark, the firebrand cussing pastor whose ministry of breaking conventions called men and women to transformation and whose rebellion touched a nerve with those inside and outside the church. Meet a church culture that considered relational fallout as simply part of the job. And take a look in the mirror to ask why we keep doing thiselevating leaders whose charisma outpaces their character. Loaded with piercing and poignant interviews, this episode invites you to release preconceived notions about this familiar story and listen afresh to a narrative that feels painfully relevant more than a decade later. Stick around at the end of the episode as Kate Shellnutt and Daniel Silliman discuss why talking about church culture and leadership matters. Read more at If You See Something, Say Something and Why We Report Bad News About Leaders.  Here is the letter presenting formal charges against Mark Driscoll from 21 former Mars Hill pastors. Here is the letter from nine pastors who were serving in August of 2014, asking Mark Driscoll to step down from ministry and enter a restoration process. The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill is a production of Christianity Today  Executiver Producer: Erik Petrik  Producer, Writer, and Host: Mike Cosper  Associate Producer: Joy Beth Smith  Music, sound design, and mixing: Kate Siefker  Graphic Design: Bryan Todd  Social Media: Nicole Shanks  Editorial consulting: Andrea Palpant Dilley, online managing editor  Christianity Today Editor in Chief: Timothy Dalrymple  Theme song: Sticks and Stones by Kings Kaleidescope  Closing song: Slow and Steady Wins the Race by Pedro the Lion