OVER THE PAST MONTH, Mars Hill—the hip, controversially conservative megachurch empire that famously colonized Southeast Portland in 2011—has begun crumbling from the inside out.
It began with Mark Driscoll, the evangelical church's co-founder and vivacious leader, taking a leave of absence from his Seattle pulpit in August, shortly before facing a slew of sour mismanagement allegations from church elders. By mid-October, Driscoll resigned—triggering a ripple of surprise and panic across the 13-church network. On October 31, the Seattle headquarters dropped another bomb: Mars Hill will dissolve its entire network of churches by the end of the year, letting them become independent, self-governing bodies.
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