Mars Hill Church pastor tells his story

The Seattle man behind one of the fastest-growing churches in the country gives followers, and outsiders, a look at how Mars Hill began in a new documentary.

Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll rarely talks to the press. He doesn’t need to. Driscoll gets his message out with more than 100,000 downloads of his sermons each week, and speaks in person to thousands who attend one of his churches.

Driscoll’s church started in his Wallingford home in 1996 with just a few people showing up for a bible study. Mars Hill now includes dozens of services at facilities in Ballard, Bellevue, Federal Way, Olympia, Shoreline, West Seattle, the U-District, and a newly-opened church in Sammamish. The branches of Mars Hill extend to Albuquerque, New Mexico where Driscoll was yesterday to perform the 1,300 baptism this year. There are plans to open in Everett, Portland, and Orange County, California.

Over the weekend, Driscoll debuted a documentary called, “God’s Work, Our Witness.” In it, he describes the lowest points in the church’s history when it was “broke, homeless, and attendance had just tanked.”

On the video, he drives around to Mars Hill locations describing the ups and downs of “one big crazy road trip with Jesus as the driver.” He credits two donors who wrote him a $200,000 check to pay for the renovation of their first church.

“I feel like crying just thinking about it. Everything had been so hard and we were absolutely broke and homeless and frustrated,” Driscoll says, “It was a game changer, and honestly, without the couples’ generosity, Mars Hill probably wouldn’t be here today.”

While his church had an unexpected beginning, Driscoll also admits the last thing he ever wanted to be was a preacher.

“Growing up Catholic, I thought the pastor is a guy who lives at the church, is flat broke, is committed to never having sex and wears a dress,” says Driscoll. “That was pretty much the last career choice of all career choices.”

He went to Washington State University to study communications and started reading a Bible his girlfriend – now wife – Grace gave him.

“In the book of Romans it all started to click for me,” he says.

Now, as the pastor of Mars Hill, he teaches that humans are sinners and only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus, can one be saved. Members believe that the Scriptures alone are their guide for faith and worship. Mars Hill also teaches that women and men, though equally valued by God, have different roles. In the church, as in the home, men are to lead. Driscoll is no stranger to controversy for his recent sermons that yoga is sinful and Mormonism is a cult .

A screen grab from a new documentary “God’s Work, Our Witness” produced by Mars Hill about the church’s beginning, ups and downs, and current rapid growth.