How can a small Bible study group in the heart of one of America’s least churched cities grow to be one of the largest mega-churches in just a decade and a half?  This is the question we put before Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church based in Seattle, Washington.  Pastor Driscoll recounts how he came to take on his pastoral mission and recounts many of the early difficulties he had in setting up his ministry including the challenges of finding adequate space to accomodate a rapidly growing membership.  We discuss how Mars Hill developed a multi-campus approach that utilizes modern telecommunication technology to broadcast sermons from the main church in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle to seven other branches in the Puget Sound area and another one in New Mexico.  What is perhaps most amazing about Mars Hill is that it attracts a demographic that is not typically known to be regular churchgoers — young single males.  Mark relates how a message rooted directdly in Scripture can appeal to youth and to individuals who have been sinned against.  We further touch upon the Acts 29 Network aimed at planting churches around the country and how it screens and trains future church leaders in the process.  Mark reveals what characteristics he and his staff look for when determining who should lead a new church plant.  Finally, Pastor Driscoll offers some reflections on why churches that are theologically conservative are growing whereas mainline Protestant denominations are shrinking.  Admittedly, your host was expecting to learn how various organizational innovations have determined the success of Mars Hill.  And while the church does rely upon creative organizational techniques, I learned that the content of the pastoral message is really what has been the main driving force in this church’s growth.  Recorded: October 12, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Mars Hill Church.

Acts 29 Network.

Mark Driscoll’s Confessions of a Reformission Rev: Hard Lessons from and Emerging Missional Church (Zondervan Press).

Mark Driscoll’s Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe (Crossway Books).

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James Wellman on Evangelical vs Liberal Christians.