Mark Driscoll Resigns: Controversial Pastor ‘Guilty Of Arrogance’


As The Inquisitr reported back in August, controversial pastor Mark Driscoll stepped down from the pulpit at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, following numerous allegations including plagiarism, inappropriate behavior, and misuse of church funds. A few weeks prior to him stepping down, Driscoll was removed from the Acts 29 Church Planting Network.

Now, the official Mars Hill Church website posted a statement saying that Mark Driscoll has “submitted his resignation as an elder and lead pastor” of the megachurch he founded in 1996. This was an unexpected move by Driscoll.

“Mark Driscoll was not asked to resign; indeed, we were surprised to receive his resignation letter,” the statement read.

The statement mentioned that Board of Overseers accepted Driscoll’s resignation and it is seeking to fill his vacancy.

“[The church] is moving forward with planning for pastoral transition, recognizing the challenge of such a task in a church that has only known one pastor since its founding,” the statement read.

During Driscoll’s time away, seven elders and one member of the Board of Overseers investigated the charges brought against the controversial pastor. One of the things noted was Driscoll’s attitude.

“We concluded that Pastor Mark has, at times, been guilty of arrogance, responding to conflict with a quick temper and harsh speech, and leading the staff and elders in a domineering manner. While we believe Mark needs to continue to address these areas in his life, we do not believe him to be disqualified from pastoral ministry.”

While Driscoll is known for being controversial, the statement claims he’s never broken the law or done anything the church would deem unacceptable.

“Pastor Mark has never been charged with any immorality, illegality, or heresy. Most of the charges involved attitudes and behaviors reflected by a domineering style of leadership. We found some of the accusations against Pastor Mark to be altogether unfair or untrue.”

Mark Driscoll Resigns As Pastor Of Mars Hill

And Driscoll has come forward about some of the allegations brought against him, but the statement didn’t specify which ones.

“Other charges had been previously been addressed by Pastor Mark, privately and publicly. Indeed, he had publicly confessed and apologized for a number of the charges against him, some of which occurred as long as 14 years ago.”

In his official letter, via Religion News Service, Driscoll reiterates that there has been nothing brought against him that would disqualify his eligibility to be a pastor. But there are some things that Driscoll believes have given the church a bad image.

“Other issues, such as aspects of my personality and leadership style, have proven to be divisive within the Mars Hill context, and I do not want to be the source of anything that might detract from our church’s mission to lead people to a personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Driscoll continued with his explanation on why he is resigning.

“Recent months have proven unhealthy for our family—even physically unsafe at times—and we believe the time has now come for the elders to choose new pastoral leadership for Mars Hill. Grace and I pledge our full support in this process and will join you in praying for God’s best for this, His church, in the days and years ahead.”

The reaction on Twitter to Driscoll’s resigning is varied. Many showed their support for him.

Others were happy to see him resign.

What do you make of Mark Driscoll’s resignation?

[Images via Mars Hill Church official website and The Blaze]

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