woes

Kate Harloe

Kate Harloe Jul 11, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>woes</h1>
                <h2><p>Things have been going from bad to worse for the Christian “megachurch” lately. The Seattle Times reports that, after “18 years of explosive growth,” several Mars Hill branches will be closing down and about 30 to 40 percent of its paid staff (approx. 100 employees) will be laid off. All</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/kate-harloe-crosscut-com/">Kate Harloe</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Things have been going from bad to worse for the Christian “megachurch” lately. <em>The Seattle Times</em> <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2024485113_marshillxml.html?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">reports</a> that, after “18 years of explosive growth,” several Mars Hill branches will be closing down and about 30 to 40 percent of its paid staff (approx. 100 employees) will be laid off. All this after the church's controversial founder and pastor Mark Driscoll announced his “temporary departure” two weeks ago.While Driscoll takes a six week sabbatical — and endures investigation for a variety of questionable practices — the rest of the church is struggling to figure out what's next. Weekly attendance has plummeted from about 13,000 to 9,000 — prompting church officials to consolidate the downtown and University District churches with the Ballard congregation — and media coverage has been harsh. “We’re imperfect people," said church spokesperson Justin Dean. "Some of this is our own sinning ... our own mistakes.”</p>
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Things have been going from bad to worse for the Christian “megachurch” lately. The Seattle Times reports that, after “18 years of explosive growth,” several Mars Hill branches will be closing down and about 30 to 40 percent of its paid staff (approx. 100 employees) will be laid off. All this after the church's controversial founder and pastor Mark Driscoll announced his “temporary departure” two weeks ago.While Driscoll takes a six week sabbatical — and endures investigation for a variety of questionable practices — the rest of the church is struggling to figure out what's next. Weekly attendance has plummeted from about 13,000 to 9,000 — prompting church officials to consolidate the downtown and University District churches with the Ballard congregation — and media coverage has been harsh. “We’re imperfect people," said church spokesperson Justin Dean. "Some of this is our own sinning ... our own mistakes.”

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By Kate Harloe

Kate Harloe is Crosscut's Community Manager &amp; Editorial Assistant. After graduating from Hamilton College, Kate completed two seasons of work for the Southwest Conservation Corps before moving