Mark Driscoll is an American evangelical pastor and author. He is the founder and primary contributor of RealFaith ministries. He is also the senior and founding pastor of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, which was founded in 2016.
Early Life
Driscoll was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on October 11, 1970. Mark is the oldest of five children and the son of a union drywaller. He was reared as a Roman Catholic in the Riverton Heights neighborhood of SeaTac, Washington.
He graduated from Burien, Washington’s Highline High School in 1989. He was the student body president, baseball team captain, newspaper editor, and the “most likely to succeed” kid in his graduating class while he was in high school. He first met Grace Martin, the future wife, in high school. Gib Martin is an evangelical pastor.
Driscoll converted to Christianity at the age of 19, while a student in college. He obtained a Master of Arts in exegetical theology from Western Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in communication with a minor in philosophy from Washington State University.
After graduating, Mark and his wife, Grace moved to Seattle where they volunteered with the college ministry of Antioch Bible Church and attended services there. A few months later, Mark was given a job as an intern. Through his internship, Mark got to know Lief Moi, a radio broadcaster, and Mike Gunn, who worked for a Athletes in Action ministry at the University of Washington. Talk of starting a “urban, postmodern” church in Seattle was initiated by the trio. The three received guidance from Greg Kappas, the pastor in charge of Antioch Bible Church’s new church planting program, who also assisted them in creating their plans.
Family
Mark is married to Grace Driscoll, his high school sweetheart. The couple are blessed with five children
Ministry
In 1996, Driscoll co-founded Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. In March 2014, Mars Hill Church had 14,000 members in five states and fifteen locations. He also founded The Resurgence (a theological cooperative) and co-founded other parachurch organizations, such as Acts 29 Network, Churches Helping Churches, and The Gospel Coalition.
He has written for the “Faith and Values” section of The Seattle Times, OnFaith, and the Fox News website. Driscoll has also authored a number of popular Christian books, including A Call to Resurgence.
Controversy has surrounded his teachings on gender roles, his alleged plagiarism, and the culture of fear and abuse that allegedly existed during his tenure at Mars Hill.
In the summer of 2014, Driscoll faced public criticism and formal complaints from Mars Hill staff members and congregants due to alleged abusive behavior. In August 2014, the board of Acts 29 Network removed him from its membership and urged him to step down from ministry.
On October 14, 2014, Driscoll resigned from Mars Hill Church.Within three months of Driscoll’s resignation, Mars Hill Church was dissolved leaving each church campus to either close or become autonomous.
In 2021, Mark Driscoll was the subject of a popular podcast called The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, which chronicled Driscoll’s history of misconduct.
However, apologized in to the world and the church in 2,000-word letter, posted his church’s private online community known as “The City” and published elsewhere. He apologized for his missteps and promised to refrain from posting on social media.
Acts 29 Network
Driscoll and David Nicholas founded Acts 29 Network in 1998 to plant 1000 new churches worldwide. The organization started with 11 churches and rapidly expanded, reaching 50 churches by 2006 and 410 by 2011, with 38 churches in 16 other countries.
Driscoll founded The Resurgence in 2006, a theological cooperative supporting Acts 29 and Mars Hill Church, aiming to train church leaders in conservative reformed theology.
In 2014, the Acts 29 church-planting network which he founded dismissed him and his Mars Hill Church from membership, citing complaints from other network pastors concerning the minister’s divisive behavior.
Resignation from Mars Hill Church
In 2014, an investigation into accusations of bullying and intimidating behavior by Driscoll, Mark, and 21 former church elders, was conducted. The investigation involved 1,000 hours of research, interviews, and 200 pages of information. The report concluded that Driscoll had never been charged with immorality, illegality, or heresy, and that many of the charges had been addressed by Mark. Driscoll maintained he had not disqualified himself from ministry.
Church leadership proposed a “restoration” plan for Driscoll, but he declined, resigning on October 14, 2014, citing health and safety concerns. The church’s Board of Overseers had not asked for his resignation.
Net Worth
We cannot estimate how much Mark Driscoll is worth. There is no public information on his income.
Social Media
You can follow Mark on the following social media platforms;
instagram; @markdriscoll
Twitter: @PastorMark
YouTube: RealFaith by Mark Driscoll