Mars Hill Church Downtown Seattle

Pastors at this location will give you the time of day, spend time encouraging and helping you grow. They are real humans with a desire to genuinely be helpful and supportive. They want to care. Yes, there is a lot written about theology and church administrative issues. That aside, if you need support, don’t let all that stop you from showing up and being bold enough to say what you need.

I had a strange 8 month relationship with this Church through a girl I dated and watched her fall under the influence of Mars Hill and their doctrine.
Mars Hill is a cultish, fundamentalist, iconoclasmic, Mega-​church that some of their members described as Calvanistic. I personally found Driscoll’s sermons inspiring and thought provoking. I found the music popish.
I also saw a systematic doctrine that targeted an inexperienced, naïve, and gullible population in Seattle. What I experienced was an «us against them», «you are with us or against us» tactic that is typical of brainwashing.
I give two stars because the people that attend this church do get something out of it; it is somewhat of an isolationist Christian religious group that provides a support network, friendship, and acceptance. Ultimately we are free individuals and you are responsible for yourself.
Clearly there are problems with the leadership of this organization, and I try not to judge. Their Redemption Groups appear to be their practicing therapy (they shun psychology and psychiatry), and seemed to be the next step of the Mars Hill indoctrination beyond regular church attendance and Community Groups. I never saw any outreach to the poor.
If you are looking for the modern Fundamentalist Mega-​Church that believes God is an Angry God and you need to be saved, this is your place. If you don’t fall into their doctrine, you are going to eventually stick out and you are not going to have a good time…

idk. I liked it.
I went to Downtown Marshill two Sundays in a row (the building is beautiful, btw)
Last Sunday I attended the Bellevue location and saw preacher man in real life. Same day they had a super bowl party and we all watched the Seahawks win it on the sanctuary’s GINORMOUS flat screens. It was a sober potluck with health conscious Christian families.
Whats not to like?
I had really bad gas from eating too many cheese samples at Wholefoods. I am very sorry to who ever walked by during that time.

My mom and step-​dad were happily married for 11 years. Mom was a non-​believer, step-​dad was a believer, but they made things work all this time because, well, love doesn’t have boundaries, right? But then my step-​dad suddenly started going to Mars Hill a few months ago and now they’re getting divorced. Belonging to a church that teaches that your non-​believing spouse deserves an eternity of burning in hell doesn’t really foster a strong and loving marriage, ya know? I’m still shocked at how quickly they turned him against us — his non-​believing yet totally loving and supportive family. I know Christians who leave the judgment and damnation to God, but this place actually preaches hatred and division amongst good and honest people. If you care about yourself and your loved ones, try searching for spiritual centers that don’t alienate you from the people you care about.

Amazing

This church loves Jesus and loves people. They are all about reaching the city for God’s glory. The gospel of Jesus Christ is presented frequently and boldly. I have been regularly attending and serving for almost 3 years and have never seen such a wonderful community of genuine people who want the best for people and desire to see people meet Jesus so their lives will be changed. They are real about sin and the effects of sin and want people to walk in the light, repent, and reconcile just like the bible talks about. The preaching is Jesus centered and very biblical. As a woman, I have never felt so loved, cared for, and protected by the people of mars hill. They have a genuine care for the women and want to see them flourish and know and
Love Jesus and serve him with their gifts and talents. No church is perfect, that is the reality because we are imperfect people which is why we need Jesus to guide us and we don’t have to be ashamed to be honest about our sin because Jesus took that shame on Him when he died on the cross and forgave us and then gave us new life when he rose from the dead. I would encourage anyone to check it out because they will definitely hear the gospel. I understand many disagree but that is what happens when Jesus is preached so boldly, the church is persecuted and conflict arises because of it. It is no cult, it is the body of Christ and a valuable part of God’s kingdom by his grace and for his glory.

I’ve searched everywhere in Seattle for a church, to no avail; however, I went Sunday morning to Mars Hill, and what an exciting experience! Never in Seattle have I felt such a warm welcome and like I finally fit in somewhere. The service was outstanding, band moving and pastor insightful– oh yeah, and coffee was great! Chris L.

I had been part of a community group for a couple of years at Mars Hill Downtown Campus. There were some changes that happened in the community group, and I did not feel like I really fit into my current community group and wanted a chance to meet new people by changing to another community group. I was told that if I had any concerns about my current community group that I should just tell the leader. At the same time, it was suggested that I try the free counseling to deal with current issues that I had. At the same time, I thought it would be a chance to deal with past issues as well. The counseling was helpful at first. I signed an agreement that I took to mean that if I did not do what they asked me to do that they could end the free counseling. A couple of weeks later, after a couple of sessions, it did not feel healthy. I felt it was more about them telling me what to do, rather than about me deciding about how I would handle things. So I ended the counseling politely and thanked the counselor for her time. It was just odd when the counselor emailed back and said that I was resisting her. And they just coming after me in emails that I should come back into the counseling. I eventually told them that I was giving this to God. And then at the end of July, they sent me a church discipline letter stating that I could not attend any church event or community group unless I reported to them immediately and repented of certain sins – 1) to overlook sin in a loving way 2) to repent of my sins 3) I was out of community, and I was to repent because I did not trust them. It was very condemning considering that leaders of the church were all included in the email as well as someone that I considered to be a good Christian friend along with her husband. The leader who sent me the church discipline letter stated that this was their way of loving me. This was not a convicting experience for me. It was a very condeming experience. I could not live my faith this way – I am not a doormat. I left this church at the end of July, and I have been attending another church that is a better fit for me. I have been going to a Christian woman counselor (it costs money, but I now able on working through my issues in a healthy way, and I have the confidentiality that I need in my life so that I can make healthy decisions in my life). And I have reading the book «When God’s People Let You Down” – it is about spiritual abuse —I got a used copy on Amazon. It was very painful to learn the truth about Mars Hill.

I’ve been going to Mars hill church for 3 years now, 1 year for the downtown location. I love it. Mark is honest, bold, and blunt when it comes to the sermons. He’s not afraid of talking about unpopular subjects. He talks about the entire bible. I also go to the community groups, which really connects you to the church. This church is about changing lives, helping people with struggles of sin, and being part of community without sinning. I’ve found the church not to be judgmental like other churches. I used to be a drug addict and no one has judged me for that, but loved me through it. The church speaks the truth.

Disappointing.
Everyone over the years has written everything here about the condemnations of difference, the production value, the bible fundamentalism… etc…
Except one point is missing!
If you follow Jesus, or want to follow him… then FOLLOW HIM… go to a place he would go if he were in physical form in this day and age.
If you don’t have an idea where that might be, or think it’s Mars Hill– read, or re-​read Matthew or Luke—
«Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.»
Big productions, judgement of those considered «less than» spiritually, and fancy equipment is not where Jesus would be. Don’t get caught up in the hype.
Spend your time caring for those persecuted, become a peacemaker, be pure of heart and show mercy, feed the hungry, become meek in Christ’s love… If you wish to know and follow Jesus… you need to know his love is limitless, focus on that, and put that love out into the world.
Remember:
1 Cor. 13:1−13
Love is not arrogant to believe it is limited to one belief structure or church community.

One word: CULT.

Darn it, I was hoping that I would be the first person to review this church… I should have reviewed it earlier since I visited a little over a year ago.
I think the video sermon by Mark Driscoll is what they do at all the Mars Hill campuses. I like his sermons — it can be a bit brash and in-​your-​face, but I really like that he goes into the Bible and just preaches the Word.
It’s clear that this church is Spirit-filled…I felt God during the worship and the sermon.
Nevertheless, nobody as much as looked in my direction when the service ended and people were greeting their friends sitting around them. Maybe because my friend and I were the only Asian people there… I dunno. Still, though, I’m giving this church the benefit of the doubt and a solid 4 stars.

I meditated before going to keep an open mind. I want to be honest here so you can decide if this is for you.
The first thing that struck me was the coldness of the atmosphere, dark walls and stage and sound system hanging from the ceiling. The video and sound systems are excellent.
On the stage, a rock band played loudly, and set modern-​language translations of pslams to their post-​grunge music. I suppose the purpose of the band was to try to meld an entertainment experience with a spiritual experience. If I want to go to a show, I’ll go to a show, that’s not why I go to church…
The «sermon» was a indie-​slick video of some guy preaching from Mars Hill in Athens. A video sermon, how weird is that? In the sermon, he took a small grain of history and built it into a large granary of speculation, not good. The pastor present seemed quite capable of delivering a sermon, he was both well-​spoken and enthusiastic. Perhaps this was just a special «treat.»
The pastor present mentioned «connection» or «get connected» about 20 times and directed people to their social-​networking site. I’m thinking their reported phenomenal growth is more of a function of their indie, anti-​style and their ability to connect people and overcome urban alienation than it is anything «miraculous»,
Of course their anecdotes emphasize people begining their church experience here, but one wonders how much of their «growth» is simply fundamentalists making lateral moves based on perceived «hipness».
Overall, it came off as something they were trying to do TO people, rather than an invitation to join in any kind of shared spiritual experience.
Shoes
Just to be fair, my real name is James «Shoes» Walker, and people are welcome to review any of my performances if they wish…

I’m a regular attender at Mars Hill Downtown, generally at the evening service. I’ve learned a lot since I’ve been here. I love Jesus, and Mars Hill is a great church for me. If you don’t love Jesus, you might not be such a big fan of Mars Hill. But sometimes people who hate Jesus like Mars Hill, so don’t let me discourage you.
I like the downtown campus because it’s smaller than the Ballard campus and, from my general experience, less pretentious. However, either one is good.