Disgraced Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll will return to the pulpit with the launch of Trinity Church.
“We have moved to Phoenix. We love it here, healing up, making new friends and excited about this city and the future that God would have us to play in serving the people here,” Driscoll says in a video posted to his website. “Lord willing, hoping, trusting, praying, planning and also a little bit worrying about planting a church here in early 2016.”
According to the Trinity Church website, the church will be built around 13 tenets, ranging from God forming us to saving us so that He might send us.
Driscoll will be the senior pastor and aided by “Wise Counsel” members and a “Governing Board,” on which he serves.
“We learn from, respect, honor and seek wise counsel from the following leaders, their families, churches and ministries. We also appreciate those ministry leaders praying for and supporting our church plant,” according to the website.
Driscoll stepped down from Seattle’s Mars Hill Church in 2014 amid plagiarism and pastoral abuse allegations.
Last summer, he told Hillsong Pastor Brian Houston he had been convicted of his words against others, namely Joel Osteen.
“Some of the people I have criticized have been the most loving and kind toward me. It’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance and sometimes that kindness comes through others. They have no obligation to be kind and gracious because you have not been with them. So we’ve seen some remarkable grace and kindness from people that I did not give that to them but they have given that to us,” Driscoll said.
“And that has been deeply convicting and brought about repentance. There’s a list of pastors I have contacted or called to apologize to, to ask forgiveness from, and I don’t want to do that publicly because I don’t want to cause them more drama or pain, but that has been part of the journey.”
