| Mars Hill Church began with 12 people studying the Bible and worshipping together in a living room. Pastors Mark Driscoll, Lief Moi, and Mike Gunn shared a vision to create a healthy body of believers in what was, at the time, the least-churched city in the least-churched state. The outreach began primarily among the least-churched demographic: men and women in their late teens and early twenties. In October 1996, the growing core launched as an official church with about 100 regular attendees. Numbers increased steadily as word-of-mouth spread. Due to constant growth, the church had to change locations and service times frequently, wandering from Laurelhurst to the University District to downtown Seattle. Desiring to remain in the city, rather than withdrawing to suburbia, Mars Hill finally found a stable home in residential Ballard in 1999. While maintaining a smaller worship space in the heart of the University District, the growing congregation was split between two locations for a long season. The member base broadened, attracting young and old, single and married, college student and seasoned worker. Within the next three years, it became evident that we were outgrowing our Ballard space; Mars Hill had grown from 12 to 1,200! During this time, we also cultivated relationships with believers near and far. Out of those friendships came the church planting network, Acts 29 (www.acts29network.org). Since then, the Acts 29 Network has blossomed into a movement for gospel-centered church planting around the world. In 2003, God gave Mars Hill a more permanent home on 40,000 square feet between the urban neighborhoods of Ballard and Fremont. The growth did not stop, however, and less than two years after moving into the new building, more than 3,000 people were attending Mars Hill each week. God¡¯s provision increased exponentially; in early 2005, Mars Hill purchased another building, one block away from our current location. When it opens in late 2006, the new building will essentially double our current church space and provide room to grow into the future. Seattle may no longer actually be the least-churched city in the nation, and it is an exciting privilege to be participants in this glorious work God is accomplishing. |
