Mark Driscoll, the lead pastor of Trinity Church and former pastor of Mars Hill Church.
Co-founder and former pastor of Seattle-based Mars Hill Church preached at Trinity Church in Arizona on August 7 for the first time after he resigned from Mars Hill Church.
Mark Driscoll officially opened the new church in Scottsdale, Phoenix, last week where he spoke about how the storms in his life were used by God to bring him to Arizona.
Driscoll served as pastor at Mars Hills Church for about 18 years. He co-founded many parachurch organizations including a church-planting network called Acts 29. Driscoll was removed from its membership in 2014. In October the same year, he announced his resignation from Mars Hill Church.
The church was dissolved in January 2015, and its other campuses spread over 15 locations in five states was given the option to become independent or merge with other churches.
Driscoll left the church in the backdrop of allegations of bullying and misogyny from staff members and congregants. He responded to the accusations as "a little overwhelming and a bit confusing."
In February this year, he announced opening of The Trinity Church in Arizona.
The church website reads, "We open our Bibles to learn. We open our lives to love."
He preached two sermons on Sunday at 9 and 10:45 AM at the Trinity Church.
Many people attended the church service, but one woman protested against the new church and the pastor by holding up a sign that read, "MARK'S EGO, MONEY & POWER."
In the Sunday sermon, Driscoll spoke about his last two years and God's plan for his life.
"Our family is here because of a storm ... a storm in our own life and in the middle of it, we prayed and God gave of his word to my wife and myself... at two separate times," he said. "We surrendered to the Lord in the midst of our storm so that God could do work in us and move us to this place for mission."
