Mars Hill Bible Church
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Mars Hill Bible Church is a Christian, non-denominational, Protestant, evangelical Bible megachurch located in Grandville, Michigan. The teaching pastor is Rev. Rob Bell.
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[edit] History
Founded in February 1999, services, or "gatherings" were originally housed in a school gym in Wyoming, Michigan. Based on the idea that worship could be stripped down to its simplest form, it quickly grew in popularity. Through word-of-mouth and the launch support of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the church attracted about 1,000 visitors to their first gathering. Within a year the church had the defunct Grand Village Mall donated to them, and purchased the land it is located on in Grandville, Michigan. After some remodeling, the 3,500 seat facility opened its doors in July 2000. They have recently added 300-400 chairs. As of 2005, the church attracts over 10,000 churchgoers to its three Sunday services and up to 50,000 downloads per week. They are now offering weekly podcasts so that the teachings can be automatically downloaded to your computer.
[edit] Leadership
The church's founding pastor, Rob Bell, founded the church at 28 years old. He is now considered to be the "Teaching Pastor" at Mars Hill. On August 1st, 2005, Zondervan Publishing released his first book, 'Velvet Elvis'. His next book, 'Sex God,' was released in 2007 through the same publishing company. The current "Lead Pastor" of Mars Hill is Don Golden.
[edit] A note about denomination
The church claims to be nondenominational on its website, though some may describe it as interdenominational.
[edit] Ideology
The ideology of the church is somewhat different from other large mega-churches in that it places little emphasis on high-tech production during its weekly gatherings. The church's sanctuary (formerly the anchor store of the mall) reflects this simplistic ideology; the sanctuary walls are a dull green, there is a freestanding homemade wooden cross in the sanctuary on communion sundays, and the multimedia projections are white text on a black background. There is a belief that the gatherings should not be a performance, as many megachurches are often known for.
Mars Hill receives the financial tithes and offerings of the people through "joy boxes" that are located in the back of the room (versus a traditional “pass the plate” tithing moment). The initial 25% of the offering is given away to global and local partners in order to "join God where He is already at work among some of the most church-forsaken peoples, places and issues of our city and world." This figure is public knowledge and the individual missionaries supported are highlighted on a regular basis through preaching stories, video testimonies, and strategic updates in "the weekly" bulletin. It is the philosophy of Mars Hill that “living the way of Jesus is to be put on display” so that more might be inspired to take up the cause wherever they live.
The annual giving at Mars Hill is just above $4 million, which equates to $8.00 per attendee per week.
[edit] Theology
Their theology is based upon the presumption that YHVH is the "God of the Oppressed." They see the biblical narrative through the lense of what they call "The New Exodus." The New Exodus Theology begins in Egypt where God "hears the cry" of the oppressed. It moves to Sinai where God makes a covenant with the descendants of Abraham, giving them a "purpose and mission." Third - Jerusalem - where Israel has a choice to be "indifferent" and use forced labor to build their own kingdom or to promote a "kindgom of rightousness and justice." Finally, Babylon is the place where there is hope for a New Exodus climaxing in that of Jesus.
They also understand the biblical narrative much like N.T. Wright presents, finding themselves within the fifth act.
Act 1 - Creation, Act 2 - Fall, Act 3 - Israel, Act 4 - Jesus, Act 5 - Church,
Other theologians have added a sixth act but still find themselves in the midst of the fifth act.
Act 6 - The Return of the King
[edit] Trivia
The name "Mars Hill" comes from the spot in Greece where Paul of Tarsus preached to leading intellectuals and pagan leaders. Criticizing ancient houses of worship, Paul declared, "God ... does not dwell in temples made with hands."
The church's teachings inspired the popular Western Michigan bumper sticker "LOVE WINS."
[edit] Grand Village Mall
The current home of Mars Hill Bible Church was originally a shopping mall known as Grand Village Mall. The mall was anchored by Rite Aid Discount Center and Witmark, a catalog showroom chain based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At one point, the mall featured over 20 stores, including Hallmark. The mall fell on hard times after the closure of Witmark in the late 1990s.
[edit] Criticisms
Mars Hill Bible Church also had special guest Brian McLaren as a speaker sometime in July, 2006. [1] Brian McLaren is considered by some to be the de facto leader of the Emergent Church [2] and 'questions' the biblical doctrine of justification by grace through faith and has that postmodern belief that it's 'dangerous' to completely know what the gospel is.[citation needed]
[edit] Related books
- Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell
- Sex God", by Rob Bell
- Girl Meets God, by Lauren F. Winner
- Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott
- A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey, by Brian D. McLaren
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Mars Hill Bible Church - Sermon Audio
- NOOMA, a series of videos based on the church's teachings
- Christianity Today Magazine
