Mediation Sought by Former Mars Hill Church Members and Donors

This just in…

For IMMEDIATE Release
Mediation Sought by Former Mars Hill Church Members and Donors
SEATTLE, Dec. 22, 2014

A group of former Mars Hill Church members and donors are pursuing mediation with Mars Hill Church to accomplish a number of goals: full financial transparency, an acknowledgment of and some form of restitution for those harmed by Mars Hill, the release of the Board of Elders investigative report of the charges against the former Mars Hill pastor, Mark Driscoll, and an acknowledgment that Driscoll was found to be disqualified.

The group’s attorney, Brian Fahling, is preparing a RICO lawsuit filing based on allegations of fraud related to the solicitation of funds. Mars Hill previously indicated a desire to resolve the issues through mediation, but asked to see more details regarding the RICO filing first. Church leaders will be given a specific amount of time to review the materials and respond. The group prepared to file the lawsuit agrees mediation is preferable and are hopeful the parties can come to agreement quickly.

$40,000 in matching funds has been offered by an anonymous donor to help pay the costs of mediation, and to file and pursue the lawsuit if necessary.

The group is soliciting funds through a GoFundMe account at http://www.gofundme.com/j7wh4c.

The description of the fund includes information about an alternate way to donate.

The press release was changed to insert the word fraud instead misappropriation.