What started out as a living room bible group soon turned into a powerful mega-church with a charismatic yet extremely controlling leader holding the reins when, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill leader,  fired two “elders” at the church because they disagreed with his ideas.

Just a few months ago, Mars Hill Church was at the height of its powers: a rock and roll church with 4,000+ attendees who donated countless amounts of money; a series of coffee shops, and Driscoll was publishing dozens of books.

However, when Driscoll made comments interpreted as  homophobic and misogynistic, Mars Hill fell apart.

According to an article in the Seattle Times, Driscoll told the whole church to “shun” those two elders by  cutting off all contact with them. No one in the church was allowed to associate with both of them and their families, or they might be next.

Driscoll’s abusive ways continued to get worse and worse. According to Dan Savage from local Seattle newspaper The Stranger, Driscoll said something extremely homophobic and offensive during one of his sermons, “Homosexuality, Driscoll preached, is a cancer, and Mars Hill wants to “‘kill the cancer.'”

 In the end, the fall of Mars Hill comes down to one thing: Driscoll.

Driscoll, according to the Times, misused church funds to get his book on the New York Times bestseller lists. Reports tell us that he verbally abused so many people that they had to empty their pockets to the church and live in fear.

Now, the Mars Hill community is finally exposing Driscoll for who he really is.

In a letter written by Mars Hill pastors in an attempt to get Driscoll to step down, they finally confess to the bad direction the church is going in.

Surprisingly, the letter worked, (after yet another misogynistic comment, more churches closing, and a lack of funds) because Driscoll decided to take a leave of absence in September.

However, just this past week, Driscoll said he was going to step down from his position permanently, and this was met with glee from people who do not go to the church.

For Mars Hill attendees and staff, life is a nightmare. Pastors have had enough, people don’t know what to believe, and funds are dropping like flies.