Trinity Church — Attraction in Scottsdale

I really wanted to continue giving this church a chance considering Mark Driscoll is such a powerful pastor. However, I don't think I will ever return. Here's why:

1. They don't tell you where church donations are going. Nor do they even mention how many donations they received weekly. The only thing they mention is that donations are being used to build a bigger campus? And a better playground for the kids. I am not sure how any of that helps the needy/less fortunate. They also don't discuss volunteer opportunities to help the poor, or just getting involved in general church serving opportunities to help the disenfranchised. Extremely odd.

2. The pastor is almost never there on Sundays. I can count over 10 times where my boyfriend and I got all ready, drove to come to a Sunday service and we were disappointed to find out they pull out a screen to show Mark Driscoll preaching from the night before. I don't know about you, but if the Lord called you to be a preacher, you preach on the Lord's Day. Never in my life have I seen a preacher not physically be there on a Sunday and force us to watch him preach on a projector screen. I understand if you're out of town doing missionary work or can't make it, but have another substitute pastor in your absence. It is extremely disrespectful to subject your chuchgoers to watch a screen when we can just be doing this at home.

3. My friend and I decided to try the women's group for the first time. We both drove almost 30 min last night on a Wednesday to be met with an empty parking lot. I thought, okay maybe they're hosting it in the Trinity Cafe. Drove to the cafe and it's empty. The door was completely open so I walk in and nobody was there. It was dark and eventually an alarm went off.

I walk outside in complete confusion to see a man pull up in his truck. I ask him if the women's group was still being held today at 6:30? He said he thought the men's group was being hosted today. Me, in complete confusion, ask him to verify where he got that information. He showed me the website where it clearly stated that the men's group was at 6:30 pm on Wednesdays in the Trinity cafe.

I don't know about you, but it is NOT difficult to simply update your website for Holy week if you decide not to host women's or men's groups that week. He said it was his first time and it was ours as well, and we were COMPLETELY turned off by the lack of regard for our time.

My friend and I decided to drive back to the church, sit outside on the patio, and have our own women's group. While we sat there, I couldn't help but notice it was desolate. No services at all during Holy Week.

Call me crazy but everything here feels like blasphemy. You have rejected your calling as a pastor and let fame completely get to your head. You don't care about your church goers who are in desperate need of prayer because time and time again, you do not show up for them. You don't treat your job as a pastor/pastor's wife as a part time position, doing it whenever you "feel" like it. You live, drink, eat and breathe this. I have never been more turned off by a church and I will never in my...

As a retired couple moving here from a small town in Indiana, we were on the first Sunday we arrived looking for a church home. We visited a few for about 4 years. My husband met a friendly businessman who owned a cigar store. They began talking about the Lord. He said please come and visit our church , The Trinity Church in Scottsdale. You will be fed . The gospel , yes the GOSPEL ( I added that the second time:) is preached. We were excited to go and came away with a heart of gratitude at what we heard. Romans! What a book. Pastor Driscoll broke it down to Paul’s greatest love . The Lord Jesus Christ and knowing Him. Then the prattle of criticism came to our ears. You see my husband was a pastor , head pastor 16 years , associate pastor about 7 . We began a small church , rented a school and had at most about 90 people. Never grew to a mega church , but sadly ended a little like Mars Hill. I’m assuming people will never cease to write about it or Pastor Driscoll. What a shame. My husband worked a full time job as an Ironworker in the city of Chicago and pastored the entire time of his ministry. We had an issue with my youngest son and his new wife , a cousin of one of our elders. With the blink of an eye horrible allegations were made and believed, really believed by our elders and others in the church . My son was not this person she described. It was a nightmare which affected my other 3 children to this day. Take some time off Pastor, then come back. Both of us knew God was speaking : step down. We did. We didn’t start another church . A local pastor said please come and just heal. My son was completely devastated for months and months . My point in all this?? No pastor is perfect. And if you preach what Mark Driscoll preaches and my husband preached that too: Folks it’s called the Gospel , you are in for some heartbreak you can’t imagine. Effects on your children. Stress. Unimaginable stress (Dave in ER 11 times and he ain’t no wimp(NFL, Canadian and USFL pro football) your getting it from all sides. Why don’t these people who endlessly write on the Driscolls shut up and write begging people to pray for revival!!!! He’s feeding the sheep and has been true to his lovely wife. My goodness, don’t ya think we need some role models for these generations to come. Being bossy? Really? A cuss word? Have you ever thought a cuss word? Just thought one ?? Hell yes! Oops. Pray for your pastor!!!!!! Their children!!!! Pray, pray, pray!!!! The Lord is coming on that beautiful white horse to make things really right. Too many of our loved ones don’t know Him. That should be our hearts cry!! Keep preaching Pastor. By Gods grace He will use you in these days because as you taught us Sunday, be filled with the Spirit. That goes for me ( which my need is great) and all of us. God bless you and your family and keep you under His care....

We just moved to Arizona and my wife was excited to come check this church out.

After further investigation it seems that Mark Driscoll is clouded by controversy.

As a Christian of 14 years, I’m a firm believer that all people need the grace to move on, live free, and not be chained to their past mistakes.. so I grant the Pastor that grace and so should every single christian that believes in Jesus.

AND.. the biggest red flag, the only genuine reason why I wouldn’t consider coming here, and my warning to my fellow christians/to Mark Driscoll is this:

Every Pastor should have a Pastor.

In Mark Driscolls’ case, after reading about Mars Hill church and the organization he use to be a part of, I think the wisest thing a Pastor can do after such an event is start a new church with layers of accountability that are visible to the congregation & new comers.

Who is the Pastor in His life that he submits to/can hold him accountable?

Where is his board?

What I see from afar off is a Pastor that hasn’t healed from past wounds and he doesn’t trust having a board.. or he doesn’t like obstacles. (What man does?)

But if you’re going to be a Pastor, I think picking people that surround you and hold the church up is so important.

And having a pastor that walks with you is important for high & low.

There’s also a controversy about $200,000 being spent to promote his book.

This concerned me.

There is also a controversy about a “global” offering that was pitched and the finances were used locally.

These are concerns enough to justify accountability.

The lack of it tells me that he has not seen the error in his ways and that’s not someone you want to learn from long term.

Humility begets humility.

Pride begets pride.

There is also talk about the sermons being political instead of biblical.

This is also a concern.

There is also talk about him not being there on Sundays. It’s just a video recording.

Major concern.

All in all, consider these things at face value.

The advice I’ve given the people who trust me is to turn away from this church and look elsewhere until there is visible change in how things are done.

Praying that Mark Driscoll doesn’t stop short at being a great church but that he finds a way to completely destroy what destroyed him in the past.

Accountability...