Less than a year ago , Mark Driscoll , an evangelical pastor , was flying high . His hometown Seattle Seahawks were in the Super Bowl , and the brash pastor scored a big , faith-fueled interview with five of the team 's top players , including quarterback Russell Wilson . But in a remarkably fast fall from grace , Driscoll resigned Tuesday as pastor of Mars Hill Church , a congregation he founded 18 years ago and turned into a force in the mostly secular Pacific Northwest . In a statement , Mars Hills ' board of overseers said Driscoll had n't committed any acts of `` immorality , illegality or heresy '' -- sins that have felled many a powerful pastor . Instead , the board said , Driscoll is guilty of `` arrogance , responding to conflict with a quick temper and harsh speech , and leading the staff and elders in a domineering manner . '' Driscoll was not asked to leave , the board added , saying they were `` surprised '' to receive his resignation letter . In that letter , obtained by Religion News Service , Driscoll says : `` Recent months have proven unhealthy for our family -- even physically unsafe at times -- and we believe the time has now come for the elders to choose new pastoral leadership for Mars Hill . '' The 43-year-old pastor acknowledged that , `` There are many things I have confessed and repented of , privately and publicly , as you are well aware . Specifically , I have confessed to past pride , anger and a domineering spirit . '' Before his resignation , a number of Mars Hills leaders fled the church , saying that Driscoll was not fit for leadership . He has also been accused of plagiarism and using a complex scheme to pad book sales . The pastor has apologized and said `` mistakes were made . '' The broader beef with Driscoll , though , seemed to be his more-macho-than-thou approach to fellow Christians . According to Christianity Today , the pastor had trolled online discussion forums under the pseudonym `` William Wallace II , '' and lambasted the supposed rise of `` male lesbians ; '' `` feman , '' ( men who act like women , in his definition ) ; and `` men who allow their wives to nag at them . '' `` While the discussion board itself was a bad idea , '' Driscoll said in a letter obtained by Christianity Today , `` my decision to attack critics who were posting there ( I did so by posting under the character 'William Wallace II ' ) was an even worse idea . '' Even before that revelation , Driscoll was highly controversial and almost comically outspoken . He once said that mainstream Christians had turned Jesus into a `` Richard Simmons , hippie , queer Christ , '' and a `` neutered and limp-wristed popular Sky Fairy of pop culture that ... would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell . '' In a book he wrote with his wife in 2012 , Driscoll delved into serious detail about his sex life , leaving some reviewers , and almost as many Christians , a bit uncomfortable . For all that , though -- or maybe , because of all that -- Driscoll was pretty successful by many measures . He built Mars Hill into a mini-empire , with 15 satellite locations and even a couple of universities . His books and sermons were read and heard by millions . In his resignation letter , Driscoll hints that his pastoral career is n't dead yet . `` My journey , at age 43 , is far from over , '' he writes , `` I believe ( God ) has brought me a long way from some days I am not very proud of , and is making me more like him every day . ''
Evangelical resigns from Mars Hill Church , which he founded 18 years ago . Score: 7 Church board said he was guilty of `` arrogance , '' `` quick temper , '' `` harsh speech ''