Mars Hill Adds Campus in Olympia, Wash.

Add Olympia, Wash. – the state capital in one of the nation’s least churched states – to the list of places Mars Hill Church calls home. Anchored by lead pastor Mark Driscoll, the multisite megachurch is one of the nation's fastest-growing churches and now has a campus in Olympia.

The Olympian reports that a group of nearly 100 met this past weekend at South Puget Sound Community College, where they conducted a worship service complete with a praise band. For the sermon, the group broadcasted Mark Driscoll’s message on a screen. Driscoll was preaching from Ballard, which is a Seattle suburb 68 miles to the north.

Pastor Scott Thomas, who is part of the leadership for the Olympia campus, says the church’s fast growth can be attributed to the fact that it teaches straight from the Bible and doesn’t sugarcoat imperatives. Small groups from as far away as Chicago have contacted Mars Hill about starting campuses in their communities. The interesting fact is that these groups tend to be dominated by young adults.

“That was the intent: to create a message, style and music that would be appealing to 18 to 30,” Thomas said. “That is the group churches have had trouble reaching. We've been intentional in speaking to them. ... We don't want to overlook this generation.”

Because Mars Hill sets up its branches in places such as community colleges, the expansion costs are minimal, Thomas told the reporter. For the Olympia campus, Mars Hill pays $1,200 a month, plus administrative costs. In all, the church now has seven campuses.