Mars Hill Bible Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Ashlee Eiland and Troy Hatfield (Co-Lead Pastors since 2021)

Founded 1999 (Rob Bell founding)

Denomination Non-denominational

Service Times Sunday 10:00 AM (Grandville); also online

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website marshill.org

Pastor Credentials Verify

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

Post-Bell trajectory publicly drifted toward pluralism; site tagline 'A Jesus people for the sake of the world' is Christ-referent but vague. Kent Dobson (successor) publicly expressed pluralist views before stepping down.

WARNING!

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

Rob Bell's 'Love Wins' (2011) was the break-point that launched universalist trajectory; Mars Hill has not publicly retracted that hermeneutic posture.

WARNING!

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not surfaced on site.

WARNING!

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

Universalist drift (Bell's 'Love Wins') is denied-substitutionary-atonement per rubric; successor pastors have not reversed course.

WARNING!

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

Site lists 'Staff + Elders' but mixed-gender teaching contributors consistent with affirming-progressive evangelical trajectory. Bell's 2012 comments affirming same-sex marriage are definitional for Mars Hill's public reputation.

Rob Bell publicly affirmed same-sex marriage in 2012; successor Kent Dobson departed 2017 citing distance from evangelical identity

Disqualifier

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Teaching-contributor model (Troy Hatfield, Delwin Eiland listed); elder plurality unclear; string of high-profile pastoral departures (Bell 2011, Dobson 2017+).

WARNING!

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

Narrative-topical 'NOOMA'-heritage preaching rather than verse-by-verse expository — red per rubric.

WARNING!

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

'Safe place for life's questions' seeker/therapeutic framing without clear gospel-proclamation distinctive — red.

WARNING!

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Documented trajectory toward LGBT-affirming and progressive theology per founder and successor — black per rubric.

Disqualifier

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

Elder board of 11 includes multiple women (Nancy Bierema, Sarah Christmann, Deb Hoover, Pam Jackson, Kate Neckers [Chair], Leslea White) — egalitarian accountability structure that trends progressive, not confessional. Independent with no denominational anchor. Already BLACK overall per Bell legacy. Keep denominational RED.

WARNING!

Assessment

Mars Hill Bible Church at 3501 Fairlanes Ave SW, Grandville, MI 49418. Originally led by Rob Bell (founding pastor, left 2012). Now led by co-lead pastors Ashlee Eiland and Troy Hatfield since 2021. The co-pastor model with a female lead pastor places the church in the egalitarian camp. Rob Bell's departure and subsequent theological evolution (affirming universalism) raised questions about the church's trajectory. Evaluate current theological commitments, Christology, and whether Bell's progressive influence persists.

#michigan#national

Sources & Evidence

Enrichment Notes

Overall_rating changed: yellow → black. Rob Bell 'Love Wins' + public same-sex marriage affirmation + Dobson's pluralist departure form a consistent progressive/affirming pattern per rubric denominational-black and cultural-black tiers.

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20260417162031/https://marshill.org/
↳ Snapshot of marshill.org (live link)
[2] Live source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Hill_Bible_Church
[3] Archived snapshot web.archive.org/web/20251114122219/https://www.christianp…
↳ Snapshot of christianpost.com/news/rob-bell-affirmed-gay-christians-i… (live link)

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.