Earlier today Pastor Dave Bruskas of Mars Hill Church announced that the Mars Hill Church organization will be disbanding with hopes of establishing 13 locally managed, independent churches.

Bruskas said that the existing Mars Hill Church organization will be “dissolved” along with the church’s business affairs. They hope to be finished with the dismantling by January 1st of 2015.

“Following much prayer and lengthy discussion with Mars Hill’s leadership, the board of Mars Hill has concluded that rather than remaining a centralized multi-site church with video-led teaching distributed to multiple locations, the best future for each of our existing local churches is for them to become autonomous self-governed entities,” said Bruskas.

Potentially, each of the campuses will become “new churches,” led by the current Lead Pastors and elders. The leadership of each church will assume financial status of each property, including loans if they exist -- contingent on approval of loan lenders -– or the properties will be sold.

“Our central staff members, who have served and labored so faithfully, have already begun work on establishing many of the details to enact this plan.”

Bruskas reported that “(a)ll central staff will be compensated for their work, and then released from their employment.” If funds remain after squaring up the organization’s business affairs, assets will be gifted as “seed money” to the newly established independent churches.

“Ultimately, the success of this plan, and the future viability of each of these new local churches rest solely on all of us continuing to be faithful in supporting Jesus’ mission through our attendance and continued giving.”

Bruskas advised the current congregation members that though the churches are acting independently, they are still on the same mission: “Mars Hill is a people on a mission with Jesus, and that singular focus continues as these newly independent churches are launched. It’s still all about Jesus!”

They were also advised to “(g)ive generously, as your gifts in November and December of this year will make a critically important difference in our desire for 13 churches being healthy and sustainable from launch-day and thereafter.”

Pastor Scott Harris is the current Lead Pastor at the Ballard location. As to whether he will be assuming the lead for an independent church has not been announced.

“Each church has to make those decisions, and I'm not sure if he has yet,” said Justin Dean, spokesperson for Mars Hill Church.

In addition, Dean said that the Sunday homilies, or message, will depend on the new church pastors and that each church will no longer use the Mars Hill name.

“We are determining our leadership team going forward, and I will be part of it," wrote Harris to the Ballard News-Tribune.

As to the ownership status of the Ballard location, it was already in transition before today’s announcement.

On October 20, the BNT reported that Mars Hill Church property was put on the real estate market (www.tinyurl.com/omssznb). The Ballard location is located at Northwest Leary Way and 15th Avenue Northwest. Mars Hill purchased the building back in 2003 for $4.8 million. They listed the 39,000 square foot facility for $8 million according to Colliers International, a real estate brokerage.

In the announcement about the property sale, Harris told the Ballard congregation that the church would not be closing.

“I want to assure you that Mars Hill Ballard will continue to have church in this building, whether we sell it or not. This is our home, and we have no intentions on going anywhere. …If we were planning on closing Ballard or moving, we would tell you, and I assure you that is not the case,” wrote Harris on the Mars Hill website.

Look to the BNT for an update to this story.