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Controversial former Mars Hill pastor preaches at new home

Photo courtesy of MyNorthwest.com.

ARIZONA — A controversial former Seattle pastor has a new home in Arizona.

Pastor Mark Driscoll spoke at The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona Sunday for the first time. It marked the church's first official day.

Driscoll presided over Mars Hills, a Seattle-area megachurch, for 18 years.

In February, Driscoll announced plans to start the new church near Phoenix – a little over 1,400 miles away from Seattle.

Driscoll is the church's senior and founding pastor, according to the church's website.

"[Driscoll] … is a Jesus-following, mission-leading, church-serving, people-loving, Bible-preaching pastor," the website reads. "He's grateful to be a nobody trying to tell everybody about Somebody."

Driscoll left Seattle amid controversy due to some of his pastoral practices at Mars Hill.

An Oct. 2014 statement posted to the Mars Hills website said Driscoll had submitted his resignation following an investigation by church elders that concluded his behavior had, at times, caused conflict.

The investigation was in response to longstanding allegations accusing that Driscoll had engaged in abusive behavior.

At the time, Driscoll denied the allegations. His resignation followed a series of job cuts and branch closings by Mars Hill.