A booming Scottsdale church is transmuting a space where office workers once prayed for raises into a house of worship.
In fitting fashion, after buying a massive commercial property near Shea Boulevard and the Loop 101, Trinity Church’s celebratory video featured a clip from “The Office.”
Unlike the painfully awkward Michael Scott, Trinity’s Pastor Mark Driscoll is a polished, charismatic – and controversial – leader who has grown his flock exponentially in less than a decade.
He says the congregation is bursting from the current church a few miles from Old Town, leading to a planned move 4 miles north.
A dozen years after complaints of bullying and “abusive behavior” led to his leaving Seattle and starting a new church here, Driscoll and his wife/partner in faith signed a $15 million purchase contract.
Though hardly as dramatic as the Driscolls’ back story, this vacant office has a colorful history.
At its Aug. 26, 2025, meeting, Scottsdale City Council unanimously approved “The Collector’s Garages as WestWorld.”
Mayor Lisa Borowsky started to move on to the next item, then paused to let celebratory whoops die down. “I know you guys are excited. Happy hour is across the street,” she cracked.
Borowsky then introduced agenda item 17, “a consideration of a request to allow an existing office building. at 10001 North 92nd Street to convert into internalized community storage facilities.”
There were no celebrations on this one.
Just south of Shea Boulevard and west of the Loop 101, the sprawling property is described as a two-story, 116,200 square foot “Class A” office building.
Connected buildings and a two-story parking garage were erected in 1996 on a 7-acre site.
After the offices went vacant for years, a new plan was pitched to Council.
While the former CVS main campus at 9501 E. Shea Blvd. also remains vacant, owners of a former satellite office for the healthcare giant’s office workers pitched a “flip” to Council.
In the shadow of the planned Mercado Village on Shea Boulevard and 92nd Street, the smaller office is less than 1 mile from the empty former CVS main campus.
Equus purchased the smaller property at 10001 N. 92nd St. in 2014 for $24 million. Six years later, Equus bit the bullet and sold to Exeter at a $5 million loss.
That proved to be a horrific investment, as longtime tenants CVS and HonorHealth bailed out in 2022.
At last year’s council meeting, Taylor Reynolds of the Planning Department explained a developer was requesting “to amend the zoning ordinance land use table to allow for internalized community usage, vehicular storage, and warehousing all as permitted uses within the city’s commercial office or C-O zoning district.”
Council members snapped to attention when the city staffer explained the change would not just apply to the location at Mountain View and 92nd Street: “this would apply citywide.”
The idea of “flipping” office space to storage landed awkwardly.
Carolyn Oberholzer, an attorney representing 92nd Street and Mountain View Storage Partners, insisted the city staff’s narrative that a General Plan amendment was required was not accurate, as this plan is not for a “warehouse” – but rather “mini storage.”
Councilman Barry Graham grimaced when he commented no matter what it was called, “I don’t support internalized storage at this location.”
Graham called the idea of a text amendment that would allow storage at similar sites “dangerous. That is a path that is a precedent we do not want to set,” Graham said.
He said granting the request would have “a chilling effect on hundreds of property owners and neighborhoods.”
Graham moved to reject the request, with a quick second by Councilwoman Jan Dubauskas.
After a half hour of the idea being discussed, dissected and generally desecrated, Oberholzer asked to speak again: “I would like to request that we withdraw the application.”
The expectation was the developer – also known as Exeter Property Group – would do some work and resubmit a fine-tuned application.
Instead, the property went up for sale.
Exeter, which bought the sprawling office complex in 2020 for $19 million, made a sale within months – but took a hit, selling for just $15.5 million.
The new owner plans a massive renovation, flipping the office into a church.
‘Avalanche of allegations’
A decade ago, Mark Driscolll might have been an unknown transplant in Scottsdale – but he was well known in Seattle, where he launched Mars Hill Church. After humble beginnings, it grew to a “mega church” in 20 years.
A 2014 Seattle Times story painted an unflattering portrait of the pastor.
“After a meteoric rise and a drawn-out fall, embattled Mars Hill Church Pastor Mark Driscoll resigned Wednesday, leaving unanswered questions,” according to an Oct. 16, 2014, story by longtime Seattle Times reporter Janet Tu.
“The church has been facing an avalanche of allegations against Driscoll in recent months,” the story continued, “ranging from charges of bullying and abusive behavior to plagiarism and overseeing mismanagement of church funds.”
The story stated Driscoll resigned as leader of the Seattle church after being placed on leave “while church elders conducted an investigation of formal church charges brought against him by 21 former pastors.”
Citing a letter on the church website, the Seattle Times story noted “a church board said it had found that Driscoll had, ‘at times, been guilty of arrogance, responding to conflict with a quick temper and harsh speech, and leading the staff and elders in a domineering manner.’”
Via email, the Progress asked Driscoll if there were any inaccuracies in the Seattle Times story quoted above.
No response was received, as of this edition’s deadline.
The Progress also requested an interview with Driscoll, but was told by a church representative the pastor was “incredibly busy in this season” and not available.
Years after the newspaper story, a Christianity Today podcast titled “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” details how “the church and its charismatic founder, Mark Driscoll, had a promising start.
“But the perils of power, conflict, and Christian celebrity eroded and eventually shipwrecked both the preacher and his multimillion-dollar platform.”
The Seattle Times story sketched how Mars Hill grew to 15 branches in five states in a decade – with a humble beginning of Driscoll starting the church with Bible study in his home.
‘Real Men’
Trinity Church has a similar genesis.
Since 2016, Trinity Church has been at 8620 E McDonald Drive, between Chaparral Dog Park and the 101.
“As our first home for Trinity Church,” the church’s website narrates, “the building is a great gift from God. Pastor Mark Driscoll was considering renting a building when he received a word from God that a church building off Highway 101 seating around 800 would soon be available.
“Nothing like that was on the market, so the Driscoll family prayed, trusting God’s provision.
“In a miracle of God, Pastor Mark was able to secure a purchase agreement, and gifts from individuals and more than 40 churches from around the world immediately started to come in.”
With help from “total strangers,” the Driscolls took over the former Glass and Garden Community Church, launching Trinity Scottsdale in 2016 “as a small Bible study with family and friends.”
According to the church website, “Grace Driscoll has spent her entire life in ministry as her mom and dad planted the Trinity Church in Seattle.”
In addition to leading services, Mark and Grace Driscoll also co-authored books including “Win Your War, Real Marriage” and “Real Romance: Sex in the Song of Songs.”
In Scottsdale, with weekend worship and “Real Men” and “Real Women” mid-week groups, the Trinity flock quickly multiplied, as “over 5,000 attend weekly” services, according to the church.
Graham, a member of the congregation, won election to Scottsdale City Council in 2022.
“I had the privilege of joining Pastor Mark Driscoll on stage for a Q&A with over 700 men from Trinity Church Scottsdale’s ‘Real Men’ ministry,” Graham posted Nov. 19 – three months after publicly bashing the mini-storage plan for a space the Driscolls would buy.
“I appreciate the warm welcome and Pastor Mark’s steadfast leadership in building Scottsdale’s faith community,” Graham added in his Facebook post.
In answer to questions from the Progress, Graham said “I had no knowledge that transaction would happen” regarding the church’s purchase of the vacant office building when he critiqued the mini-storage plan at the site.
Fast growth
After consistently attracting standing-room-only crowds, the Driscolls went on the hunt for new space last year.
“Lives and legacies are being transformed, but the campus is full,” Trinity’s website states.
“It’s time to build a permanent home for Trinity and make room for all God is doing!”
The Driscolls quickly found what they call a perfect location.
On Jan. 5, according to commercial real estate tracker Vizzda.com, the Trinity Church acquired the 92 Mountain View property at 10001 North 92nd St. for $15.5 million, “with $2,765,000 down and $12,735,000 in new debt with AG Financial Solutions.”
Saying it has helped more than 4,000 churches and ministries by providing “mission-driven financial services for faith-minded people,” AG Financial – also known as Assemblies of God Loan Fund – is “dedicated to supporting both ministry growth and personal financial health for those we serve,” according to its website.
Buying the property was one thing, but turning it into a house of worship will require more than a new coat of paint.
Vizzda describes the property as a 116,200-square foot, two-story Class A office.
The campus includes a two-story parking garage.
A dozen items are on Trinity’s “prayer list,” including “Pray for the state of Arizona that it would turn back to policies and laws that are pro-faith, pro-family, and pro-freedom.”
The Driscolls also are asking the congregation to “Pray that the entire team overseeing our building project will be safe and stay on budget and schedule.”
The conversion will be a multi-million dollar project.
“We have purchased a big building … five times the parking, four times the square footage, two times the seating,” Pastor Driscoll says, in a video on the church’s website.
“Over the course of 10 weeks, I’ll give you the vision that God has for the future of our church,” the Trinity leader says, announcing the “Lives and Legacies Building Fund” will launch March 14.
“And I’m going to ask you to provide the provision.”
One blogger remains skeptical.
According to Deb Martin and Dee Parsons of the Wartburg Watch, Driscoll in Seattle “was a young, brash pastor with a macho persona and a potty mouth.”
They question if Driscoll has changed:
“He bullied people at his former church and plagiarized in his books. He went around the country instructing guys to ‘man up’; yet when it was time for him to face his own serious problems, he ran like a coward.”
Many of his followers dispute the negative descriptions of him.
On Yelp, Trinity Church’s reviews are mostly glowing.
Hunter H. of Chandler writes Driscoll “is a conduit for the Holy Spirit! There are a lot of haters with Mark – I would imagine number one hater would be Satan! … I attended the Bellevue Washington Church for 5 Years until Satan shut that down and Jesus continues to thrive through Trinity Church in Scottsdale.”
Roger H. of Scottsdale, in a Yelp review last April, says “The Truth is spoken here. Pastor Mark does not water the Gospel down. … If you want weak, ineffective, ‘he gets us’ bovine excrement, then Trinity is not for you. But if you love Jesus and want to draw closer to Him, Pastor Mark and the Trinity pastors will help you with kind truth.”
Brice H. of Scottsdale seconded that: “We love Trinity! Pastor Mark is an incredible Biblical speaker and teacher.”
According to MJP, “Pastor Mark is real he explains biblical teachings in English terms. His passion shines. He doesn’t put up with anything else just biblical teachings.”
Anne E of Redmond, a suburb of Seattle, has words of caution:
“Please do not judge Pastor Mark based on the negativity concerning what you may have heard or read about during his life at Mars Hill. He is a great man who consistently remains transparent about his life, as well as the pain and suffering their family had to endure at the hands of sinful people who have yet to repent concerning their own actions, lies and culpability.”
Few would argue with Hunter H’s statement: “Mark pulls no punches!”
According to a Christian Post story last year, Driscoll “has drawn the ire of pro-life activist and Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins for calling Christian stay-at-home dads ‘worse than a non-Christian’”
The article included a link to a Driscoll post on X: “A Christian man who doesn’t work is worse than a non-Christian. This includes you, stay-at-home dads.”
Though Driscoll did not respond for input on this story, his brash social media presence shows he is not afraid of offending liberals and others he deems “anti Christ.”
Trinity Church’s Facebook page trumpeted a theme Driscoll bellowed last weekend:
“There is a lot of false information and accusations being made daily. Find out what God says about bearing false witness and what the truth is.”
“This weekend,” Driscoll said Feb. 27, in one of his many video snippets, “I’ll be talking about lying. And politics.
“I’m going to be talking about fake news – and false teachers.”
Pastor busy on social media
Pastor Mark Driscoll joined X – then known as Twitter – in 2007, when he was the leader of the Seattle-based “megachurch” Mars Hill.
He started sharing his views online – and has barely stopped since, with nearly 24,0000 posts.
After leaving the Northwest for Scottsdale, he founded Trinity Church in 2016.
Driscoll has no fear of being labeled “controversial,” as his online comments show.
A sampling of Driscoll’s X posts:
Dec 4, 2022:
“Any church flying a rainbow flag has come out of Satan’s closet.”
Mar 7, 2024:
“I’m sitting here holding a beautiful grandchild watching women wearing white to celebrate the purity of killing unborn babies. The Democratic Party has a faction that is a demonic death cult.”
Aug. 18, 2024:
“We need to get Christianity back into the hands of strong, masculine, heterosexual men.”
Sep 13, 2025:
“The (Charlie Kirk) assassin was a Mormon. This is not the same as Christianity. It is a demonic cult.”
Oct 1, 2024:
“Pastors who are supporting or encouraging you to vote for Kamala Harris is reprehensible at best. Their policies are anti Christ.”
Sep 23, 2025:
“There have been four tests the last five years for Pastors.
1. Covid
2. George Floyd/BLM
3. The 24 election
4. Charlie Kirk demonic murder
These were all pass or fail tests.”
Feb. 10:
“Bad Bunny Delivers Deportation-Worthy Halftime Show.”
Feb. 28:
“Reading my comments on X, I’m a domineering, boarish chauvinist. Oh, and I’m also a progressive liberal feminist.
“Is this what Paul meant when he said all things to all people?”
March 1:
“Happy Ramadan to the Ayatollah.
“The one thing about Muslim theology that turned out to be true is they do all end up in the same place together.”
March 1:
“I would like to coin a new term for an old thing: ‘Driscoll Derangement Syndrome’”
(After sharing a Protestia post: “Fuller context of Driscoll’s recent sermon about us. And folks; it’s bad, with Mark repeatedly lying.”)