Mark Driscoll threatens legal action after men's and women’s ministry leaders resign

Pastor Mark Driscoll of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, has threatened legal action against his former men’s and women’s ministry leaders after both resigned from their roles. He's also accused them of stealing and misusing the ministries' contact lists.

“We are grieved to have to send this to you. Julie Krombein has resigned from staff as Real Women’s Director. Last week, we were also notified via email by Caleb Glennie that he and Jill [Glennie] resigned from staff as Real Men’s Pastor and Real Women’s Coordinator, ‘effective immediately’ to ‘plant a church,’” Driscoll and members of his leadership team revealed in an email to congregants shared by the Roys Report on Thursday.

Since November 2023, Caleb Glennie had been the pastor of Driscoll’s "Real Men" ministry. It is part of Driscoll’s global men's ministry and sub-brand under his wider organization, RealFaith Ministries. It offers biblical teachings, podcasts, and courses designed to help men embrace traditional male headship, overcome modern cultural confusion, and lead their families and communities. 

The Real Men group at Trinity Church meets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays “for a time of prayer, group discussion, and teaching,” according to the church’s website.

“These incredible groups help spur one another on to become more Godly men under the leadership of Pastor Mark. Pastor Caleb Glennie serves as Real Men Pastor,” a previous version of the group page on the church’s website states. Glennie’s name and photo have since been removed.

Krombein served as director of Trinity Church’s Real Women group, which meets on Wednesdays during the school year for “worship, sermon-based discussion, prayer, and to build healthy relationships.” The group was founded by Driscoll’s wife, Grace.

Driscoll and his leadership team declared Caleb Glennie “disqualified” to be a pastor and accused him of colluding with Krombein to draw followers away from his church.

“He refused to meet, hand off any duties in defiance of his employment agreement, asked for six months’ severance, took church members’ private information to solicit, urged staff members to resign and follow him, wiped his entire church laptop before returning it, spent money on the church credit card for personal use, had an informational meeting for their church split, and announced a men’s gathering on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. within days,” Driscoll said in the announcement.

“We had no prior knowledge as Caleb has been lying for months. We rebuke Caleb and urge him to repent of sin patterns that has disqualified him as a pastor,” it continued. “The Krombeins are with the Glennies. Both families will be contacted by our legal representation for stealing and misusing the Real Men and Real Women contact lists.”

The statement cited Acts 20:28-31 warning: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood … fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert…’”

“Please be in prayer for your church family, its leadership, along with everyone else involved,” the update ended.

In December 2021, Trinity Church shared that Glennie’s wife and two of his children were among 400 people baptized by the church that year.

“After Caleb was baptized in December 2020, the entire family felt called to follow in his footsteps. Caleb was able to baptize his wife and two of his kids, and he said, ‘This is the best day of my life. I can't even explain the feeling,’” the church shared in a Facebook post.

The resignations at Trinity Church come nearly three months after Driscoll announced that his comeback ministry had acquired a new property to fit their growing church, which attracts about 5,000 worshipers each service.

In 2021, Driscoll faced allegations of leadership abuse from former followers at Trinity Church who accused him of “immoral, unethical and unbiblical actions,” similar to allegations he faced during his exit from the now-defunct Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, in 2014.