"Forced" resignations

Not exactly your question, but our church just today "accepted" the forced resignation of our last two assistant pastors. The church leadership decided that it would be a good thing to allow our new senior pastor (who the church hasn't met yet!) to bring in a staff that suited his wants. Not necessarily a bad thing, I guess. But it seems to me that it asks a lot of man to take over a church of our size AND have to choose 5 more staff people right off the bat.

Very painful experience for everyone even though we've known it was coming for better than 6 months.

 

MK - I've seen staffs that disintegrated after a new senior pastor came on board so he could bring in his hand picked replacements, but I've been in more where the existing staff and the new pastor got along and worked together fabulously. I'll bet it was painful!

 

Humm, thought baptists were strong into CONGREGATIONAL rule, rather than leadership rule :smilewinkgrin:

When I accepted a teaching position I was asked if I were to come into opposition to school policy/doctrine would I quietly resign. I said yes. Four years later the board changed a long standing policy. I resigned. In my mind forced since the board sought no input from the faculty and when they knew there was faculty opposition made no effort to discuss/change their decision. Why? Because I gave my word. I prayed and found no other option before the Lord. Regrets? None.

Sounds like you may be at a crossroads. Trust the Lord will lead you clearly.

 

If I thought it was a surprise party for the Lord (that He didn't know it was going to happen) there might be pain, but since He directs my steps.....

I was very disappointed in the people that forced it and the people that did nothing but it was just a step to the next phase of my walk with Him.

These thoughts are twenty years removed from the fact so maybe a little optimistic. :smilewinkgrin:

People hurt in a church situation as you describe - maybe more to the point - anger to upset over the situation needs to be cared for by the individual. Action might be appropriate, after all is settled in their minds, toward those that "wronged" them.

 

Best dealt with by leaving it all to the Lord to sort out whether good or bad :thumbs:

 

Saggy, there was no opposition to today's vote. There are those of us who have reservations about the decision as these men each had 10+ years of service to our church. But we also recognize that we have lost two pastors in the last 4 years due to divisions or rather factions in the church that supported one or the other but not always both. (among other things)

The leadership is hoping that a whole new crew will solve some of that. The congregation has chosen to look forward rather than back. Still doesn't make it easy. We've said goodbye to 7 families in the last 4 years. Good people.

All we can do is trust that God has a plan for them just as He has one for us.

 

5 out of 50 met with me because I objected to a same sex couple being appointed to the trustee board. my objection was based on their living arrangement and the fact that they were not elected. they insist i agreed to resign but i insist that i called for a vote by the congregation. in the end i realized God allowed it to happen. that was in oct of 2009 and the new church has grown from the 15 plus my family to 30. we started meeting at a home setting and now rent a room at the township hall and have constituted and are planning to file the irs forms soon. no regrets except for the lost relationships formed over 5 years with some members and the typical pain that church splits cause. half of the old congregation have stopped attending church altogether and 5 have gone over to the adventist church in town. i was ready to leave the pastorate, but was entreated to pastor the 15 who started the new congregation. i learned a lot and God reaffirmed His call into the ministry. not an easy experience, but definately a growing one.

 

I resigned "voluntarily" from this one church as an assistant because I sensed the Lord's guidance in that area. According to the constitution of that church, they ask for a 60 day notice and that is what I put in the letter. This was on Wednesday evening. I met with the church and told them of my decision and tried to take the high road because me and the Senior pastor was not getting along very well.

The following Sunday, my wife had a bad feeling about being there, but we went anyway and boy I should have listened to my wife. She got yelled at by the pastor's wife about being in the pastor's SS class instead she went downstairs to help me. That was the last straw and that morning was the last time we were there. It left a bitter taste in our mouths about being in the ministry, but I was reminded what that senior pastor told me one time. "Church members are sometimes the most hateful people who will meet." I didn't realize it would be the pastor's wife.