Featured Pastor Abusing Position

Wouldn't want to be in his sandals on judgment day. A godly man in the church needs to stand up to this tyrant.

 

I agree. Those who took the severance in exchange for silence are also just as guilty as they put $ over Christ's church.

That church has a plethora of problems :tear:

 

I agree something is wrong behind the scene. Is this Pastor undergoing a major doctrinal shift???? If so...it should have been him that stepped down!

This covert pay off system reeks of something corrupt...and not of God.

 

It seems like everything went well at first and this pastor was successful in building a strong congregation. Then he started exhibiting these paranoid symptoms. I submit that he probably is experiencing a mental illness and he will bring the church down unless he is stopped.

Not being privy to the church's bylaws, it's hard to say exactly what should be done or can be done. However, most Baptist churches will either directly or indirectly place the power of church governance in the hands of the congregation. Someone needs to review the church's bylaws and do whatever is necessary to call a business meeting for the purpose of removing the pastor, either temporarily or permanently. If the pastor is able to block such action, then the person or persons trying to call the business meeting should consider employing legal counsel to accomplish it.

Does anyone other than the pastor have authority over the church bank account? If they do, then make it impossible for the pastor to sign checks or make withdrawals and stop paying him. That should make him very attentive.

 

Another thing the disenfranchised members could do is invite the Internal Revenue Service to review this church's management structure. They tend to frown on 501(c) status for organizations where all control is vested in one person. Lose your 501(c) status and no member will be able to claim a deduction for their contributions.

 

I see little to nothing in the Op against the pastor but an objection by staff members to the pastor’s authority which frankly sounds more like an attempt of a power grab (while being told he grew the church by some 800 members) than anything else because at this point I really see no evidence of any kind of misconduct, doctrinal or otherwise, on the pastor’s part.

If these same people were not gossiping and using their tongues of fire behind his back to achieve “whatever” the fact that the pastor was checking their email and social statements would have no significance and the fact that it does and may have led to their dismissals only goes to prove that they were indeed gossiping and the pastor was right to check and take action against it. If anything this is a mark against those opposed to the pastor.

It seems the root of the problems is gossip and/or attempting to start it and I see this in giving a severance as little more than an effort to give some incentive to these people to shut their mouths (which BTW, they did take the $ for something that shouldn’t have to paid for) so by this account we do have even more evidence against the characters of those who would value $ over bringing what is supposedly bad enough to cause their gossiping behind the back behavior to light. This is yet another mark against those opposed to the pastor.

We also hear of more than one attempt of some of those who have been removed from their position who had planned to “face the giant” (more evidence of a lack of respect for the pastors authority) and considering these attempts were being made with an effort to disrupt a reception and/or Sunday services. Yet, another mark against the character of those opposed to his authority.

It seems to me the only charge against the pastor amounts to that in fact he is that he is in charge and this is being done while adding suspicion because of that he is attempting to avoid fueling the fire of gossip by simply giving the reason these people were dismissed as that they were in disagreement…well after all he is charge! If the disagreement were over something to merit condemnation then simple moral ethical principles would dictate that the only right thing to do would be to forget the $ and speak the truth.

Regarding the info given I certainly wouldn't be jumping on the boat with those who have been disinfranchised.

 

Move to hold a vote of confidence. 700 out of 1000 is a majority. If there is no monthly business meeting and therefore no accountability then I wouldn't be attending anyways.

 

Time To Go!

If I was a member of that church and the conditions you have described became the norm there, I would have long ago moved on (after I took a spray can and wrote "Ichabod" over the door...just for effect) That is one sad and ungodly mess you have described there brother. You are right...the remaining members and staff need prayer.

Bro.Greg

 

Once again, another situation where we don't have all the information. I'm not saying that's the fault of the OP, as he isn't a member of that particular church.

At this point, we haven't heard the pastor's side, nor why there's apparently still support for him in the church.

Yes, the pastor could be suffering from mental illness. (speculation). Yes, someone in a leadership role could be working to replace him, themself. (Speculation) Yes, someone may be seeing a fundamental church becoming a "seeker" church and is opposing the pastor's direction for their church. (Speculation) Someone, in leadership, may be trying to blackmail the pastor. The pastor may be trying to blackmail someone in leadership. (Speculation)

Or, fill in the blank ___________ with the rest of the story as to why a church split is in progress. Did this start with a fight over the "color of the carpet" that has escalated this point.

Is the pastor abusing his position or is he a man called by God who trying to save his church? Can we answer that without knowing all the facts?

 

Exactly.

May I have the pastor's name and phone number? I would like to ask him about what you've posted here.

 

Aaron, if he gives you the pastor's name and number, THEN he is gossiping.

Right now he is seeking input on handling a situation.

I wish I had had more input in how to handle a situation I once faced.

Pastor had made one of those "unless the vote to recall me as pastor is 100% I will resign immediately" statements.

I was in sharp disagreement with him theologically, had witnessed personally verbal abuse of his wife by him, and suspected he was lying about a few things. I had come to the meeting expecting to vote against recalling him, but expecting also he would win recall by slightly over half.

I voted no. I witnessed (we shared view of our ballots) as others voted no.

And then the deacons came back and said the vote to recall him was unanimously yes.

To this day I do NOT know if he was ever aware of the lie. Don't know if he was in on the fix or not.

Do know I left and found a new church home, without badmouthing him.

And I wonder if I should have spoken up?

 

This is what I am not understanding. I assume your church is a local autonomous church with a congregational government. If that is so, the congregation could boot him with one vote. Also, what right does a pastor have to fire staff? Our staff is voted on by the congregation, therefore, it would take a congregational vote to fire them.

 

I agree brother. I cannot figure out why the congregation is not standing up to nonsense like this. If it is an elder form of government, why are the elders letting this continue. All it takes is one vote to solve the problem.

 

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