...again!It's interesting, Martin Luther King, Jr once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
I just read a blog by a fella named Daniel who stated, "The injustice among the world is not as heart breaking as those witnessed within the Church."
How incredibly TRUE both those statements are!
Fortunately, the aforementioned injustice was not directly part of my life. I dealt with that enough in the last year of my previous job to fill a lifetime. However, I just had a terrible injustice, in my beloved denomination, come to my attention today. It has made me very sad, frustrated and angry. And the worst part of it, as much as I think about it - I don't see anyway to help rectify the situation. I feel completely helpless.
Now let me say at the outset, I do NOT have the full story. I have bits and pieces from here and there - and I am trying to get the 'rest of the story,' just haven't gotten it all yet.
In a particular church in my denomination, there are two pastors, both have been there for quite some time. It is my understanding that for almost the entire time, there has been a 'personality clash' between these two. The last I knew of it, they were attempting to work it out.
Unfortunatly, I found out today, that apparently, the 'Head' pastor had the 'Associate' pastor removed. He cleaned out his desk/office last Monday and is gone. My understanding it is over something that is pretty petty, and some of the 'founding families' of the church took offense to a 'decision' and made it known to the head pastor, who then took it to the local conference to have the associate removed - totally bypassing the local church board. In the melee of everything, the associate apologized for the handling of the decision, but not the decision itself.
The associate, began a 'planting of a church' in an area that needed a church and the 'head' has 'moved' in, in taking 'credit.'
The associate is HIGHLY active with the youth and young lives are being touched.
The associate is helping parents understand better ways to be a Godly parent.
The associate took a few hours out of a Sabbath and just went up to a campout that a group of the church was having - just to 'hang' with the gang for a bit. They (asociate & wife) only stayed for an hour or so, but they showed they cared enough to visit.
This Assoicate Pastor is 'in the trenches' working along side the congregation to make things happen to further God's word. The Head pastor rarely makes an outside the sanctuary appearance.
Now which pastor would you want leading up the church???
Well, the conference saw it differently and removed the associate. What sense does that make?????
When the local board found out, they asked to have the 'head' removed as well and was told by the conference that was not an option.
What is with our denomination that they allow things like what happened at my previous job and currently at a church?
Now, this is where I could start coming up with all sorts of 'reasons' (excuses) why I should not attend the church every week and pay my tithes and offerings because of the way the denomination is handling things like this. But that is my emotions talking. Satan wants me to walk away from the church and so he's creating circumstances for me to 'have' excuses - and if I think about things logically, I know God has a special mission for this church and the devil will attack it - forcefully.
Yet, it deeply distrubs me when I see blantant 'evil' taking place in the denomination.
How does one listen to a pastor on a radio show talk about compassion for fellow man, yet fires 80+ % of his staff, after putting them through so much strife? How does one listen to a sermon, and gain a blessing, from a 'Head' pastor who attempts to undermine the effectiveness of a Godly associate and then pushes him out? (Oh by the way, the 'head' tried getting associate ousted about a year ago as well.) AND why during the holiday season?!!!
To show the difference in the reactions of the two - the 'Associate' pastor and wife, even when they are leaving, are trying to keep from being 'negative' about the situation and talking about it or the cause of their plight little or none.
Does that sound like a troublesome pastor to you? Which pastor seems more Godly?
I just DO NOT UNDERSTAND how things like politics get into a church setting and cause rifts and strife.
In just sitting here thinking about this situation and all, I just cannot help but shake my head in disbelief.
What a sad day in our church, that politics leads more than Jesus does. No wonder people fall asleep in the pews, or aren't willing to volunteer more to even take one position in the church to help in the work or perpetuate problems instead of solving them and moving on.
That is so very sad.
SO VERY SAD.
