...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.
5 comments:
Yiu said the cause in your blogg. The devil will be working hardest in our churches. After all he has the world so where does he need to work the hardest. OUR CHURCH! I know it will get even worse so we need to stay strong. Voice our voices of opposition when we can but most of the time it will not be of any help but at least we have done what we can to help the underdog if possible. We just need to be REALLY stong in what we believe and live it every day. This is a cross we will ALL have to bear at some point before the Lord comes. It is also a refining tool for us because if we cant stay strong for the Lord there will not be a place for us in Heaven. But let the people that are being persurcuted know you are praying for them and support them in anyway you can. I am proud of you guys for keeping the faith through thick and thin. Most important pass this on to your girls. Explain the character of Jesus to them Love Mom & Dad
Really sorry to hear this news. Wish it was the only time we've heard a story like this, but we have had to figure out how to be Christians after experiencing this same kind of disaster in the organization. I guess it helps to try and remember, when hearing sermons, that it's not the one talking but what the Spirit helps you hear that is important.
ljosjo
I agree with anonymous. Terrible stuff will continue to be seen in the church and will become more obvious until the shaking before the return of Christ. It is THE main target of satan's attacks.
Remember a few things. Bits and pieces are dangerous things. Without knowing all the details, there is a danger of evil surmising, which is very bad in itself. Also, there may be details that you do not know that may make the decision justified. Realize too that the church conference officials are likely not totally aware of what has gone on.
In the conference I used to live in, there was a pastor who had some really big issues at his church. Many members contacted church leaders - 500 miles away! Now realize that the conference leaders have built a relationship with the church pastor. They've eaten together, they've prayed together, they've gone to seminars together. When they called that pastor and he told them that all was ok, who do you think they believed? The pastor, of course. Is that not normal? An addendum to the story is that finally the message from the members got through and that pastor is now serving in a far away state.
I remember living in another state where there was a very dynamic, youth oriented pastor. Everyone loved him. He had great sermons. He was leading the young people in his church closer to God. Except that he eventually was removed from the ministry and spent 10 years in prison for having sex with 2 or 3 of the teenage girls in the church. I am not saying in any way that this associate pastor was involved in anything like that. Just know that sometimes there is much more going on than the obvious.
And, it could very well be possible that Jesus is leading this associate pastor through this experience for a reason and that He will be glorified through it. Don't wonder, don't get upset, don't get angry. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding.
Sorry for the HUGE comment. I guess that being a new pastor, I have a mindset of peacemaking and faith strengthening.
This episode is just more proof that Jesus is coming soon. Want more evidence? Visit www.4hispeople.com.
My heart goes out for the condition of the Church. How can the Church which represents the without question standard of purity now a nest of backbiting politics of Christians.
Taking a step back, God is still in control. The church might not be perfect, but Jesus is. He will come back, and He will call those He called His Own, and all we can do, is stand in the gap and pursue Jesus. That in our passion, we raise the standard in this generation to reflect Jesus in the Church!
Thanks for referencing me on your post and thank you for reading! God bless
SAD, but I'm not surprised at all. Seen it WAY too much- both in my own life and in the lives of many I loved. We constantly get to hear of the nightmares my Father-in-law has to deal with as he pastors 2 churches in PA.
I stuck around for 2 decades trying to grin & bear the insanity-overlooking the mistreatment and trying to make a difference only to receive many more slaps on the face. Forgive? Yes- ALL of us make mistakes. Continue to play along? Nope.
The last series of insults was too much to bear, so we left the church and haven't regretted that decision in the slightest.
Christ was so wearied by the blindness, arrogance & mind-games in the church of His time, He seemed to prefer meeting with seekers on mountaintops and seasides. It was churchy people who put Him on that cross. Why? Because He had a genuine connection with God and did not cater to their whims.
Organized religion has it's good points, but by it's very nature is too structured and formal. Although there are advantages to having ranks & offices, it always leads to petty politics and control issues- even among the most well-intentioned.
When religion becomes a well-oiled machine, it tends to foster pride and a sense of obligation- rather than humble or sincere devotion. If this is not the case, then why is the success of any outreach effort measured only by how much offering came in or how many baptisms were performed??
Church- in order to BE a church, must declare, "This is who we are, how we eat, what we believe and how we must behave". If you want to be one of us, you either get in the box and conform or you're a hypocrite.
In the last 2 yrs, I have visited and mingled with every major denomination that exists in this country and (with few exceptions) find them equally guilty of gross abuse & neglect. They finger-point and reject the wounded people who need God most.
There are certainly ways to connect with God that DO NOT involve being a bonafied member of any church. Moses, David, Elijah and John the Baptist did just fine in the wilderness. In fact, they had a more genuine spirituality as they were not distracted or contaminated by all the political strivings, propoganda and power-plays.
I think people like us who are raised within a denomination and have never known anything else cannot see that it's possible to be spiritually-minded and a Christ follower without having your name on a church roster.
Though I admire the dedicated spirit of those who remain behind to deal with all the nonsense, (there's a ton of it) I could no longer do so. For my own emotional, spiritual health, I left and my family with me. If that makes me weak or a wimp, so be it. It took 2 decades of abuse before I finally left.
The church work & several of it's leaders destroyed our lives while the denomination sat back tisk-tisking, but not lifting a finger to help us. Don't want to rock the boat too much, or make corrupt people be accountable for their insane behavior.
It will take me and my family a VERY long time to heal and re-build our lives. Fortunately, the wrong that was done did not financially devastate the other families like it did us.
If God rejects us because we left an unhealthy environment, so be it, but I think He completely understands.
And in the wise words of Forest Gump, "That's all I have to say 'bout that...." ;o)
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