[stayathomemom]

If you read the article you will also see that her husband’s job was at risk because he allowed an openly gay person to join the choir. When asked not to allow it, he refused. This flies in the face of the theology they believe and in a church the choir is up in front of the whole church regularly. They represent the church. My guess is that this is the primary issue AND perhaps her motivation for writing the letter in the first place.

I would wonder if the pastor himself helped pen this letter. How does a congregation call a pastor or remove him in a Baptist church? Could it be he wants "out" of this congregation and this is how he and his wife decided to begin the process?

[headbegger]

It depends on each local church. in the Southern Baptist Convention each church is autonomous. They can fire or hire at their own will and pleasure. As I mentioned, in the article it said that he also allowed an openly gay person to be in the choir even though the senior pastor instructed him not to. The senior pastor is Shepard of that flock and an associate pastor really would not have the right to flaunt the wishes of the church or the senior pastor. The board most likely makes those types of decisions and they were trying to allow him to resign. In the Southern Baptist denomination a firing pretty much means that you don’t find other jobs, so a resignation would allow him to find employment at another church.

Problem is that this is that church’s prerogative and right and should have been a private matter.

[circlecity]

"Could it be he wants "out" of this congregation and this is how he and his wife decided to begin the process?"

You may be right on the money here. The whole resigned vs. terminated issue sounds like someone jockying to receive unemployment benefits. The whole patter of behavior may be someone looking for a way to get fired that would still allow them to collect unemployment.