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I served on the Elder Board of our last church when we had a pastor fall into financial and sexual misconduct. We removed him but offered to help him with counselling. He had become accustomed to a particular lifestyle and refused our offer of help and decided to go across town and open another church. He poached members who couldn’t believe what he had done. Rather than submit to scriptural loving correction, this man let his pride guide his decisions. It still makes me sick when I see his new website that describes what a Godly man he is...lies, all LIES! It is quite common for such frauds to be drawn to Christianity because many misunderstand that forgiveness does not mean acceptance of sinful behavior. They miss the concept of meaningful contrition and the redemptive process. The pastor in this story isn’t a man of God...he is a man using God for his own egotistical and selfish motives. Sadly, it is an all to common scenario.

It happened in California. A pastor from the east coast came west to make his fortune, took everyone for a ride and is now back on the east coast after milking his flock for all he could get. I do not understand why he did it but he is now gone and I do not miss him. He has written numerous books—all highly acclaimed and all scripturally accurate, but it stopped there. I will never buy another book. I could give his initials and I will if someone requests it. You will then know exactly who it is. Something went horribly wrong--I think it was the money.

Around 2004, my brother sent me an update on the hometown church...they’d gone out the year before and hired up a new minister. It wasn’t a big church....maybe 150 members. Deacons had asked a number of questions and were satisfied with the guy, and offered a contract. The guy had one extra request....if fired within one year, they’d owe him a whole year’s salary. Something should have gone off in the Deacon’s heads, but they just said sure.

So, election year comes around in a fairly Republican-dominated church. This new minister starts laying out talks on John Kerry and negative Bush episodes. Naturally, the membership is upset, and he’s warned to just stick to the Bible. He continues on, and they fire him. He pulls up a lawyer, and they get taken into court. Judge advises them to pay, and they have to take out a substantial loan to cover this.

The negative here is that for the next year or two...they get real serious about new membership and instituting a membership fee for folks joining the church. The fee was to pay back the loan for idiot they fired. It was probably the most unethical thing that you dream up and really rubbed people the wrong way.