What Do You Do When the Vote To Keep You as Pastor is 499 to 237?
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, March 10, 2008
- Viewed 81
- (34) comments so far
“We are a church in need of God’s healing,” said a statement released by deacon chair Kathy Madeja after today’s vote. “We will need to listen carefully to each other about the things which have divided us and brought us to this day.”
A members’ group, Friends for the Future of Broadway, called for the vote on Dr. Younger. The group argued that he had been an ineffective leader and had led the moderate church in too liberal a direction theologically.
“We respect the will of the majority and pray for the congregation’s healing, recovery and continued service to the community that befits a 125-year-old church,” said Robert Saul, spokesman for the group, in a statement.
But Mr. Saul’s statement also said that 300 people “have or want to leave” the church because of the past months’ turmoil. Mr. Saul declined comment on whether he would leave.
Dr. Younger asked the church to stick together.
“I hope that we will move forward and be the church together, and that others will come and share church with us,” he said. “Broadway is an amazing congregation that’s willing to talk about difficult issues. This is a church that challenges its members to think and serve.”
The church voted on Feb. 24, as a compromise, to have a directory with group photographs, as opposed to family photos.
FOR YOUR INPUT: The issue aside… if the vote to keep you was 499 to 237, what would you do? Stay and fight, or call it a day? Would it not be tough to lead when nearly 1/3 of everyone was on record as opposing your leadership.
Members of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth voted Sunday to keep Brett Younger as pastor. The vote was 499 in favor of retaining him and 237 against, representing about a two-thirds majority. The historic downtown church has been in public controversy for months, first over whether a members' photo-directory would include gay couples, then over Dr. Younger's leadership.
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Peter Hamm on Tue, March 11, 2008
And yet, Ricky, God has given some as leaders… clearly… We’ve discussed this before. You have NO biblical basis for your idea of having no “pastors” or “leaders” as they exist today and you continue to grumble against it. (Again, I would love to know what horrible experience has caused your bitterness, but you aren’t talking about it. Perhaps it’s too painful. I feel for you, as I’ve had negative experiences with church leaders, too.)
You continue to mis-read Acts 15, because it’s clear from verse 13 that James was leading that group, and it’s clear from Romans 12:8 that leadership is a spiritual gift, and it’s clear from Ephesians 4 that pastors are God’s gift to the church to equip them. With respect, your argument is getting almost as tired as I am getting at regularly reminding other readers here about how tired it is.
CS on Tue, March 11, 2008
Ricky:
“WCWRWD? (Who Cares What Rick Warren Would Do?)
He’s part of the problem, with his “covenants” and “oaths.” “
Actually, I totally agree with you. I had brought that article up just to see what the reactions would be. When the time comes that my church does a “40 Days” campaign, I may have to be like the one third of the people in this particular church, and say, “No.”
—
CS
Leonard Lee on Tue, March 11, 2008
I have seen probably a dozen church splits in my time. I have seen in every situation the smaller group of people be the antagonist. In every situation the small group of people used gossip not prayer as a primary tool for communication. In every situation the smaller group simply did not want change so they labeled change as liberal, new age or some other label that half the group did not know what it meant and the other half could not clearly state what the problem was.
In every church there was no growth, no outreach, no healthy system of inclusion and the church simply grew when the church down the street imploded. Then a leader came, hired by the elders, the selection team and ratified by the church to come in a lead. but when he did, they got their spiritual panties in a wad and split. This is so American and western in our way of thinking and so small minded in the kingdom scope.
Marie on Tue, March 11, 2008
A vote of confidence is nice, I guess, to gauge the “atmosphere”, if you will. However, the bottom line is whether God tells that Pastor to stay or leave. Period.
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