HOME | CONTRIBUTE A STORY! | ABOUT MMI | CATEGORIES OF INTEREST | CONTACT ME

image

Pastor Reaches the End of His Rope… Why Does This Always Happen?

Orginally published on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 at 2:05 PM
by Todd Rhoades

Why does this happen all the time in the church?  Bickering, people taking sides, playing meanly, manipulating the facts, acting un-Christlike?  It takes its toll on everyone; and it hurts people and churches everyday.  Pastors take the brunt of much of the conflict (and sometimes pastors actually cause the conflict).  But what really got me about this ‘version’ of the story (I really have no idea what the situation was or who was right) was that everyone appeared so shocked that the conflict had finally taken a toll.  Give a quick read to this story from the Pasadena Star News and let me know what you think…

(i'll highlight some of the things I found interesting.

PASADENA -- Gordon Kirk, senior pastor of Lake Avenue Church, shocked members of his huge congregation when he resigned last weekend, citing "personal character attacks' and disrespect for his leadership from a vocal minority in the church.

Kirk delivered his formal resignation last Wednesday to the ministry council, the body that guides the 4,000-member congregation. The ministry council includes Kirk and other pastors and about a dozen elected members of the congregation.

Kirk's resignation was not publicly announced until it was read via a letter at the end of services Saturday and Sunday.

"During the last year there has been a spirit of dissonance among a vocal few regarding the vision for Lake's future,' said the letter, which was read Sunday morning by Executive Pastor Chuck Olson. The extent of the disagreement has "polarized and paralyzed the ministry council,' Kirk wrote in the letter.

Kirk has been at Lake Avenue since 1991. He said in his letter that his decision came after weeks of extensive prayer and sleepless nights during which God made it clear that his season at influential, evangelical Lake Avenue had come to a close.

"It is an understatement to say this is sad news,' Olson said after reading the letter. "Personally, I grieve deeply for this loss.'

After the service, church attendees said they were shocked, deeply saddened and confused by the announcement and letter.

"We are heartbroken,' said Harshal Vyas, 59, who has attended the church for about five years with his wife Sukirti. "We don't know the reason, but there are no words to explain it.'

Jane Harriman of Altadena said she's attended Lake Avenue for about a year. Kirk really teaches God's word, she said.

"I know people are going to be very sad and upset and hurt because he is such a good preacher,' Harriman said.

Pastors at the church declined to comment for this story. Kirk said a press release would be the extent of his comment on the resignation. The press release said he was committed to God's "big picture' plan that is "often 'unfathomable' from our limited perspective.'

Bill Podley, chair of the ministry council, said the resignation was a shock.

"I love Gordon. We love Gordon. The board loves Gordon,' Podley said. "This is a very sad day for us all. This is not what we wanted as a council. It's not what we had, in any way, hoped for.'

Podley said some long-standing members of the 109-year-old church felt they were not being involved in the future direction of the congregation. In the past because of the church's Congregational roots a broader cross-section of members was involved in decision making, strategy and direction, he said.

"As we've grown, it's been Gordon's belief, and the council's understanding as well, that you can't have as much input from as many people,' Podley said.

Podley said the ministry council is not polarized or paralyzed. There are various points of view regarding the congregation's involvement in implementing the church's vision, he said. The ministry council wanted to continue working together on areas of concern, he said.

As for the alleged personal character attacks, Kirk is a strong and passionate leader who believed in the direction he was taking the church, Podley said. There were times when discussions got emotional and people disagreed in ways that might have been construed as personal attacks, he said. But it seemed that no one intentionally wanted to attack him, Podley said.

The ministry council discussed a number of issues at a mid- June meeting, and then Kirk had a study leave planned for the first two weeks of July, Podley said. When Kirk came back, he said he wanted to have the meeting with the council. There, he resigned, he said.

Kirk takes his vacation every year in August, and will come back for a farewell weekend in September, Podley said.

Ministry council member Lori Johnson agreed with Podley's assessment of the situation. Kirk's resignation "was truly by his choice and that's why we were all shocked,' she said.

Everyone on the ministry council loves Kirk and tried to work with him in a spirit of unity, Johnson said.

"I think the words 'paralyzed and polarized' were pretty strong,' Johnson said. "I would not use those words to describe our council.'

Just some initial thoughts based on this article (and this article only).  These might be observations true to the situation or not:

1.  If a council cannot make a decision in a year on direction, I would think that 'paralyzed and polarized' might be words I would use.

2.  "There were times when discussions got emotional and people disagreed in ways that might have been construed as personal attacks."  Usually, when someone has to use the word 'construed' then there is usually some truth to it.  "No one intentionally wanted to attack him".  Key word there is "intentionally"

3.  "Kirk's resignation "was truly by his choice and that's why we were all shocked."  Does this sound to anyone else like another way to say "we're shocked he left before we fired him."?

4.  "Everyone on the ministry council loves Kirk and tried to work with him in a spirit of unity." We love you, pastor... but you need to do what we ask.  (I may be totally wrong here; but it's been my experience that boards/councils very seldom work with a 'spirit of unity'... hopefully this was the exception to the rule.

5.  I'm suprised that everyone was so 'shocked'.  Sometimes I think some church boards kind of get a kick out of fighting.  Individuals get to express their own way; make their power plays, etc.  And for some, I think they find it fun... almost amusing.  But for the pastor, it's not fun and games... it's his life/ministry/livelihood.  No one should be shocked when a pastor has problems dealing with a board he feels is ''paralyzed and polarized'.  Most pastors either will get fed up and leave because of the conflict; or get fed up and leave because of the lack of decision making and the status-quo.

OK... I'm stepping down off my soapbox.  It just doesn't seem like it should be that hard for churches, pastors, boards, councils, parishoners, and staff members to get along.

But somehow... it is.

Please add your two cents worth to the comments I've made here...

Todd


This post has been viewed 681 times so far.


 TRACKBACKS: (0) There are 36 Comments:

  • Posted by Franklin Reeves
    Monday, August 01, 2005 at 3:59 PM

    I usually try and stay balanced with my expectations of church members and staff, but it looked like the Pastor’s side was well covered this time.

  • Posted by
    Saturday, August 13, 2005 at 12:50 AM

    I’m a member of Lake Ave Church, and although it is sad that Gordon Kirk is leaving, I think it had to happen for the church to continue growing. There was a lawsuit against the church operated school, which the church leadership (Kirk included) wanted to keep ‘under the radar’ (as the business manager said in an email accidentally sent to a friend of mine who emailed Dr. Kirk to voice her concern over the lawsuit). I don’t have the time to go into all the issues I have had with the leadership at Lake Ave Church, but let’s just say that transparency, and accountability are not their forte.

    The most significant problem indicator was that many people were leaving the church. These were not the rabble-rousing status-quo-at-any-cost type of people. These were salt of the earth people who were dedicated to the church, but seeing that the leadership was not being honest nor accountable, left after many months of trying to correct the situation.

    I honestly don’t know if any of these issues are related to why Dr. Kirk resigned, but I imagine they had some impact. Additionally, Dr. Kirk was trying to add another person to the ministry council (who happens to work for him) in an obvious attempt to gain more power over the direction of the church. That addition was voted down by the congregation, which I’m told was a hard pill for Dr. Kirk to swallow.

    I’m sure that I don’t have the whole picture but even the small pieces that I have, tell me this was not the typical assault on a pastor by status-quo loving, power hungry congregants. Believe me, I’ve heard about and been through that scenario plenty.

    I hope that the new pastor will be able to right the ship that is called Lake Ave Church, since I’m afraid that the leadership, absent Dr. Kirk, will continue down the road of keeping things hidden from the congregation, and avoiding accountability.

  • Posted by
    Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 6:57 PM

    This is the second article and discussion I’ve read in this edition that deals with church conflict and ends with the pastor resigning. My Father-in-law has been in a position where he resigned over some internal conflict that would not respond to his biblical counsel.

    My question is, and maybe Todd, you can create a post on this some time, where is the issue of church discipline? In many articles that I read about church conflict, the pastor is “up” against a few members who cause him problems and he eventually resigned and he walks away from the ministry, a discouraged and hurt man.

    However, I never see the issue of church discipline coming up. If certain people in the church are causing a problem that’s causing the pastor grief, they should be disciplined. Yet, the pastor takes the heat and eventually burns out.

    I’m not advocating that the pastor is always right. (1 Tim 5:19 says, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.") But, if the pastor is the problem, then discipline should be taken against him. However, that’s usually not the problem in many of the cases I’ve seen.

    I’m just heartbroken to see that too many pastors are resigning their positions over conflicts than can be solved by applying some biblical discipline.

    Please don’t think that I’m saying that all the problems can be solved this way. We’re not to be out to “crack a few heads,” but, when administering discipline, even against a board member can solve the problem, it seems that all to often, the pastor is the one who resigns and leaves the problem people in the church, unchecked, undisciplined and ready to strike again at the next “sacrificial lamb” that the church calls to the altar....

  • Posted by
    Tuesday, August 16, 2005 at 3:29 PM

    Gordon Kirk is a man of solid Christian character, theological insight, biblical commitment, and a superlative communicator.  I studied under him at Biola University in the late 1970s and later spent five years as his Teaching Assistant there.  He has been a great encourager and mentor to me in my ministry.

    Kirk says he was disheartened by “‘personal character attacks’ and disrespect for his leadership.” Pastors, have you ever been there?  Who hasn’t?  And what was the council’s response?  The council chair states that “discussions got emotional and people disagreed in ways that might have been construed as personal attacks....But it seemed that no one intentionally wanted to attack him.” Well, that’s a relief.  Doesn’t it seem like those actions which “might have been construed as personal attacks” warranted a response from the ministry council?  It sounds instead like they left their leader dangling in the wind.  “It seemed that no one intentionally wanted to attack him,” the council chair says—apparently, as long as attacks are not “intentional” they are not a problem?

    “Everyone on the ministry council loves Kirk and tried to work with him in a spirit of unity,” one council member said.  Fine.  But why is nothing stated about their response to the “unrelenting spirit of dissonance among a vocal few”?

    The sermon following Kirk’s announcement of his resignation “asked the congregation to rally in support of the church. This is not the time to visit other churches...People should volunteer to serve the church and support its General Fund as their primary place of giving.”

    My, my, my.

    Back to business as usual?

    Kirk’s resignation letter thanks the members for their “investment in healthy relationships.” I am grieved that the church’s leadership council does not seem to model this.

    Gordon, I am so saddened to hear this.  A faithful stewart such as yourself deserves better.

  • Posted by
    Wednesday, August 31, 2005 at 9:01 PM

    I took the first class that Gordon Kirk taught at Biola.  He spoke at a youth retreat that turned around the life of a friend of mine who eventually pursued a ministry career.  Having an affinity for him, I was deeply saddened to read of how and why he resigned Lake Avenue Church.
    Having been a pastor for more than 30 years, I have some insight as to how these things happen.
    A senior pastor in our day is expected to lead the church and make it grow, even if he lacks the gifts to do so.  Gordon is a superb Bible teacher but may not be as gifted a leader, but he’s expected to lead anyway.  The guy in the pulpit is perceived to be the leader by the average person in the pew.
    The senior pastor has to set some course for the direction of the church or others will set that direction by default.  As soon as the pastor sets a direction, some individuals will oppose it, and even in a large church setting, those individuals will find each other and form a power block that seeks to undermine the pastor’s vision because it is different than their own.  If the pastor’s vision is adopted by the church, those people will often leave.  If the power block thinks it can force the pastor out, it will try - but can’t provide the necessary leadership if they succeed.
    The board or council often doesn’t find out about the power block until it has grown too large to handle.  Most laypeople will not confront other laypeople.  Usually if any confrontation is necessary, the pastor and the staff have to do it, and guess how that situation comes out?
    As far as all the secrecy goes, if the church was being sued, attorneys probably told the church’s leaders not to discuss the case publicly.  And when a situation is volatile, the more that’s said publicly, the more people want to know, which usually requires revealing the names of troublemakers, which the church’s leaders can’t do.  I’m open about everything at our church except confidential matters involving individuals which might prove embarrassing to them - which means there are some situations I can’t discuss in public.
    If Gordon Kirk resigned, it’s because the conflict at Lake Avenue began to affect his health and that of his family.  Many pastors are willing to die for their flock but they aren’t willing to sacrifice their families.  Since Gordon Kirk is a godly and gifted man, he knows that he will have his pick of churches if he decides to be a pastor again.
    Gordon Kirk has too much class to go public about this whole sad affair.  Unfortunately, some in the church seem to lack that same class.  I wish both Lake Avenue and Gordon Kirk all God’s best in the days ahead.

    Pastor Jim Meyer
    Alameda, CA

  • Posted by
    Sunday, September 11, 2005 at 2:06 AM

    I was a member at Lake Avenue for almost 30 years, and I dearly love Pastor Gordon. Sadly, I have seen very similar things happen to the two previous pastors before Gordon, to Ray Ortlund and to Paul Cedar, so it is not a Gordon abusing power thing. I have heard the kinds of things that were said and written to him over the years, and I was grieved at how callously people could hurl abuse his way, when the church was reaching out in wonderful ways that had not been done in the past. I only left the church 2 years after moving quite a distance away, and only because I felt that the Lord finally wanted me to plug in close to home so that I could get more involved in ministries at church. Lake has had a group of older members who have, I think, opposed any efforts to change things about the ministries of the church and the services for years and years. I always felt very sad about that divisive spirit within the church that never seemed to repent. I don’t think it was the Holy Spirit causing the critical vocal minority--it was a spirit of dissension, a very unholy one. Probably we as a congregation did not give Gordon enough prayer covering, and he ended up getting shot at and wounded over the course of the years. I was always amazed at how graciously he responded. I found him to be a very godly and wise spiritual leader. I felt that we were blessed to have him at Lake for so many years. There’s my two cents!

  • Posted by Douglas Gwinn
    Thursday, March 09, 2006 at 5:30 PM

    The first church I ever attended was Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, my father being the Youth Minister at Lake when I was born. My wife and I have been members at Lake for eight years and I had attended since Pastor Gordon’s first Sunday.
    Gordon Kirk is our favorite Bible teacher and we grew to love him as our pastor and friend. We miss him terribly, and I offer no excuses for the treatment he received from the Ministry Council. My own interaction with the Ministry Council bears out the problem. They are set in their ways. Their policy is largely, “Here’s how we do things, and if you don’t like it, too bad.” They are anything but flexible, even if you want to show them something from the Bible to change their minds. God has already instructed them, and that’s that.
    I’m sorry that Lake Avenue Church treated Pastor Gordon so poorly. It was undeserved. To Gordon, I say, I’m sorry. I believe that Gordon made the right decision to leave. We look forward to wonderful things from the Lord for Gordon and Patricia.

  • Posted by
    Monday, April 10, 2006 at 12:27 AM

    I remember when Pastor Kirk was hired and the excitement we all felt at his appointment to the Senior Pastor Position.  He fulfilled every possible expectation we could have had and he even went above and beyond.  My Wife and I were married at Lake.  We have been part of a church that transformed into a model of what Paul had in mind for churches while Pastor Kirk was our Sheppard.  We hope that he comes back to the role God so obviously equipped and gifted him to fulfill.  When he does find a new church family if anyone finds out where -please post it-.

  • Posted by
    Friday, May 05, 2006 at 1:30 PM

    This all sounds too familiar. In my days long before I became a pastor (I’m a United Church of Christ pastor) I served in the Marine Corps. Would you guys believe that I have experienced more grace in the Marine Corps than I have in the church? I’m not kidding—this has been my experience. I’ve known many a “Gunny” to have a kinder heart than many of the church people I’ve known.

  • Posted by
    Friday, May 05, 2006 at 2:48 PM

    After two turbulent years of “personal attacks” “deliberate lies” and “a refusal to do anything,” I walked into a board meeting with a letter of resignation. This was a year ago. It was the best decision I could have made for myself and my family. On my last Sunday, I preached, shook hands with those who came, we got into our van, left the city, state and met our furniture 1500 miles away. I stopped outside the city “kicked the dust off my shoes” and have never looked back. God had our case well in hand and wonderfully opened up another avenue of ministry and we have never been happier as a family. We are surrounded by loving people who desire to do all they can for God. Praise God! I know God has a “plan and an new hope” for Dr. Kirk as well.

    Don’t let those who refuse to grow stop you from growing and moving on.

    Blessings,
    Pastor Al Stefan

  • Posted by Ref. Dr. John Gilmore
    Thursday, May 18, 2006 at 3:09 PM

    Sorry, I was a little late to read all the preceding excellent comments on the rub/rupture at Lake Ave.
    Blog readers would profit from the discussion at other levels in my book, Pastoral Politics--why ministers resign (AMG, 2004).  Phil Ross had some interaction in the writing of it.
    Get back to me if you want an autorgraphed copy.  245 pgs.  Foreward by Warren Wiersbe, commended by Dr. D. James Kennedy and Jay Adams. 
    Cordially, 4 C member
    John Gilmore

    • Page 2 of 2 pages

     <  1 2
Post Your Comments:

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Live Comment Preview:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the word you see in the image below: