Another Church Power Struggle Hits the Papers
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Thu, July 28, 2005
- Viewed 192
- (31) comments so far
Whenever I post something along this line, I always get an email saying to the effect, "why are you publicizing something that's so negative?" Well, there are really two reasons...
1. I find the topic of conflict in churches to be extremely interesting. As I've said before, I often don't understand how relationships get so 'out of whack' in churches. Things like firing your senior pastor's right-hand-man without telling the pastor are amazing to me... I just wonder how that kind of think happens. (again, I don't know the merits of whether the pastor in question should have had his position eliminated or not... just the circumstances are very interesting).
2. I do think there is some value in stories of this kind for another reason: It can serve as a wake up call to each of us in our ministry that we need to maintain our relationships every day. Seeing the consequences of not doing so may be the incentive we need to keep things on track today.
OK... that being said, here's the article. I'm interested in hearing your take after you read it...
During more than 10 years in the pulpit at Calvary Assembly, the megachurch overlooking Interstate 4 in Winter Park, the Rev. Clark Whitten has been known for his plain speaking.
It surprised no one when he announced the contentious end of his ministry in a typically direct way, before thousands of worshippers at services Sunday.
Whitten said he was quitting because the church's board of elders, without his knowledge, had voted to eliminate the position of senior executive pastor, held by the Rev. David Smith.
"I didn't agree with the elders' conclusion -- and I still don't," Whitten, 55, told the congregation, according to an audiotape of the service. "That's just honest, but it doesn't mean that we can't disagree and be friends and love each other, and we do."
He will deliver his last sermon at Calvary this Sunday.
"The honesty was refreshing," said Becky Meeks of Ocoee, a Calvary member for 18 years. Whitten's candor "is one of the things I like best about him."
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel last week, the Rev. Bill Snell, an executive pastor and an elder, had made no mention of discord related to Whitten's departure, citing the pastor's "desire to just enjoy life at a different level."
Neither Whitten nor Smith could be reached for comment last week. Snell told the Sentinel at the time that both were out of state, playing golf.
Snell did not respond to repeated requests for comment this week.
However, in the sanctuary last Sunday, both sides described what amounted to a power struggle.
Gary Hall, speaking for the elders, said the board had become concerned about "some management issues," according to the tape. He said Smith, whom Whitten had brought from Oklahoma in 1999, was seen as an administrative "bottleneck." The five executive pastors reported to Smith, who reported to Whitten.
In what Hall said was a unanimous decision -- and without consulting Whitten, who had just returned from a two-month sabbatical -- the elders voted to eliminate Smith's position. They offered Smith the opportunity to join the five executive pastors, but he resigned immediately.
Hall called Smith's departure "a great loss." He described the minister as "the most talented pastor I've ever met," and said that, when it came to administrative ability, there was "nobody in the country better than David Smith."
Whitten told worshippers he had a sharply different view of the board's actions, and he criticized their tactics. Especially galling, Whitten said, was that the board's action "was done in my absence and it was done without my consultation. That was a situation that I couldn't reconcile."
Jack Norman of Longwood, an elder and a church member for more than 30 years, said he thought Whitten "knew what we were doing." He added that "looking back, I guess we should have called him and told him that this is what we had in mind."
Whitten's tenure at Calvary was marked by stability.
In previous years, the congregation had lost one pastor after a sex scandal and another after an expansion that left the church millions of dollars in debt. Under Whitten's leadership, the congregation's remaining $10.8 million debt was erased by 2000, as the minister had pledged.
Longtime Calvary members voiced regret at the pastor's departure.
"Clark Whitten has done excellent work as our senior pastor, and I'm truly disappointed that he has decided to leave," said Andrew Roberts of Lake Mary, a member for 23 years. "I wish he was deciding to stay another 10 years. He will be missed."
At an interview at their home earlier this week, Whitten said he and his wife, Martha, had considered several options -- from remaining in the pulpit under the new administrative arrangement, to taking their case to Calvary's membership. In the end, he decided it was God's will that he resign.
Anything that would divide the church he loved was out of the question.
"I don't see how any of that honors God," he said. "I have no desire to be part of that. I am submissive to authority. I teach it and I believe it."
The minister said his decision had left him both sad and relieved, and he said he is not angry with the elders.
"I honestly believe they just made a mistake," he said, although it was a "monumental" error, and he predicted that ultimately they would have to apologize to the congregation.
"How it was done was the most egregious thing on a personal level," he said. "They were wrong in their position and in their vision of how a large church is run."
The Whittens, who have two grown children, put their lakefront home up for sale, although they said they intend to remain in Central Florida. "Our time spent here was very good -- the best years of our lives," he said.
Whitten said he plans to write, speak and teach -- "I'm not going to sit around" -- and that he will not take another pulpit.
What are your first impressions/takes from this article?
Well… guess what… it happened again. Different church, different scenario… but big media coverage about a church in conflict. This is an article that made the Orlando Sentinel today. Again, I know nothing of the situation. I don’t know the internal workings of this church; but I do know that things could’ve been handled better… way better…
Comments
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pjlr on Thu, July 28, 2005
Todd, I have found that, in circumstances such as these, although the reasons given are true, they are usually only part of the reason for the decision. In politics it’s called spin. It’s been given a bad name, but often it can be a good thing to try to put the best face on a bad situation and/or assist others in saving face.
The dynamics involved are very complicated (I’m sure you already know that) and the full story will never come out in even a long series of magazine or newspaper articles.
It is a grievous thing to happen when churches go through leadership changes abruptly. My prayers are extended to the church in Orlando.
Anonymous on Thu, July 28, 2005
For the record, Pastor David Smith was not fired…he resigned at his own free will. Members loved both Pastor Whitten and Pastor Smith and did not want to see either of them go. There is more to the situation than what has been told, we all know the media tends to twist things to make it more dramatic!
Don Solin on Thu, July 28, 2005
“desire to just enjoy life at a different level.”
Now that is the bottom line. After all, who’d really want to lead, after that?
“was done in my absence and it was done without my consultation.”
This is the second time in recent months that I have heard and seen what “leaders” have done during a sabbatical. That looks very bad. In truth, it is really bad. I mean really, why wouldn’t you talk with the man first?
I’ll bet that this thing has been going on for quite some time… that fuse was lit along time ago. We just got the boom.
I still say that as long as the pastor is now a CEO and the majority of people still see him in the “old” way… shepherd, preacher, “the man”, that these problems will continue to mount. It doesn’t matter how big the church. The majority has not caught on to what is happening out here.
The bottom line—for all those that think they can do “that” job. There is no way that nurses on a surgical team could tell the surgeon how to do his job. Why do so many in the church think that they can do the pastors job. There is no way in the work world that the employees could tell the boss what he should do. There is no way that it makes any sense that elders, I don’t care how much they think “of their great spirituality” that they should just call the shots while the guy was away. Not cool, not spiritual. But, it sounds like this guy just needed something like this to cut him loose.
Don
http://www.solinfamily.com
Josh Surratt on Thu, July 28, 2005
I find it hard to believe that major decisions at a megachurch like that could be made without the senior pastor’s input. I have always believed as a leader that if you are going to make a major change that is going to affect somebody else, you should get their input on the change.
I appreciate the thought provoking post. It will certainly help me to evaluate how I make decisions that affect other people.
Bernie Dehler on Thu, July 28, 2005
Anony says:
“There is more to the situation than what has been told, we all know the media tends to twist things to make it more dramatic!”
Yup, that’s the way it is with any public gossip.
...Bernie
http://fgn-letters.blogspot.com/
Al on Thu, July 28, 2005
First impressions:
He should have been involved in the process - if they (the elders) made this move without his counsel, what will they do tomorrow? It makes a very unsettling environment to work in.
After all that time there, I would have counseled him to confront the elders, set up a committee to review the entire process that occurred and establish a policy that would prevent this in the future.
John Morris on Fri, July 29, 2005
This is an Assembly of God church. For those outside the A/G, A/G polity, in a nutshell, gives the board ultimate power in hiring/firing pastors. In A/G churches, if you have a board member or two who don’t like you, you’re basically doomed.
What I don’t understand is why the Senior Pastor, who is supposed to be the head of the board, wasn’t contacted. Surely a vote like this demanded more communication.
Unfortunately this is the reality when you don’t allow a pastor to be the pastor of the church, and make the decisions accordingly.
Sarge on Fri, July 29, 2005
Being an A/G pastor, the board does have too much power in most churches. I was ousted by one “wealthy” BM at a church a few years back.
Phillip A. Ross on Fri, July 29, 2005
This kind of thing is of particular interest to me, in that I’ve been there (“resigned” from a pastorate more than once). Somewhere someone said something like, ‘he who has made no enemies, has never done anything of value.’
The interesting thing about church conflict is that it is not new. Have you read the New Testament? Church conflict is inevitable, partly because the churches are full of sinners (thank God! There is no better place for them.); and partly because God uses theological struggle and conflict for the sanctification of His people.
I believe that church and theological struggles are on the increase because both the wheat and the tares continue to grow in anticipation of the great harvest. I even believe that the struggle will eventually produce a good result. Out of conflict and struggle will come greater resolution and clarity for the people of God, in God’s time.
What we see in church after church is the adoption of a perverted form of Congregational polity knonwn as autonomy or self-rule—regardless of the denomination or leadership structure. Why? Because Contemporary American culture teaches it.
The churches have been snookered. In short, they opened their doors to the world in the name of outreach and evangelism to the lost, only to find that the world has rushed in and now runs the organization.
Phil
http://www.pilgrim-platform.org
Boe Parrish on Fri, July 29, 2005
I am truely very sorry to hear about such under handed tactics as this by the so-called elder board. It makes it very difficult to step into situations where this type of action has taken place. David Smith and Clark Whitten are two of the finest shepherds in the Kingdom today. This is a tragic loss of dynamic leadership first for the church in Orlando and second for the kingdom. I have walked very closely with both men for years and know both of them to have the absolute highest integrity and work ethic. I have no doubt they will land on their feet and do extremely well. We would welcome both of them back into Oklahoma with open arms. Whoever is fortunate enough to end up with either one or both of these great men will be tremendously blessed!
JMH on Fri, July 29, 2005
Maybe this is too blunt or politically incorrect but it seems like the major reason that they didn’t include the pastor in the decision is because they thought they knew what his response would be. And they didn’t want to take the chance of him swaying the board with the positives of the EP. You would also think that they considered the possible resignation of the SP, yet didn’t care. Sounds rather calculated and ruthless, and very sad. Reminds me of some of those old TV Westerns, where they lynched the accused before the sheriff got back to town.
bernie dehler on Sat, July 30, 2005
Article:
“Whitten said he was quitting because the church’s board of elders, without his knowledge, had voted to eliminate the position of senior executive pastor, held by the Rev. David Smith.”
Woe! Incredible amount of dysfunction between the Pastor and Board, no doubt both are somewhat to blame…
...Bernie
http://www.freegoodnews.com
JLB on Sat, July 30, 2005
I do not know the principals invovled, but I particularly admire and appreciate Rev. Whitten’s actions and attitude in the situation. I thank God for the pastor’s spirit in what must have been, and may be for some time, a potential powder keg.
My experience is that most pastors in such a situation dig their heels in to prove THEIR point. Much more harm is done to the Body’s witness internally and externally in such a case because the dispute becomes a matter of embattled personal egos rather than Spirit-responsiveness.
Even given that the Board’s decision, or their manner of execution was wrong, we do all make mistakes, even collectively - though not usually of such a high profile; in this case, the pastor’s gracious manner of responding should allow for a relatively quick and clean redemptive reflection by the Board and congregation. One Board Member who is quoted indicates such.
Sometimes, even with our good intentions we screw up badly, and public embarassment can be an effective, if painful, way to make the lesson sink in.
Bernie Dehler on Sun, July 31, 2005
JLB says:
“Even given that the Board’s decision, or their manner of execution was wrong, we do all make mistakes, even collectively - though not usually of such a high profile;”
All mistakes are not the same. There are brief lapses, then there are unloving methods of people. How sad there is no unity with the senior Pastor and the Board. If the “parents” are dysfuntional, can there be any hope for the “family?”
...Bernie
http://www.freegoodnews.com
Jenifer on Mon, August 01, 2005
How unfortunate that this has happened, yet again. Having been at two different prosperous churches where things have taken a turn for the worse due to very poor decision-making, I know that it’s always the people who suffer. These kinds of actions taken by those in power cause disillusionment and fragmentation in the body. It is a very painful, long process for the congregation to go through to get back on their feet again. Church leadership always teaches to seek God first and to do his will—do they think it was God’s will to behave in such an underhanded way and cause needless pain? My prayers go out to the people of the congregation, that they quickly recover or find a new church home to help in the process. And to church leaders who may be reading this, always remember that no matter what your intentions are, it is your congregation who feels the effects of your decisions.
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