MondayMorningInsight - Leadership & Encouragement for Church Leaders

Florida Pastor Cleans House: Fires SIX Staff Pastors

Posted by: Todd
Posted on: Sun, November 16, 2008
Viewed 373
(74) comments so far

After the meeting, the Senior Pastor was cleared of any wrongdoing. In an attempt to bring some reconciliation to the staff, the deacons scheduled individual meetings with the six pastors for November 4. When none of the six showed up for the meeting, the six were fired.

Last Sunday, during the service, some members ‘shouted down’ Dr. Cummins, forcing him to cut the service short. According to the newspaper, a ‘couple hundred’ worshipers crowded the altar, chanting “We want the truth”.

Dr. Cummins says he hopes for reconciliation with the fired pastors.

Whenever I report a story such as this, inevitably I will get emails telling me not to spread this bad stuff around. I totally understand. However, the reason I do report such things is I think they make great studies for every pastor and church to consider. Here are some examples:

1. If you’re the senior pastor of a church with multiple staff, what would you do if you had a situation of staff mutiny?

2. If you have one person who needs to be fired, that’s tough enough. But what if the problem extends to more than one staff members, or a group of staff members? Are you willing to take the risk to do what you need to do?

3. If you’re a staff member and you have a problem with your senior pastor, how do you proceed? Forming a coalition and emailing bad stuff and blowing off meetings with the personnel team didn’t work in this case? How should you voice your concern?

4. What would you do if you were shouted down in a service, or if a good number of your people started chanting ‘we want the truth’.

5. How do you respond to the secular press, who always seem to have a heyday with this kind of thing?

Without knowing the situation, it is impossible to know if these staff members had a valid complaint; or if they were just a bunch of trouble makers. And that is not really the point of this point. The point of this post is to see how things can go so, so wrong… and think through how you might respond to such a situation. That could have a huge benefit you in the future of your ministry.

So… what are your answers to the above questions? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Todd
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You can read more here and here.

After being on the job just a year, Dr. Mark Cummins did the unthinkable: He fired six of his staff pastors; six pastors who were considered loyalists of the previous, long-term pastor. According to Ocala.com, the firings have caused a major rift in one of the areas largest and most prominent churches. in 2007, Cummings came on staff as the pastor, replacing 20 year veteran Rev. Ed Johnson. What was the main reason for the firings? The church is not really saying... other than an email sent to church elders on Halloween from the six staff that called the senior pastor "manipulative," "dishonest," and "untrustworthy". They followed up that email, calling for a meeting with the deacons, but were referred to the church's personnel committee. A meeting with the personnel committee lasted for nine hours, according to the Ocala newspaper...

Comments

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Rev. Kareem on Wed, November 19, 2008

FLMom…

same here… TGBTG…
K. D. on Wed, November 19, 2008

I am a member of FBC Ocala and would like to let you know that so far the TRUTH has not come out. Just for clarification Mr. Kirkland we did not receive any email or automated voice message as you have so erroneously stated and we did not know anything about the firings until we received a one sided letter from the church signed by the Chair, Deacon Team, President, Chair of Trustees and Mark. The following Sunday in church Mark started a sermon and had it flow right into his monologue of the series of events that led to the firings. Mark is the one who took a church service and turned it into a business meeting, all those “couple hundred” people wanted was the TRUTH . I feel that the six would be wasting their time trying to tell their side to the biased deacons and personel committee and it should be done with the entire church in attendance with a vote following the meeting. I think that this will not happen because someone has something to hide. Why all the secrecy Mark? Could it be that your true agenda is to change the name of our church and rewrite the bylaws so that you have complete control? Are you trying to do to us what you did to FBC West Hollywood? By the way FBCWH was the church I accepted Christ as my Savior in and am just saddened by the way you divided it. Can we look for that here too? Will you bring down the membership like you did to FBCWH from 1,000 to 300? Romans 16:17 AVOID DIVISIVE PERSONS Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech decieve the hearts of the simple. For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you Amen. I ask everyone that reads this blog to please pray for our church and the the will of God be done and all glory to Him.
Rev. Kareem on Wed, November 19, 2008

K.D.

our prayers would continue to be with you’ll… sometimes God has to subract in order to save…consider Gideon and how God had to subtract down to 300… we must remember that God’s ways and thoughts are different from ours… sometimes we get caught up in the number game that we loose sight of who’s in control… God told Gideon that the number had to be reduced so that they’ll know it was Him that delivered them… we never know… somebody may be delivered by this whole event… the key thing we all must do is pray that God’s will (not our own) be done…
Matthew Crump on Thu, November 20, 2008

I need to correct a statement on my comment. I was for some reason under the impression that my father was the VP of the church and school in Hollywood while I was away at school. It has been brought to my attention that this was not the case. I am sorry if that caused any confusion for anybody who read it. It sure did for me haha

Matt
James Lipton on Sun, November 23, 2008

Check out this link for more Truth.

http://www.fbctruth.com

And please use the Truth to form your opinions. Using hearsay and your own opinion to form another opinion just doesn’t do anyone any good.
Nick Sunderson on Fri, November 28, 2008

Very fascinating argument.

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Tye on Mon, December 01, 2008

This is a very interesting situation to me since this is precisely what happened to me at my last church, with the exception that there were no meetings offered for reconciliation. Also, I never sent out an email voicing displeasure or speaking negatively about the church.

Note: I was permitted to stay on until I found another permission, yet I considered myself to be fired.

When a senior pastor comes into a church with an existing staff I believe he has an obligation to work with that staff, building bridges, utilizing their gifts and talents, even if a reorganization is needed.

So, did anyone address the concerns of the six staff pastors? I would think not because the new senior pastor was given absolute authority over the staff.

This is a dangerous situation for any church and in the end hurts everyone, not to mention the associates who poured their lives into the church prior to the new pastor’s arrival.
jessica on Sun, December 07, 2008

I would suggest bringing your own involvement to select a suitable candidate. I’d want to know how many of the six will truly get involved and discharge their duties?

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Dave Douglas on Mon, January 05, 2009

I’m a bit late in this discussion, having just picked up on it today. I seem to see things a bit differently than most postings here. I’ve been on support Pastoral staff for large and small churches for more than 25 years. While never a Sr. Pastor, I have been worship pastor, tech minister, adult bible teacher, pulpit supply and evangelist.

I’m very familiar with the style of church and the baptist way of leadership. I have been thoroughly disgusted with the demi-gog spirit of many pastors over the years, the attitude that seems to exist in some that God whispers secret instructions to one or two and the rest of us simply nod our heads and follow like simpletons. I believe this undermines the work of the Holy Spirit in churches, and it destroys the function of spiritual gifts in church structure also.

God’s design for the church is that His people be unleashed for ministry. The anarchial design limits the vision of the church to the nearsightedness of one leader, thus we miss the balance of gifts the church needs in order to be more effective to the community, both saved and lost.

In my personal history with sr. types, I’ve watched the hand of God unravel each one who led their church in this manner. One committed adultery, another absconded with church funds and misappriated them into his personal accounts, another went through 8 ministers of music in 12 years because he couldn’t take his hands off that area of ministry to allow the ones called to it to function. When a new pastor came to one of our churches, I did a cold resignation on him after hearing him cuss and slam doors around the office.

The key to being Christlike in the church is allowing ourselves to be held accountable for our actions, our attitudes, our style of leadership and our personal lives. Biblically, we call this sincerity. Being the same everwhere at all times. It’s sad that so many enter ministry without a clear understanding that it is about servanthood not power. The model is Christ - he GAVE all for us, not to dominate, rule, control or have power, but to love us. Too bad many sr’s don’t understand the concept of loving people.
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�America needs to thank God for sparing this brave, good man who can help our nation at such a time as this,� said Welch, pastor of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla 220-602., where Boykin has been a guest speaker.
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