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Ocala Update: Awkward Business Meeting, Pastor Resigns, Will Start New Church

recently, i wrote about the internal struggles going on at elementary baptist church of ocala, fl. you may remember that the church recently fired six staff pastors. i took a lot of heat behind the scenes from both sides in this church… those who supported the senior pastor (mark cummins) and those who supported the fired staff members. the point of my first report was to remark that there were satisfactorily problems on both sides of the argument for all of us to learn from in mediating church disagreements. in these times, it appears, things have escalated imperturbable further…

Here are the latest developments:

1. After the Sunday when ‘hundreds’ of worshipers rushed to the altar during Sunday Services to demand answers from the senior pastor, Cummins wrote a letter to church members warning them that future acts of “disrespectful and unbiblical behavior” in the Sunday service would result in the forcible removal from the sanctuary by police.

2. Last Sunday (Nov. 23), more than 1,000 FBC members attended a church business meeting. Many asked for the pastor to be placed on paid leave until a mediator could try to make sense of everything that had happened. Trustees rejected that proposal and adjourned the meeting.

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3. Then, according to the local newspaper, “Cummins did the absurd”: Although the meeting was over, many of the people refused to leave. Instead of just leaving them, Cummins turned out the lights on hundreds of people. Someone turned them back on. Cummins turned them off. On, off, on, off.

4. Two days later, Pastor Cummins announces he plans to resign. He announced during the meeting that he intends to stay in Ocala and start a new church.

It’s time for healing to begin. Let’s pray for FBC Ocala. And let’s pray for Mark Cummins.

Here are a couple links: http://www.ocala.com/article/20081126/ARTICLES/811260296/0/NEWS01 http://www.ocala.com/article/20081130/COLUMNISTS/811300988/-1/sports04?Title=There_is_hurt

My thoughts? Well, I’m glad you asked.

First of all… this is just sad. Plain sad. I have extended family who attend FBC. And my brother attended there until moving back to Indiana recently. Our hearts break for the church and the many great people there.

Secondly, both sides, at different times, acted very badly in this situation. Horribly, in fact. Not only is there healing that needs to take place. But also confession and forgiveness.

Lastly, whether you’re a supporter of Pastor Cummins or not, I (personally) have a hard time believing that it’s right to set up shop down the street, knowing that you will take a considerable chunk of people from FBC. Should he not just walk away?

Today’s question: Is it right after a church conflict that a pastor leaves and takes a considerable amount of people to start a new work down the street? After the very public scrutiny in the press, isn’t much of the appeal of this new church and pastor already gone for the people in the community the the new church is charged to reach? Why or why not?

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