Ministerial terminations are at an all time high in churches. Truth be told, some of them deserve it. When a minister is guilty of heresy, immorality, or egregious law breaking… termination is sometimes proper. However…
Many ministers are terminated for matters that do not rise to the level previously mentioned. There are times that ministers are forced to resign over personality issues… leadership style… people skills… and a host of other reasons.
Invariably, those behind the firing of a minister rationalize their actions. And the minister who is forced to resign is convinced of being a martyr. In the middle are a host of church members who are left in the dark about what happened and why the minister left. The result is that the name of Christ and the reputation of the church is tarnished.
As Interim Pastor of a church, I delivered a series of message to help prepare the church for their next pastor. One message dealt with strained or difficult minister/church relationships. If you’d like to read the manuscript, click on the following link: How To Fire A Minister.