I obviously do not mean "literally" blew apart...but where something happened so that either the congregation split ... or the leadership was asked to leave? I think you understand what I am trying to say.. It can leave the followers in shreds as well. It does not only affect the specific people involved ...but seems to filter down into the pews..
On the other hand..something can happen to a believer ..something that shakes them to the core...and the response of other believers can either lift them up... or totally submerge them beneath the problem...with no air to breathe..
I wish it was not so.. I have lived through such a circumstance and will share some of it with you if you want..
but for now, tell me simply yes or no if you have experienced something like this.
10 comments:
My sister is a pastor in the deep south. She discovered some of her flock were members of the KKK and asked them to leave. It was a hard, hard time. Some of her flock supported the KKK, some of her flock thought that the KKK was political and shouldn't matter to the church, some of her flock supported her, and some of her flock didn't give a hoot.
The upshot, may sister is now celebrating her 23 year as the pastor of the church. It has been KKK free for 15 years.
I have never expierenced it but I know of people who have.
yes! and I've seen it happen a couple times just in my little town and in my own church! it is devastating to the church and to the church family.
hugs
viv
Yes. I was a part of a church that came apart in the 80's. For some reason the deacons would not say, they brought the pastor up for a vote of dismissal. We split apart, those of us who didn't know why he was brought up and those who knew but refused to tell. I voted what I knew, the pastor had been a loyal friend to my husband's family, sleeping on a concrete floor at the medical center during the emergency that took my father-in-law's life. The vote was very narrow. Half the church left when the pastor was retained. The rest of us stayed, but in a couple of weeks the pastor left. The church felt wrecked, and I moved to a different church. It hurts. And yeah, it could help a person determine what they really believe. I'm sorry you have gone through this.
A large Amish community in southern OK split a few years ago. Half of them wanted to start using tractors, electricity etc. The other didn't. So half of them moved to Missouri and the other half stayed. I think it must have been very hard for both sides.
When I was young I was a member of a church that had an issue. The pastor confessed to an infidelity a member of the congregation. He resigned after that, and it was difficult for a lot of people. Many people struggled with their faith after that.
Stephanie
Indiana
Oh yes and it is still hard today to deal with, but my faith comes first before the accused. I am Catholic and I was made to feel like a noboby when I went to drop off raffle ticket to one of the members of our Siera Club that supports people going to be priest and nuns. It is still difficult today because the man made me feel like trash that should go to the back door instead of answering the front door where he saw I was. I won't let fools like that ruin my faith, but I have to say it hurt. Hugs, Pat
ps. Julie, congratulations on winning with your picture-it was so amazing.
Yes. Twice. It was really, really hard for me. The third time was not really a blow-apart; it was more like..... the leadership refused to deal with a serious problem between me and another church member (sexual harassment) and and My family chose to leave, and suffered abuse from the leadership after that. It is no fun.
Yes...so sad.
Hugs!
Kat
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