Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

I got a call from the Bishop of our small Organization this morning. A very, very small congregation, in a very poor community not far from where I live is needing pulpit supply.

Their pastor had been there for 35 years. Two weeks ago, the pastor went in for what was thought to just be a GI issue, and it was found cancer was all around the entire abdomen. The pastor died within days, the Monday before Easter. The funeral was last Wednesday, and yesterday that church for the first time in 35 years had no pastor, when they came for church. Easter Sunday was their first service without their faithful pastor.

The congregation is about 35 people if they all came at once, very impoverished, and in a pretty rural area of Willamson County, TN.

The Bishop isn't going to rush to put anyone in there, so they are moving their services to 2pm on Sundays and he is going to preach half the Sundays of the month and help them work through this emotional and difficult time slowly. At the same time, he is also asking a hand full of us to come provide pulpit supply when he can't be there.

I'm asking that you please pray for the church, the Bishop, and those of us trying to help out in ministering to this church. None of us want the church, that's not why we're going. We just want to help. However, I do think most of the guys are open to whatever God wants, but our motives are to just help the Bishop and of course this congregation.

I can't imagine what this church is going through. Please pray for their healing, wisdom for those making decisions, and wisdom for those of us that attempt to minister to them.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

While I am sorry for their loss of a pastor, perhaps God felt it was time to call him home for his reward? He truly did a work for God by staying in an impoverished area for 35 years, ministering to poor people. It will take a very special pastor to fill this one's shoes.

Bro. Robbins, are you in a church system that elects their pastor or does the eldership place pastors in the church as needed?

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Though a confidence vote may be taken, and many times is to get a feel for the mood of the church regarding possible candidates, the final say for the pastorship of the church is up to the Presiding Bishop of the organization. We aren't very large, and almost all of our churches are small. I'm new to this organization, but was asked to come in and help.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

May I ask what the name of this organization is?

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Is this Emmanuel Church of Christ?

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Praying for this situation.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

I am also praying for both the church family and this pastor's family while they grieve.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Yes. My credentials aren't within this organization, but thinking about moving into it to try to help out. The organization as a whole is struggling. It's sort of funny. I would have never picked the organization on my own, small, not as conservative as I am by any means, and very little youth.... but I feel compelled to roll up my sleeves and do what ever I can to help.

My heart goes out to this little church. I'm not equipped to help them, at least not in myself. And for anyone to step in to a struggling work, after a pastor of 35 years dies suddenly, with so many odds against it, will take prayer, fasting and truly seeking the direction of the Lord.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

They used to have some churches in middle Tennesee-Kentucky- Alabama. I forget the lady's name who founded it? They have a beautiful church on Lebanon Rd.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Bishop Ronnie Banks is now the Presiding Bishop, and the organization overall is struggling. The horrible saga in the late 80's when one of their pastors killed a man and then set the church on fire to fake his own death just about ripped the organization to shreds. Now, they are in a time of transition and really needing some new life.

I have been visiting the facility on Lebanon Road. Beautiful facility, but averaging about 20 on Sunday morning. It's very sad, but not beyond salvage.

Like I said, it's a much, much more liberal organization than what I would choose, but I feel compelled to help out and do anything I can.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

That is a very rough situation to be in, and I that from having spent most of my life in or around small churches. Hopefully they will be given a pastor to lead them soon.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

OK... I'm just going to say it...

Is there not a single person in that church, that after being 'pastored' 35 years (which in my opinion should mean mentored) who can not get behind the pulpit and teach or preach until a replacement can be found?

In our Baptist church our pastor got esophogeal cancer. He was in the hospital over a year before he passed away. A young man with a family still at home and a wife who did not work and needed to be at his side they coudl not afford to lose his check. Because of the size of the church it could not pay another pastor and pay Bro Robert... so... We paid Bro Robert until his death and the deacons, the elders, and many of the mature men took turns preaching and teaching.

There is a local Church of God that has been without a pastor for 2 or 3 years now. Many of the elders and several of the young men who feel called to ministry take turns leading service. The church has organized a group who make hospital visits and somebody pays the bills... It's working great... so good in fact that I get the feeling that they are not really in a hurry to find one now.

I am not familiar with the term pulpit supply but I guess it mean interm preacher or temp?

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

This has been done in the past when there is not a man who is available or willing to take the church. I have heard of it being done in the past. Eventually, I believe that one man will come into the pastorate of the church. It will take some time to work out.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

I just assumed it meant how many spare pulpits you have in the back room.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Pulpit Supply is a term, especially used in the denominal churches. It's referring to those that are scheduled to come preach, but are not serving in an Interim Pastor position. An Interim Pastor position can go beyond just preaching, and actually assist in management duties like a Pastor would, but of course is there temporarily.

The Bishop in this case is serving as the Interim, but has many duties, and may not be able to be there every Sunday, so there will need to be pulpit supply on some days.

Also, the very fact that there is no one in this tiny little congregation to step up shows why the congregation is struggling anyway. The pastor probably stayed 10 years beyond what she should have, there were some Sundays that they did well to have 15 people there, and the Bishop really couldn't step in, because there was no one to place there.

When you add to it that the organization is struggling, and has almost no young ministers at all that can step up and begin to take the reigns, it presents this to be a challenging situation. Just within the last month, there have been some of us ministers from other organizations that are starting to come in and consider moving our credentials to this org... and will hopefully be able to come in and help and make these situations a thing of the past soon. Our hope is to help the bishop, and provide some support and energy to these struggling congregations, especially this one since they don't have a pastor.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Very sorry to hear about the loss of this pastor. The Emmanuel Church of Christ, I believe, was founded in 1932 by the late E.J. Allen. The "headquarters" church was in Tullahoma, Tn... just accross, and down the street from Bishop H.E. Honeas "First Church of Jesus Christ". The Emmanuel Chrch of Christ is now in Donelson, TN

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

When a man holds the reins too long, it tends to cause the able younger ministers to move on and find other places to work because it becomes clear they will never "get the call" to the next level. Happens in hundreds of churches across the country. Then you see churches that used to hrive turn into dead little churches full of usually the very old saints who are diehard faithful to the man who has been their pastor for sometimes 50 years.

What is the remedy? I wish I knew so I could write the book and retire a milliomnaire.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Was this the lady who was over this group for years? By the way this is the only Oneness group I know who teaches sanctification as the second work of grace like the Church of God. They had a rather large church in Nashville proper for years that had that horrid incident with the pastor in which the church was burned and they rebuilt out on Lebanon Road.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Brother Epley, not sure about who was the originator, but Bishop Banks has been Presiding Bishop for at least 30 years now. He pastors the church in Donelson on Lebanon Pike, beautiful campus, nice good sized facility, runs about 20 on Sundays right now.

Also, though there may be within the church that teaches Sancitification as a second work of grace, that is not an official teaching within the Articles of Faith. Looking at the church doctrine book in front of me, not an official teaching.

Sidebar, it's no longer the official teaching of the COG either, I was COG for 18 years. There are now some within the COG that believe second work of grace, but many will teach progressive Sanctification, and then some in the COG preach a mixture of both. It's not even in their Articles of Faith anymore, but is in their Doctrinal Commitment, but was re-worded in the 80's so that it doesn't push second work of grace or progressive. Now as a Doctrinal Commitment it just says, Sanctification subsequent to justification. Romans 5:2; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:12.

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

They had a rather large congregation before the horrid incident that preceeded Bishop Banks. I forget the lady's name who lead the group for years? They must have revised their teaching since they most certainly did teach sanctification as the second definite work of grace. It was really a cardinal teaching among them. Their church in Donelson is indeed beautiful as was the Nashville church. There was a rather large split on the Northside of Nashville I forget the name of that church it was something Church of Christ Oneness?

Re: Church Suddenly Loses Pastor of 35 Years
 

Not sure... I've not asked a lot about the past as I don't want to sound like I'm prying into some of the not so pleasant memories they have. They are struggling so badly, and hurting so badly, I've just let them volunteer information as they saw fit.

I know that when the Brother Terry incident happened in the late 80's, Bishop Banks was Presiding Bishop as well then, not sure how long he had been in the position though. But the testimony of that trial you can find on the internet speaks of Bishop Banks being the PB at that time.