# Pastor asked (forced) to leave town **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457 "2010-04-26T21:31:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/41 "2010-04-27T15:51:43Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Moderator Note]As you well know, complaints about how the board is run belong in ATMB, not IMHO.[/Moderator Note] As you well know, I was not making any complaints about how the board was run either. My post was addressed to **Lightnin’** - as far as I know, he does not run the board. > [@Freudian Slit](#): > > Why so skeptical when this is something that doesn’t seem to be all that unusual? You don’t think a Baptist minister’s wife who is a surrogate mother with purple streaks in her hair is unusual? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/42 "2010-04-27T16:07:01Z")
It’s uncommon, yeah. But the OP pointed out that they were kind of young and naive, and anyway he’s not a baptist minister anymore–the purple streak and all that other jazz got them removed. I don’t think it’s so weird that at least one naive young guy tried to push the boundaries and got told, “No.” ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/43 "2010-04-27T16:08:46Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Why so skeptical when this is something that doesn’t seem to be all that unusual? Because it hurts \*\*Shodan’s \*\*feewings. You heard it here, first. Personal experiences can no longer be posted on the SDMB unless they can be personally verified by **Shodan**. 'Cause, you know, liberals. And \*\*Shodan \*\*feels that he \*does \*run the board. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/44 "2010-04-27T16:25:24Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > It’s uncommon, yeah. But the OP pointed out that they were kind of young and naive, and anyway he’s not a baptist minister anymore–the purple streak and all that other jazz got them removed. I don’t think it’s so weird that at least one naive young guy tried to push the boundaries and got told, “No.” He’s still a Baptist minister- just not in that particular church. He didn’t get defrocked AFAIK. If he’s Southern Baptist that may be pending- probably due to the surrogacy thing. But if he’s American Baptist or another moderate-liberal type (yes, there are moderate to liberal Baptist churches), he may well be OK. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/45 "2010-04-27T16:43:18Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Because it hurts \*\*Shodan’s \*\*feewings. > > You heard it here, first. Personal experiences can no longer be posted on the SDMB unless they can be personally verified by **Shodan**. 'Cause, you know, liberals. And \*\*Shodan \*\*feels that he \*does \*run the board. [Moderator Note]Knock off the personal attacks _now_,[/Moderator Note] ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/46 "2010-04-27T16:46:02Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > He’s still a Baptist minister- just not in that particular church. He didn’t get defrocked AFAIK. If he’s Southern Baptist that may be pending- probably due to the surrogacy thing. But if he’s American Baptist or another moderate-liberal type (yes, there are moderate to liberal Baptist churches), he may well be OK. He could be defrocked for his _wife’s_ actions? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/47 "2010-04-27T16:53:46Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He could be defrocked for his _wife’s_ actions? Certainly. The husband is responsible for the wife’s behavior, according to the conservative wing of the Baptists! ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/48 "2010-04-27T17:02:15Z")
Anybody who has been around Baptists long enough to become a Minister shouldn’t be the least bit surprised by this sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/49 "2010-04-27T17:09:48Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > He’s still a Baptist minister- just not in that particular church. He didn’t get defrocked AFAIK. If he’s Southern Baptist that may be pending- probably due to the surrogacy thing. But if he’s American Baptist or another moderate-liberal type (yes, there are moderate to liberal Baptist churches), he may well be OK. I am told that this church is an American Baptist. Whether it is liberal or not, I have my doubts. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/50 "2010-04-27T17:36:35Z")
I wasn’t aware that Baptist churches had any formal defrocking. Each local congregation is teoretically independant and can ordain anyone they see fit. I’m sure he could be denied fellowship by the American (or Southern) Baptist Conference, but I don’t think they can “undo” his ordination and I’m not sure what would happen if another church in the same conference hired him. They might lose their representation in the conference, but I don’t know if they would lose their fellowship as well. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/51 "2010-04-27T17:40:27Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > He’s still a Baptist minister- just not in that particular church. He didn’t get defrocked AFAIK. If he’s Southern Baptist that may be pending- probably due to the surrogacy thing. But if he’s American Baptist or another moderate-liberal type (yes, there are moderate to liberal Baptist churches), he may well be OK. Ah, okay, sorry for the mistakes. Anyway, you seem more well versed in this stuff and you said you don’t think it’s all that out there. I mean, it would be one thing if it were a pastor who’d been there for twenty years and everyone loved him then his wife had an accidental dyeing mishap and they got driven out of town on a rail. But a young experimental guy trying to shake things up and being told, “Not here, thanks,” seems about right. As you say, maybe he’s in a more liberal church and maybe he’ll find a community that’s a bit more to his liking. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/52 "2010-04-27T17:41:34Z")
Wiki on [American Baptist Association.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Baptist_Association) ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/53 "2010-04-27T18:19:15Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Depends on the denomination and the location, really. In certain areas it’s not uncommon to have multiple Baptist churches in a town of a few thousand people. It’s a crapshoot as to whether any given one will need a new minister at any given time, sure, but given the rate at which churches around home split, it doesn’t seem terribly unlikely that you could find something. Honestly, I would guess it’s about as likely as getting another job as, say,a college president. It might happen - probably won’t. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/54 "2010-04-27T18:22:21Z")
It doesn’t sound real weird to me, either: I have shared the story here about a former pastor who was dismissed by our church because he remarried. He was still a Southern Baptist minister: in fact, he got another gig at another church. But the church did not want him as their pastor any longer, because they felt he was breaking God’s law: so they voted for him to leave. It doesn’t sound strange, but it sure doesn’t make it right. I think this whole thing is disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/55 "2010-04-27T19:55:13Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > I will see what I can find out about the surrogacy group. Said and now done. The name of the organization is Growing Generations. The website is [growinggenerations.com](http://growinggenerations.com) There is a thing on youtube also. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gcBIkrBPBOU/hqdefault.jpg "Growing Generations Surrogacy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcBIkrBPBOU) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/56 "2010-04-27T22:06:34Z")
The proper thing to do in any conversation is to take the person’s statements at face value until you have reason otherwise. The only thing shocking about this is not how the woman acted, but how she’s being treated. I’ve seen a whole lot worse in Baptist churches. The whole POINT of every Baptist church I’ve been to is that they say they will not judge you for how your appearance. I don’t get what surrogacy has to do with anything. Another nice thing about Baptists I know: if it ain’t in the (KJV) Bible, it ain’t a sin. In fact, they get all hopping mad about a certain other church (Catholic) that has a bunch of extra rules not straight from the Bible. I find all of this appalling, and I find it appalling that you guys think it’s normal behavior. But at least I’m not going to call the OP a liar like a certain poster in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Cyningablod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cyningablod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyningablod)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/57 "2010-04-27T22:56:03Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Scripturally a pastor is not a shepherd, they are 2 separate gifts from the Holy Spirit. In my experience shepherds are part of the ‘invisible’ church and is actually the Lord acting through certain people, which IMHO is rarely the pastor. So you would not be of his flock, but if anything the Lord’s flock. Ummm… Kanicbird, a “pastor” and a “shepherd” might be different roles/“gifts” according to _Scripture_, but etymologically, they are synonyms. A pastor IS a shepherd. That’s the _meaning_ of the word “pastor”. I’ll give you three guesses why the words “pastor” and “pasture” are morphologically similar. What do you think a poem or work of art in the “pastoral” tradition is? That’s right: a work that deals with shepherding, flocks, or some other similarly bucolic motif. Yet another case of “Scripture” not having anything at all to do with reality. ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/58 "2010-04-27T23:13:02Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > When the word got out that the minister would preach his Sunday sermon on “Judge not least ye be judged,” (the “ye” is probably me King Jamesing the quote, he was probably going to do it in modern) He was told he would not be permitted to preach again from the local pulpit. Pastor fired for threatening to give sermon about Christ’s teachings. News at 11. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/59 "2010-04-27T23:33:30Z")
Because I’m an atheist and against religion, I don’t support the pastor’s firing. ---
**Author:** ![Cyningablod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Cyningablod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyningablod)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457/60 "2010-04-27T23:44:04Z")
Yog, Would you have supported the pastor’s hiring in the first place?? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pastor-asked-forced-to-leave-town/537457.md?page=4)