Prominent Memphis Area Pastor Resigns

[NotforSale]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

And how do you define "performance based faith"?

My Bible teaches everywhere we must obey God.

Performance Based Faith; Religion

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by NotforSale

Performance Based Faith; Religion

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,God me merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Careful, that sounds something like "The Sinner's Prayer" and you know that we Apostolics don't believe in that kind of stuff here.

[Michael The Disciple]

Originally Posted by NotforSale

Performance Based Faith; Religion

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Ok we will go there soon.

[tv1a]

I think some of Pastor McCreary's family are still AFF members
The immediate family I know paint a different picture. McCreary's breaking point was not for moral indiscretions.

I appreciate your willingness to admit one of the organization's major liabilities. addiction to hype. People misunderstand powerful manifestions of God as his approval when most of the time he moves because he is a merciful God.

Originally Posted by NotforSale

I’ve been in the UPCI for 33 years, and have been a pastor for 17 years. People need to understand, the stress we deal with is beyond any profession that most individuals have ever done. Words can’t describe the heartache, sleepless nights, constant criticism, demands 24 hours a day, remaining constant when everything is falling apart, working with no pay, and dealing with rejection when people leave who have been greatly invested in by a pastor.

Bro. Black is not immune to anyf these, and I’m positive that stress and demand are equated into the recipe of his bad choices. This is like what happened to Bro. McCary, but thank God there was no suicide.

One of our greatest flaws as an Organization is the emotional expectation of preachers and the laity. If we aren’t “Feeling Good”, running the aisles, then God must be on vacation. So we turn the volume up, signal the drummer for a bigger beat, scream louder into the microphone, all to wake our Savior who’s in the back of the boat, asleep during the storm.

God is in everything except, “The Still Small Voice!” We dance and sing like David, while we kill Uriah and sleep with his wife. The contrast here is horrific, but true. When my first pastor fell into adultery, losing his entire church and marriage, I realized that God is not in the song, the beat, the volume, or even in holy dress. Our church was deemed as being extremely spiritual, but was the exact opposite because of our “Back Door” approach to God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Performance based Faith always leads to disaster because we’re never good enough. This wears down even the best, and when the dust settles and the mask is removed, the true ugliness of who we really are is revealed, and Calvary becomes what Jesus Christ intended it to be. There is none good, no not one.

[deacon blues]

I John 1:5-10 (NIV)

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

I John 3:4-6, 9-10 (NIV)

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

[Tlswift2009]

I've known Pastor Black since 1996, and he's a good friend of mine. I have fellowshipped with TPC for many years, and have enjoyed the services. There are issues in every church. Our church will keep eveyone lifted up in prayers.

[CC1]

Originally Posted by Tlswift2009

I've known Pastor Black since 1996, and he's a good friend of mine. I have fellowshipped with TPC for many years, and have enjoyed the services. There are issues in every church. Our church will keep eveyone lifted up in prayers.

While there certainly are "issues" in every church I hope you are not inferring that either this is not a HUGE issue or that many church pastors fall into sexual sin.

I mean there are "issues" and then there are "ISSUES". This is an "ISSUE".

[Tlswift2009]

No Sir!!! The issue of Pastoral leadership failure to adultery is a CRUSHING blow of destruction, and causes GREAT DAMAGE in every aspect. David's sins were forgiven, but the immutable law of sowing/reaping ripped through his family, and caused a REPROACH to himself, and his position as King/Ruler of Israel. God means what He says about the qualification of Pastors/Bishops without excuse. We are instructed to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewiith ye are called". We are also instructed to "not let fornication {adultery/sexual immorality} be named among us". I'm a Pastor of many years and I know the challenges that we face, but we yet must live above REPROACH, and its very possible if we remain transparent, discipliined, prayerful, and HONEST before God with those things that we struggle/wrestle with; God is FAITHFUL, God is ABLE to keep us {ALL} from falling; if we allow God to help us. No, friendship does not diminish God's word and what's expected of us as leaders by God as well as the congregation, and YES, we do OWE ACCOUNTABILITY to those that we lead!!!

[exTPCMusician]

Originally Posted by Tlswift2009

No Sir!!! The issue of Pastoral leadership failure to adultery is a CRUSHING blow of destruction, and causes GREAT DAMAGE in every aspect. David's sins were forgiven, but the immutable law of sowing/reaping ripped through his family, and caused a REPROACH to himself, and his position as King/Ruler of Israel. God means what He says about the qualification of Pastors/Bishops without excuse. We are instructed to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewiith ye are called". We are also instructed to "not let fornication {adultery/sexual immorality} be named among us". I'm a Pastor of many years and I know the challenges that we face, but we yet must live above REPROACH, and its very possible if we remain transparent, discipliined, prayerful, and HONEST before God with those things that we struggle/wrestle with; God is FAITHFUL, God is ABLE to keep us {ALL} from falling; if we allow God to help us. No, friendship does not diminish God's word and what's expected of us as leaders by God as well as the congregation, and YES, we do OWE ACCOUNTABILITY to those that we lead!!!

Pastor Swift, thank you for all your words of wisdom. The foremost thing I thought, as i read the many posts, is that this is bigger than any man AND there is a church who is touched by all of the recent occurrences. If what is said about Bro. Black is true or not, he needs our prayers and compassion. The church is still a place of hope and healing. His family needs our prayers. Their lives are also turned topsy turvy over issues they didn't cause. And finally, the congregation needs prayer. We are without a, permanent pastor and are left reeling over this week’s events.

I have known Bro. Black for over 20 years. He touched my family's life in a positive way. Regardless of what happened, he may have forfeited many things, but he's still one "repentance" away from a road towards total recovery. I'm a poster child for the truth that you don't throw someone away and give up on them because of what they've done.

God bless Terry Black, the Black family and the entire TPC family, as we move forward in the purpose of God. Acts 2:38 is still TRUTH regardless of what any of us do.

[LooneyLucy]

Originally Posted by TPCmusician

Pastor Swift, thank you for all your words of wisdom. The foremost thing I thought, as i read the many posts, is that this is bigger than any man AND there is a church who is touched by all of the recent occurrences. If what is said about Bro. Black is true or not, he needs our prayers and compassion. The church is still a place of hope and healing. His family needs our prayers. Their lives are also turned topsy turvy over issues they didn't cause. And finally, the congregation needs prayer. We are without a, permanent pastor and are left reeling over this week’s events.

I have known Bro. Black for over 20 years. He touched my family's life in a positive way. Regardless of what happened, he may have forfeited many things, but he's still one "repentance" away from a road towards total recovery. I'm a poster child for the truth that you don't throw someone away and give up on them because of what they've done.

God bless Terry Black, the Black family and the entire TPC family, as we move forward in the purpose of God. Acts 2:38 is still TRUTH regardless of what any of us do.

Beautifully put, you are in my prayers.