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Now here is a post that will make you want to kick your momma!
I have been contemplating the surprise announcement that Mitch Maloney made at the assembly, refusing the nomination of assistant Missions director. He was applauded and subsequently lauded with praise.
I have given this much thought. Mitch is a good friend of mine from Lee College.
This demonstrates cronyism in the male dominated leadership. He received special treatment from the floor and the chairman. He deserved some measure of chastisement and he didn’t use wisdom in going public.
He will suffer for this in the church. He was given an executive committee appointment to serve in a national missions position. (He had stated he could not do the travel of the assistant world missions director) He will suffer for this in his personal life and career. It is a part of the system and the way it works. He will hear from executives on a regular basis about this and they won’t let him forget.
How many church of God ministers have gone to their administrator bishops with similar circumstances? How many have been shown special treatment? How many have suffered from such complaints?
This works only if you are in the good ol boys network.
I served 7 years in isolated pastorates in Turkey and Italy and due to my wife’s mother cancer we left to return to the states. I was reassured that when I returned I would receive a stateside pastorate. I went to the assembly and waited and waited for an appointment. I finally received an appointment to pastor in East St Louis. Out of nowhere someone came and advised to reconsider that due to certain situations.
I went back to the assistant General Overseer and refused the offer and this was not good but was in the best interest of my family. In frustration he said to give him a call after the assembly.
I returned home and waited sufficiently and then called and was abruptly told that I had one offer and that was it and not to bother asking for another. I reminded him that we had served faithfully in Europe for seven years and surely I was due more consideration than just the one offer. That was all. I was not in the club so to speak. I was hurt, my wife and I both, and were left to take care of my wife’s mother’s sickness and she died in a couple weeks.
I did not sit back but fought the system from outside the system. I had some help from Cleveland of men who knew the system and knew it was cronyism.
Untold hundreds if not thousands of such stories exist and the young men who want to enter the ministry have this barrier to go through. This is system that is still at work and has not changed.
What is an interesting development is that Mark Williams was already slated to be the pastor at North Cleveland and perhaps ethically should have excused himself from moderating this due to his conflicted interest.
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