Reformed Pastor Quits his Church Because Congregation Too Supportive of Trump
Part of the steeple collapses at an East Baltimore church fire that went to 4 alarms. March 28, 2020
The pastor of a small reformed congregation in Michigan has quit his church and left the ministry because his congregation members were too supportive of President Donald Trump, leaving this flock without a senior Pastor after serving for just 4 years.
Pastor Keith Mannes preached his last service on October 11th to the congregation of East Saugatuck Church that was gathered outside on a windy Sunday. He did not address in that sermon his motives for leaving, speaking only for a short time, and overseeing communion.
In an interview with the Holland Sentinel, however, Mannes explained that he could no longer oversee a flock that was giving such broad support to Trump, saying that he believed the church had “abandoned its role” by not holding the president more accountable for his miscreant behavior.
Mannes said he started getting uncomfortable and unsettled by Trump back in June of 2015, over 14 months before Trump won the presidency.
It’s only been building ever since. From the beginning I thought there’s something about this man and the instrument that he is for a lot of things that are just very not Jesus…
It just floors me how church-going people who read the Bible and sing the hymns can show up at a (Trump) rally and just do that deep bellow like an angry mob supporting these horrible things that come out of his heart and his mind. It just began to trouble me so much that I am a pastor in this big enterprise…
It’s not only me, but quite a number of pastors I know are just like, ‘This is it? All this preaching we did about Jesus and there’s this big of a disconnect?’ I think that’s a real burden on a lot of pastors’ hearts. I love these people, I love God, I love Jesus, I love the church, but there’s something happening here.
As the pastor became more and more upset by the actions of Trump over the course of years, his disdain for the President began to manifest in his sermons, with him taking potshots here and there or inserting the occasional stray or offhanded comment. Mannes describes the pressure to internalize all his angst about Trump and not unload on his congregation during the service as “tearing me up.”
Despite this, his congregation kept on voicing support for Trump and signaling their intent to vote for him, with some glossing over his misdeeds.
“The question of the church largely and how it’s functioned in this moment has been really disturbing. That’s been troubling enough that I need to lay it all down.”
Mannes, who served as a Reformed pastor for over 30 years, doesn’t know what he will do next or where he will go, but says “at least I have my conscience.”
With the departure of Mannes, another Pastor, Wayne Baker, told the congregation during yesterday’s service that he understood that the congregation needed time to process everything, as there was not much warning between Mannes announcing he was leaving and then his final Sunday, acknowledging that Mannes “will carry some hurts with them as they leave the church and that certainly doesn’t feel good” and they as a congregation will carry some hurt as well.
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Hopefully he never preaches again.
I thought this was from the BabylonBee. Hmmm…
“Feed my sheep”, unless they like a civil leader you don’t. Then quit and run like you’re a victim. Don’t worry The Gospel Coalition or a 9 Marx church will hire you.
Good riddance. I hear the Methodists are looking for individuals like this putz.
😁 Yes they will Scooter, they never want to hurt anyone’s feelings and consequently they don’t stand for much. Very timid, like the Bushes.
Amen. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. The choices we have are clear, and while no Christian can approve of Trump’s past lifestyle, we all have similar ones, although maybe not the ability to indulge as much because of a lack of funds to do so.
Let us not forget that it was the Pharisees who Jesus reserved his strictest condemnation for. Compared with the two choices we have, President Trump is by far the superior choice, and it’s really not about him or Biden but rather what the two parties represent and their platforms as the Democratic version probably couldn’t be more satanic unless they promoted child sacrifice. Wait a minute, they already do.
Here is another deluded Pastor or should I say supposed Pastor. Light and dark are being manifested by our Lord. And some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.
I agree with your post Jeffrey.
So then what he’s so upset about that his church is doing, he is doing! Very Sad
Well…bye