Intentional Mismatch

They can be annoying: mismatches. A yellow sock on the right root, and a white sock on the left. They can be unfair. A 350-pound Sumo wrestler on the mat against a 100-pound beanpole. They can be unfortunate. Your automotive store receiving the wrong part for your vehicle, causing you to delay your departure to another state. But mismatches can also be unethical, as when a Conference foists a pastor on a church family, and the belief system and spiritual orientation of that pastor differ in important ways from that of the majority of church members.

It appears that this is what has happened in at least two churches/districts in Central Ohio. The members involved find themselves to now be under the guidance of a spiritual under-shepherd who teaches concepts that they believe are at odds with Bible truth. Some believe that the Conference has placed a pastor who fits the agenda of the Conference, rather then one who meets the needs and expectations of the congregation. This is a particularly hurtful mismatch, in that parents in these churches must now regularly debrief their children, when confusing or incorrect ideas are presented in the worship service. While spiritual debriefing is important, parents should not have to regularly run damage control.

This pastoral mismatch also poses a danger to visitors and new members, in that they could easily learn distorted concepts and accept them as true and valid, since they come from a pastor who should know what he is talking about. Is this kind of mismatch a true service to these congregations? Is God honored in this kind of mismatch?