The Midway Guardian has received reports that several elders of the Midway Session have distributed the names of the signers of the petition to call a congregation meeting.
A petition to call a congregational meeting to discuss and vote on the recall of Senior Pastor David Hall was received by the Midway Session at last Monday’s Session meeting. The Book of Church Order requires the Session to hold a congregational meeting to discuss and vote on Pastor Hall’s recall within 30 days of receiving the petition.
In the few days since that session meeting, it appears some members of the Midway Session, including the pastors, have weaponized the petition by going after anybody they think can be bullied to change their mind. Even more troubling, they are distributing the names of the petition signers to their relatives and other church members in order for them to join in on the intimidation tactics. Long time members of the church are receiving calls berating them for signing the petition, while other members are being lobbied to shun those that signed.
We would like to remind the Midway Session that signing a petition is a right afforded by the constitution of the PCA. The reasonable path would be for the congregation to hold a meeting to discuss this important issue of the church. At that meeting, all members will have a chance to speak their minds and then vote, by secret ballot, if they wish to retain or move on from David Hall. That is how the process is designed to work. We pray that all officers and members would respect the constitution of the church and let the process play out.
Last fall, The Midway Guardian published an article about similar tactics being used by the infamous Rev. Mark Driscoll shortly before he resigned from Seattle’s Mars Hill Church. Like Midway, Driscoll used the church “courts” to remove elders he could not control and, like Midway, Driscoll had his own enemies list. We invite you to read Peas in a Pod?: Mark Driscoll and David Hall from October of last year. The parallels are striking.