Blogging Ottinger (tim)Sense of Loss
Reader, please realize that since this was written, other versions of the story have been coming to light, and I am continuing to try to unravel the story. I have a number of contradictory reports from reliable sources, all of whom found this painful for different reasons and who are at different levels of closure on the incident. I have placed a variation on the story in another post and have been told of corrections to that version as well.
The only thing that seems to be sure is that there is not closure on this, and that maybe nobody really knows the whole and entire truth of the thing.
I have added some revisions and they are clearly marked in the same style as this very comment.
Some of the ministry staff of my church were recently let go.
As far as the financial realities go, I understand. We are on a four-year decline in membership, and many of our people are under-employed or unemployed as a result of the economy, and especially of the Indy airline pullout. On top of that, we are overstaffed compared to the paid staff at churches several times our size. I don’t doubt that something had to give.
However, the ex-staff weren’t warned in advance, but were surprised. They weren’t given an opportunity to leave voluntarily, nor to go on working without pay. It is not uncommon for people in youth and children’s ministry to take jobs to pay for their “ministry habit”, and indeed both of these fine people would have been willing to do so by their own admission.
Making a sad fact from a happy one is that both of them are within weeks of ordination, and being fired just before ordination is not a good career starter. It’s an awful way to begin your ministry career.
Note: recent reports suggest that the pastor was against this timing, but that the board pressed for it even though there was no financial incentive (the severence package provides the same pay, regardless).
Admittedly, there was a severance package, so they weren’t just dropped on their ears. It was better than most people in industry get, though resources (and therefore the package) are limited. It may honestly be the best we could give them, and I am thankful for that.
But worse, their keys were taken on the spot, and they no longer have ministerial access to the church at all. That hardly sounds like a straightforward cost-cutting measure. Had they been fired for misconduct I could see treating them with suspicion and restricting access, but they were valued members faced with difficult times. That bridge has been burned.
The “keys taken on the spot” was wrong, a misunderstanding. My apologies. Also, they are allowed normal access to the church, and one minister is allowed to continue to use the church to fulfill prior commitments. They were, however, stripped of their duties, even though they were invited to continue attendance and membership at the church.
It’s sad. I have a lot of respect and admiration for each of them, and I’m ashamed for the hurt they’ve received from an organization I belong to.
It couldn’t have been done much worse with an axe.
