I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. —3 John 9-11

My Church Family:

After praying about the choice for some time, I've decided Sunday, August 5th was my last Sunday at the church. I am so very sorry for the role my leaving played in creating any problems at the church. Causing anyone—pastors included—harm is the last thing I wanted, which was why I quietly stepped away instead of getting into some prolonged battle. I left in the manner the pastors’ group insisted upon, and the church body accepted, at our last business meeting. I left with absolutely no acrimony, no malice, no anger. I left, simply, because God said, “go.” Harming the church is the very last thing I would ever consider doing, and I remained ready and willing to continue partnering with the ministry and seeing to its needs.

Pastor Scott and the other pastors will, of course, have their own interpretation of these events, and I encourage you to hear them with your whole heart and pray for full understanding. Please support and encourage your pastors, please pray with them and for them. I will not be showing up to answer any charges. I have done absolutely nothing wrong, and I believe Jesus has answered enough charges for us all. I am praying for my church and my family. May God bring you all only great things and a rich future. Serving with you all has been my greatest joy.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

I will miss you all very much.

Pastor Christopher J. Priest

My farewell letter to the church.
Scott refused to allow it to be read or circulated, then told everyone I'd just left without saying a word.

Part Two

I didn’t make a scene, I didn’t start an argument. I didn’t make any accusations or point any fingers. After morning worship, I packed up my keyboards and went home. I wouldn’t be coming back. God had simply said go. The church’s senior pastor would go through many subsequent convulsions inventing motives and reasons for my departure, but the truth is: God said go. There were no other motives, no other reasons. Rumors spread that I left over money, that I was angry because the church had stopped paying me. I can’t say what did or did not occur there after I left, but the remaining three pastors knew full well that was not the case, as I’d told all three of them I’d continue playing the music and performing those other tasks and the church could bless me as they were able—even if that compensation was nothing at all. Money had nothing to do with it. I’ll err on the side of hope and assume the pastors made that clear to the church body—my leaving had nothing whatsoever to do with money.

I left because God said go.

What Am I Doing Here?

A week before, I'd spoken at two National Day of Prayer ceremonies—events Scott and the other two pastors blew off with a shrug. Scott was never terribly enthused about any events that involved other churches. When the invitation arrived, it was sent through me, and I offered the opportunity first to Scott then to the other ministers, who literally ignored me—as if I weren’t even speaking. The reaction I received was a disinterested shoulder shrug, Scott being anxious to get back to his own agenda. The National Day of Prayer events turned out to be amazing, Spirit-filled opportunities to proclaim Christ, thunderously, from the steps of City Hall and other places. It was, for me, a life-changing and ministry-defining experience, God revealing the potential of my own voice, a voice Scott routinely silenced. The events were a tremendous opportunity for establishing and re-establishing Christ in our city and to renew our commitment to the cause of Christ. Speaking before thousands at the day’s climax, God spoke through me, moving in a powerful way, in a way I’ll never forget. It was the most powerful and moving ministerial experience of my life.

Then I went back to my church.

There I got eye rolling from the women in the office and the praise team continued to blow off my rehearsals. Scott, excited about his New Plan, which was, in fact, the Old Plan with cosmetic changes to it, never even asked me about the NDP events. Never. As of this writing, still hasn’t. Wasn’t interested. Could care less. But he had colorful PowerPoints and thick books retreading old ground on his New Old Plan, along with the usual litany of complaints.

What am I doing here?

The praise team, not showing up on Wednesday, not practicing the things I’d teach anyway, had begun meeting on their own on Saturday—in direct contravention of my teaching about Saturdays. They met anyway, going back to the CD tracks they’d been singing to before I got there. The youth praise team wasn’t showing up for their rehearsals and had started grumbling about how I wasn’t teaching songs they wanted to sing, so another sister stepped in and began distributing CD’s with songs on them, intending to take that group over. Nobody in the office was even pretending to show me signs, programs, printed matter, etc. before they went to print. And, according to Scott, people were grousing about me to him wondering, “What are we paying this guy for?”

What am I doing here?

On August 5th, 2007, the Lord God Jesus Christ released me from that church and from that man. I packed up my gear and went home. I left in the manner the pastor insisted on and the church approved at their last business meeting—without notice. It was what he’d insisted on. I didn’t say a word, I didn’t criticize him, I didn’t try and split the church, I didn’t create a ruckus.

I just went home.

Which was when things got really bad.

The next day, I returned to the church.

I had taken all of my keyboard gear home, leaving the church with only a Calvinova-style piano that was not properly hooked into the sound system. So I came back in the morning for the sole purpose of correcting that—hooking up the piano and re-configuring the mixing board for it. I then deleted my personal files off of my office PC and left my keys on the pastor’s desk.

I was subsequently accused, by this senior pastor, of “sneaking in” Monday to grab my gear—along with implications of other nefarious doings. Which seems, to me, to be crippling in its immaturity. By that time, Scott had known me a number of years, worked side by side with me for at least a year. That was more than enough time to get a sense of who I am and what I’m about. Just the insinuation that I needed to “sneak” anywhere was ridiculous, but it also called into question this man’s maturity and his walk with God. Making false accusations against an elder is very serious business, and the Pastor Scott Spin Machine was shifting into overdrive, Scott now seeming desperate to fit me for a black hat. Scott had to make me the bad guy. So he had to get it going that I’d had some kind of massive personality shift and was now an enemy of the church.

When nothing could be further from the truth. I packed my gear on Sunday. Not in secret—in full view of people coming and going in the sanctuary. I wasn’t angry, I wasn’t bitter, I was just going home. And, much as Scott wants to make this about something else, claiming I was trying to split the church or undermine him or whatever other idiotic fantasy swims around in his head, the truth is—

—I just went home. That’s it. And I defy him to produce even one witness to claim I ever said a single, solitary word against him.

I came to the church Monday for the sole reason of seeing to it that the church's needs were met, that they would be able to function. Nothing I did on Monday benefited me in any way or, frankly, had much to do with me. I was still serving the church, still seeing to their needs. And Scott apparently chose to distort that into something awful. The Holy Spirit does not inspire us to lie. Does not inspire us to see the worst in people or to assign sinister motives where none existed.