Did they lose 80% of their congregation after the pastor was fired or was the pastor fired after they lost 80% of their congregation?
According to the article, they left after the musical director (not the pastor) was refused to be rehired because he is homosexual. The article says “United Methodist Church doctrine states gays are welcome but cannot serve in positions of leadership, including music director.” So the people who thought that was wrong left according to the writer. The current pastor claims it’s the economy, etc. Sounds like spin to me. Presiding over the demise of your church doesn’t look good on your resume, even if it’s over principle.