Re “Fourth Baptist Church tumult raises concern among congregation,” Free Press Jan. 21-23 edition:

I feel compelled to write this letter after reading about the turmoil going on at Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond. It appears that the pastor of this church wants to run a dictatorship, but he needs to realize that he was hired to be pastor of the church. He was not hired to be a dictator or an autocrat.

A wise woman said to me a few years ago that the church in the Black community has become a joke. Sometimes I find myself wondering if this is true because you never hear of this type of behavior from a pastor in a predominately white church.

The New Living Translation of the Bible, Deuteronomy 8:18-19 states the following: “Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

“But I assure you of this: If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods, worshipping and bowing down to them, you will certainly be destroyed.”

Are we as a people really remembering and following God or following the pastor because of what he says from the pulpit?

The Black church used to be the beacon in the community, but it appears that has fallen by the wayside to pastors who are in ministry for the money instead of doing the work of the Lord. In addition, trustees have to be vetted and approved by the Circuit Court of the locality where the church is located. Was that done in this particular case because a pastor alone cannot dismiss any certified and bonded trustee and replace them with whomever he wants, which are typically the yes people?

I did not read where the trustees were replaced, so that makes me wonder if a trustee board is in place. If I were a member of this church, I would question the legality of what the pastor did in regards to the trustee board.

Additionally, why was the finance committee dismissed? My theory is that it was probably done so the pastor can control the finances and checkbook of the church. But that is not his role.

It is a shame that the Lord’s house is being made a mockery of with charlatans in the pulpit.

DEREK T. MOUNTFORD

Dinwiddie