well thank you

ELDER

but

PASTOR

oh there’s a “but”

ELDER

It’s just that as we’re celebrating this

new exciting direction for our church community,

I’ll be honest: we’re really broken up about Joshua leaving this church.

PASTOR

Yes, I know.

ELDER

For the past 5 years he’s been a blessing to our family—you do
agree that he’s been a blessing?

PASTOR

in many ways, yes

ELDER

You’ve even said yourself that

Joshua is your spiritual son,

that you saved him,

that he walked into this church,

lonely and just looking for some friends.

I seem to remember he was thrown out of his home,

I forget what—some sort of family problems.

And I remember this boy came down to the altar,
saying “I need something

I don’t know what but I need something
to help me

to keep on

goin’ on.”

And bit by bit,

you gave him more responsibility here at the church:

a Sunday school class,

then counseling responsibilities,

the prayer line,

then here and there,

Bible reading,

a testimonial in the Sunday
service,

and then you hired him on as
an associate pastor.

And you’ll agree,
he worked hard

PASTOR

he did

ELDER

he was honest and good and

PASTOR

no yes all of that is true Brother Jay

ELDER

he galvanized and organized and revitalized our youth ministries.

You cannot deny he is very charismatic, and gets folks excited

about our church and the work it does.

He became an outspoken member of the community,

going and reaching out

to the poor

and to the sick,

the disenfranchised

and the lost.

PASTOR

…

ELDER

So.

What I’m getting at is:

did you have to be so quick to let him go?

Did you have to, need to—was it absolutely necessary to

cut him off?

While he may have failed to follow you, this time, yes he failed —
he’s young, sure, he’s got a little chip on his shoulder,

still isn’t there room for a second chance
and a third and a fourth and a fifth—?

Your sermon talked about being more accepting,

and so shouldn’t that same acceptance be extended to Joshua?

… no, I’m going to stop talking and let you speak.

(ELDER does so.)

PASTOR

Thank you for that,

Elder Jay.

I hear you.

Ya’ know, it’s kinda like a marriage,

how in the Bible it says

that in a marriage

you cannot be unequally yoked.

A divided head cannot lead.

I welcome Joshua into this church.

But if he is going to lead it with me, under me, in any way,

then we need to be

of one mind.

You talk about Joshua

reaching out

being the face of this church

out there in the world.

True: he does reach out.

But what does he show the rest of the world about this church.

How does he represent us.

Do you know how he represents us?

ELDER

I know he can be very uh passionate, sometimes a bit

PASTOR

last November