I'm resentful...

I HATE this. I don't want to talk about this, but I'm so angry that I HAVE to write this down somewhere. And "here" happens to be the best place.

The United Pentecostal Church International is in a state of flux right now. During General Conference '07, a vote took place that effectively changed the bylaws of the UPCI to allow for advertising (and apparently broadcasting) on television. The vote was extremely close. While there are plenty of opinions as to how it was handled (some think there were some underhanded decisions, while others think it was completely above-board), I won't discuss that here. That's for another time...

The aftermath of the vote has been horrid. Ministers threatening to turn in their membership cards, other ministers trumpeting "victory". Stupid... I am not a card-carrying member of the UPC, but my father was and I am a minister myself, so I feel like anything that affects the ministry affects me.

More after the jump.

What is frustrating is that we (ministers in general) are being forced to "take sides" in this unnecessary feud. If we don't threaten to turn in our cards or throw our FULL support behind the more conservative group that is on the verge of leaving the organization, then we are branded as liberals. I resent that. If we join with this small group of conservatives who desire to break off, we are branded as conservative troublemakers. I resent that.

Why do we have to decide? I may or may not agree with the outcome of the vote, but I shouldn't have to be drawn into this feud. The vote didn't say if we DON'T advertise on television, we have to leave the organization. It simply made that option available to us. For some, it will be utilized. For others, it will not.

This entire diatribe frustrates me to no end. To the ministers of the UPC - if you don't like it, vote to change it! If it doesn't work out the way you wanted it (either way), don't leave the organization. We're a group of people with differing viewpoints on many things, but the things that unites us are our views on the Gospel, the New Birth, baptism in Jesus' Name, and the Oneness of God. Why throw away fellowship with those who believe the truth of the Name of Jesus because of a silly thing like this?

I am not a far-left liberal and I am not a hard-line conservative. I am middle-of-the-road, as are MANY ministers in our fellowship. We are the ones who will be hurt by this. If we stay with the organization while many conservatives leave, we suddenly become the hard-line conservatives. If we go with those that leave, we'll be considered by many of them to be liberals. There is no place for moderates in this stupid debate.

I resent it... I don't have a good answer other than to say that it is childish to threaten to leave if something doesn't go your way. Stay and fight for what you believe. If corruption in leadership is the problem, change it. Leaving is not at all the answer.

I resent it all and I cannot say enough how unnecessary all of this is.

Sorry for the rant... Just feeling more than a little resentful right now.