A Sunday service at First Missionary Baptist Church of Chinquapin, North Carolina led by Pastor Lonnie J. Manley, is surfacing for all the wrong reasons after the pastor unleashed a tirade against a long-standing church member who, unbeknownst to him, was simply heading to the restroom.
The service, streamed live on Facebook, showed a moment that many are calling a display of unchecked ego and poor discernment. Pastor Manley, whose last day at the church was today (Sun. Dec. 29), took aim at the church member, Reverend Gary Jones.
“Glad You Left” – The Flesh on Full Display
In the video, Pastor Manley is delivering a sermon about getting your house in order, and he appeared to be angry while preaching. Family members stated that Jones got up to go to the restroom when Pastor Manley said:
“Yeah, I don’t blame you, I would leave too,” Manley said, turning toward Jones as he walked back toward the pulpit. “I don’t blame you, I would leave too… I was gonna let you leave today without saying something. That’s right, glad you left.”
The pastor then repeated, “GLAD YOU LEFT! Get your house in order!”.
Family members of Jones said that he wasn’t storming out of the service in protest of Manley’s theatrics or his message but merely heading to the restroom. The pastor’s response to the assumption that Jones was offended by the sermon, shows that his so-called discernment may have been more flesh-driven than spirit-led.
Church Members React
Members of the congregation enjoyed the drama displayed by Pastor Manley and others left stunned by Manley’s behavior, with some calling it a disgraceful display of power and ego. Another member added, “This isn’t the first time he’s let his personal feelings interfere with the pulpit. A pastor should lead with grace, not tear down others for the sake of theatrics.”
Watch the Video Below:
WILD!
Wow.