Story Archive

Confession Is Good for the Soul

Juan McFarland has been the pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., for over 20 years. He was also the elected moderator of the 34-church Alabama Middle District Missionary Baptist Association Inc. In a series of three weekly sermons, McFarland confessed to a string of sins: he had sex on the church grounds, sometimes with members of his congregation. He used illegal drugs, took church money for business trips he never went on, and has HIV. Initially, the deacons agreed to let McFarland take some time off. “As Christian people, we wanted him to get well,” said deacon Nathan Williams Jr., 80. But when McFarland came back, the church voted to remove him. The resulting dispute led to the police being called, and the next day McFarland had appointed new leaders and changed the locks on the church. The former deacons are suing to regain control of the church, and the Middle District Missionary Baptist Association Inc. has asked McFarland to resign. (MS/Birmingham News) ...So, the message here is: get well ...or else!