Beeson said a committee soon cleared Hall of wrongdoing. Then, he alleges, came the retaliation.
In May, he said, church leaders, including Hall, took over Living Water, using an emergency clause of the bylaws, which is designed to be used against a “pastor, official, member or any other person or persons of any congregation or church should be found to be conspiring, plotting or planning in any manner against the welfare of the Pentecostal Church of God.”
Beeson was suspended and lost his credentials to preach. An interim pastor was put in his place, with district officials serving as Living Waters’ board of directors. Those officials called on the congregation to vote on whether Beeson should remain as pastor, even though the vote had no legal bearing on his future, said Beeson.
Just before being removed as pastor, Beeson preached a fiery sermon, warning about the dangers of false prophets, saying that they were “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” quoting from the New Testament’s Gospel of Matthew. Beeson told the congregation it was at a pivotal point in its history. “You have a decision to make. Will this be a house of refuge or a house of division?” he said. “Choose this day whom you will serve.”
Beeson, who lost his ministerial credentials, said his fight was both for the church and his own reputation. “I knew from the minute we started the investigation, my credentials were on the line,” he said. “We chose to stand for what was right. It should have never gotten to this point.”
A few members of the church already created a rival Facebook page to counter the official page of the church, which was being administered by the interim pastor and district leaders. In September, a message appeared on the new Facebook page saying the members behind it could not support “the divisive measures that have been used to fracture our congregation, undermine our leadership, and silence our collective voice.”
“Living Waters Tabernacle has always been a body of God-fearing believers — spirit-led and united in discerning what is good and right for the health of our church family,” they wrote. “Yet the Oklahoma District has made it clear they do not trust us to make Godly decisions on our own accord. That is not oversight. That is overreach.”
Amanda Berry, 38, whose parents, she said, pastored the church for years and who considered it her home, was saddened to hear that the Halls had been arrested, but said she is angry at denominational officials. “I feel like they didn’t protect our church at all, and the congregation,” she said.
Before her mom died, Berry said, Hall had come to visit. She said her mother’s last request was that he take care of the church. “She’s on her deathbed, begging this man, please take care of the church and protect it,” said Berry, breaking into tears. “It’s a promise broken.”
Living Waters is not the only congregation that has had conflict with officials of the Pentecostal Church of God. Members of a congregation in Texas known as Faith Chapel are currently suing the Southwest Texas District of the denomination, claiming church officials illegally took over the congregation.
Haney, the attorney for the Oklahoma District, said church leaders have followed the denomination’s bylaws in dealing with Living Waters and that the church remains under the supervision of district leaders.
“Suffice it to say that the District has consistently provided for the best interests of Living Waters Tabernacle, and done so in full compliance with the covering relationship between the local church and the District,” he wrote in his email. “The District is confident that the existing membership of the church recognizes the effort of the District, and has agreed to the measures and actions taken to date.”
Beeson said that the whole situation at Living Waters has left him saddened and disappointed — and no longer a pastor.
“The arrest of The Bishop and his wife is a sad day for any Christian,” Beeson told RNS in an email. “There’s no glory or feeling of satisfaction in any of this and I hate it for everyone involved.”
This article originally appeared here.
