(RNS) — On Sunday, July 11, the Rev. Todd Elliott got up in front of his church to say goodbye.
The 50-something Elliott, dressed in an untucked short-sleeved button-down shirt and sneakers, stood next to a pair of gray-haired church elders dressed in slacks and navy blue sport coats on the stage at Beach Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“This is a sad day for our church,” one of the elders said before the other announced Elliott’s departure.
For several years, the church’s elders had clashed with Elliott over who should run the nondenominational church of about 1,600, which had been twice named one of the fastest-growing churches in the country.
The Beach Church bylaws and the Bible put most of the authority on the elders, David Dodge, chairman of the elder board, told worshipers. Elliott disagreed, believing the pastor should have more authority. Things had finally come to a head. Elliott resigned and would be receiving a year’s severance. And the church would begin the search for a new leader.
“I just want to thank you,” Elliott said to thunderous applause from the congregation. “Thank you for letting me serve and be your pastor and teacher over the last 14 years.”
He and the elders then prayed together and walked off stage, ready to part ways.
But Elliott would be back.
In what has been described as a coup or a revolt, a group of angry church members — organized on a Facebook page called Beach Church Together — rose up to defend Elliott. Within days, the Beach Church elders had resigned, the locks on the church had been changed and the doors opened for Elliott’s return.
He never even missed a Sunday.
“You people,” Elliott said, shaking his head and smiling, back in his pulpit just one week after his resignation — but now with a new message.
First, he laid out a bit of the church’s history, blaming the bylaws for holding the church back and causing previous pastors to leave.
Things would be different, he promised, if the church were to change bylaws to put the pastor in charge. If the church did that — and if the bylaws met with his approval — Elliott said he’d return as pastor and lead the church to its best days ever.
“You will not see a church that will be kicking down the gates of hell like Beach Church will be,” Elliott said, his voice rising to a crescendo. “Because I’m telling you, baby, you’re going to want to invite your neighbors, you’re going to want to invite your friends, you’re going to want to invite your co-workers and your family because we’re going see God move freely in this church like it’s never been seen before. I’m telling you that right now.”
The dispute between Elliott and the Beach Church elders has left chaos in its wake. After all the church’s leaders resigned, Beach Church staff and other supporters of the pastor organized an emergency meeting to suspend the bylaws and appoint a transition team so the church could operate. That team also began to pave the way for Elliott to officially return.
Meanwhile, the church’s elders say their resignations were invalid — claiming the church bylaws did not allow the entire board of elders to step down. The elders claim their resignations were rejected by the church’s president and other corporate officers and that any moves made by the transition team are invalid because they violate the church bylaws.
As a result, the church has two rival groups claiming to be in charge. It is unclear which group’s position is legal. The two sides had planned to meet the week of August 23 to discuss their differences, but that meeting has been postponed.
The Beach Church dispute also reflects larger conflicts in congregations big and small, where the presence of a charismatic and engaging preacher often draws newcomers and holds the keys to a church’s success.
