Last week, Jordan Daniel (JD) Hall, founder of the polemic website Pulpit & Pen (which is now known as Protestia), resigned from his pastorate at Fellowship Baptist Church (FBC) in Sidney, Montana.
JD Hall Resignation
According to Protestia, FBC Sidney determined that Hall had “disqualified himself from pastoral ministry” due to an undisclosed sin. Hall resigned and is in a process of church discipline.
Hall was arrested on May 11 for driving under the influence of drugs. However, it is unclear whether it is this incident or his recent admission of fabricating a news story about a trans activist that is the reason for Hall being deemed disqualified by church leadership.
Following his DUI arrest, Hall refuted the police report and said his symptoms were a result of a lack of Vitamin D, denying being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Hall’s blood alcohol tested at 0.00 during the traffic stop, but the officer reported that Hall performed “very poorly” during a Standardized Field Sobriety Test.
Hall told a local news outlet that “they found no alcohol in my system because I was not using alcohol or any other kind of illegal narcotic or recreational drug. I was experiencing a known and medically documented severe Vitamin D deficiency.”
Protestia Removes Hall
In a statement released to their website, Protestia said, “Due to JD’s removal from pastoral ministry, we likewise have removed him from ministry with Protestia.”
Protestia indicated that they believe the allegations against Hall are credible, explaining that they will not be speaking to the “specifics of the accusations lest we be guilty of gossip.”
The team at Protestia is comprised of believers from different denominations across the nation and has expressed their trust in local church leadership when it comes to matters of church discipline. The site explained that if a member of their team’s local church body disqualifies them from ministry, Protestia carries that judgment over to its own ministry.
Protestia shared with ChurchLeaders that they believe FBC Sidney will release a statement in the next few days, which will reveal why Hall has been disqualified. Protestia hopes the church’s statement will bring further clarity to Hall’s situation.
RELATED: J.D. Hall, Pastor and Founder of Pulpit&Pen, Admits Fabricating Story About Trans Activist
“This is heartbreaking news for the Protestia team, and we pray for wisdom and courage for the leadership of FBC Sidney as they follow the process of church discipline with the goal of repentance, reconciliation, and restoration to fellowship for JD. Similarly, we are praying for his family during this trying time. In accordance with our commitment to transparency and impartiality, we will continue to stay apprised of further developments,” Protestia said.
