“The church decided, instead, to insist that Pastor Hall submit to a minimum 3-month sabbatical to address his physical health issues,” the statement continued. “The results of a toxicology screening requested by law enforcement were pending (the results of the screening are still outstanding at the time of this writing), and the church agreed to revisit his qualification if the report found problematic substances in his system, but no member vocalized any suspicion of drug abuse.”
FBC Sidney said that if they had been aware of Hall’s prescription drug abuse during the time of his attempted resignation in May, their decision likely would have been different.
“However, we believe that we acted appropriately given the information we had at the time,” the church said.
Hall is currently under church discipline, the church stated, and leadership has encouraged him to seek professional treatment to “work toward the restoration of his mind and body, and the reconciliation of his relationships with God and family.”
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“Your prayers for the Hall family along with wisdom regarding this situation as it unfolds, are coveted,” the statement concluded.
, Fellowship Baptist Church (FBC) of Sidney, Montana, released a statement disclosing that their pastor JD Hall disqualified himself from pastoral ministry due to a dependency on the prescription Xanax.){kind=link}