Why Would the United Methodist Church Want to Remove a Popular Pastor?

Still Waters United Methodist Church occupies an idyllic location in a beautiful neighborhood in Atlanta. The church has been in existence for about 15 years and has had one pastor leading the congregation — Dr. Carole Hulslander. The members of Still Waters have built the church literally with their own hands, giving both money and sweat equity to the congregation they love.

Dr. Hulslander and her husband love and care for their parishioners, and the pastor preaches the Bible to this multicultural congregation. The church members would have no reason to believe that their beloved leader’s position would be in jeopardy. But all of that changed one Sunday this past March.

Two weeks before Easter, the District Superintendent showed up with a new pastor. When the Chair of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee refused to allow a service that Sunday morning, because the District had violated the church’s Book of Church Discipline, the congregation retreated to their fellowship hall to sing and pray. The new pastor came in and began berating one of the members of the congregation. The new pastor demanded keys be handed over. When others intervened to calm the situation, the new pastor told the congregation to ‘f*ck off’.” The lion that would separate the sheep from their shepherd now paces around the walls of this church.

What would be the reason for such drastic measures? Dr. Hulslander’s outspoken support for traditional marriage is to blame, according to the pastor.

But after Dr. Hulslander signed a “Unity and Integrity” statement calling on the United Methodist Church to maintain its standards of Biblical integrity with regard to marriage, the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church sought to remove her.

The culture war has arrived at the door of Still Waters United Methodist Church.

The congregation has dug in their heels, unwavering in their support for Dr. Hulslander. As a result, Still Waters may lose its building and property. But the physical building is a small price to pay to these people as they stand firm in their convictions and their attempts to be the church that Jesus Christ called them to be. The church has started a GoFundMe account to help them in their fight. Share this story to help get the word out.