Baptist ‘Pastor’ Fired after Coming Out to Congregation as Transgender During Sermon
https://pulpitandpen.org/2020/07/23/baptist-pastor-fired-after-coming-out-to-congregation-as-transgender-during-sermon/?fbclid=IwAR0iBJ-PXOvIO_AMqnCgQRygy1ueQE185ZLODcHAZTrQ3OrjaEeC6Muq7jY
A “Baptist pastor” who gave the congregation the shock of their lives when he announced during a sermon that he was coming out as a “transgendered woman” (see video below) has been fired by the church in what came down to a nail-biter vote.
The “right Reverend” Justin Joplin of Lourne Park Baptist Church in Mississauga, Ontario, had appeared in front of his congregation during a zoom sermon dressed as a woman, and explained that he was in fact a “she” and had taken on a new name and all, saying:
“With divine joy, as one finally getting her hands on the most precious pearl, I want you to hear me when I say I’m not just supposed to be a pastor, I’m supposed to be a woman. Hi, friends. Hi, family. My name is Junia. You can call me June. I’m a transgender woman and I’m my pronouns are she and her. That’s the treasure, folks. That’s the truth I can’t help but speak.”
As a result, the church fired him following a vote by its congregation members. Out of the 111 votes, 52% were in favor of removing Joplin from his position as pastor, demonstrating that at least 48% of the congregation is apostate and likely far more than that.
“I believed that the vote would be close, I wasn’t sure how it was going to come out and I was nervous that that might be the result,” Joplin said in an interview with CTV News.
In a statement to news organizations, Lorne Park Baptist Church confirmed the termination:
“The Church has journeyed for the past month through a process of attempting to discern God’s will resulting from June’s announcement of June 14, 2020 that she is a transgender woman.”The fact that the congregation didn’t gather for an emergency meeting that day, immediately after it happened, and sent him packing to be handed over to Satan is a damning indictment on the church.
“After a month of prayerful discernment and discussions between June and the congregation, it was determined, for theological reasons, that it is not in God’s will that June remain as our pastor. We wish June God’s grace and peace as she departs from us.”
Notice the compromise existing. It took the church over 5 weeks to make their decision, the vote was squeaker close, and they send him off using female pronouns.
Michael Rennie, a member of 23 years announced that he was leaving over the pastor’s termination.
“I was disappointed because I’m going to have to leave that particular church. I can’t stay with a congregation that, for one of a better phrase, treated her so badly.”Rennie said he completely supports Joplin and will stick with him as he searches for a new congregation, because “she’s a deep thinker, great parent, somebody who’s great to be around. She really understands God’s call to help the marginalized.”
Joplin, for his part, said that he’s received lots of offers to guest preach in the meantime, all at equally theologically compromised non-churches, and will continue to do so while he figures out his next step.