The Beach Church Disaster
Myrtle Beach Church Mouse Sunday, June 19, 2011
It's as common as Sunday School in the South, the infamous Church Split. The central question is how can a group of leaders who claim to know God end up in so much strife that a split is required.
As a Christian, I believe nothing hurts the heart of God more than when the leadership of a church is in strife. Issues that can include pride, arrogance, control, unresolved conflict, dishonest leadership, a wrong sense of provision, dependence on self, and envy are many times at the center of divisions in church leadership.
As a resource for leaders starting out in a new church plant or those who now find themselves heading into strife, our city social will look at one church's demise told from the perspective and opinions of former parisheners, former leaders, and hopefully some input from the leadership that instigated the entire mess leading to a recent split at a local church named Beach Church.
We are in the process now of polling over 200 of the 600 families that no longer attend the once thriving church of almost 1,600 weekly attenders. From early comments, it is clear that the central issues surround an elder of that time named Ronald Scott Pyle and two of his wife's business associates. Scott Pyle has been described by attenders as a powerful businessman who was one of the three, key central acting characters.
The expose will be told entirely in words from those who attended and were most affected by leadership. Hopefully this process will lead to healing by those who attended and serve as a How Not To for others.
LEADERSHIP AND CHARACTER ISSUES AT BEACH
9/8/11 *Editor's note: Before and during this series of reporting, our staff reporter, Tammy Currey, made 8 phone calls each into Pastor Craig Cheney's office as well as into the office of Soulo Sport, a venture owned by Cheney, Pyle, and Adcock. We offered this team ample opportunity to provide their side of this story. We received voice mail on every occassion and no calls were ever returned.
On September 2nd, Scott Pyle's attorney sent a request for corrections stating that Pam Pyle's license was sanctioned and not revoked. We have since made those corrections.