Rev. Finkley of Coatesvillle's Tabernacle Baptist Church Threatens To Have Congregants Arrested

POSTED: 6:39 pm EDT July 18, 2007
UPDATED: 9:04 pm EDT July 18, 2007

COATESVILLE, Pa. -- Members of a Chester County church said they have really been at odds with the pastor since he came on board about a year ago. But after receiving a letter that mixed Bible verses along with threats of an arrest if they were to attend church on Sunday, that's when they said the pastor went too far.

"We are in spiritual warfare, we really are ... with our own pastor," said one woman.

It's a rift so deep that Coatesville police stepped in Wednesday to try to resolve the issue after the Rev. Malcolm Finkley of Coatesvillle's Tabernacle Baptist Church reportedly signed and sent the letter to dozens of church members.

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Some congregation members told NBC 10 that they have not liked the way Pastor Finkley runs the church or how he conducts himself from the pulpit. When they tried to oust Finkley as they say it states they can in the church bylaws, their vote has been interrupted and not allowed to continue.



More:
http://www.nbc10.com/news/13708695/detail.html

Oh, and Pastor?...about those "arrests"...let's try to handle these things without the state, huh? I'm sure you have a church hierarchy to appeal to...

and is unhappy with him and wants to get rid of him because he bullies them and threatens them

why don't they just impeach him like we do in government?

oh, wait...

A letter spells out the controversy at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. The controversy has pitted lifetime members against a pastor who came to this historic church a year ago.

In the letter 30-year-old pastor Malcom Finkley writes, "This letter serves as an official notice that if you enter the premises or if you are found on church property that the Coatesville police will be called and criminal charges will be filed."

"If the good Lord lets me live, I'm gonna be there. I'm planning to be right there," responded church member Waddell Tucker when asked if he would be at church on Sunday.

<snip>

"He got a credit card. He got a corporate credit card without the church voting on it," said Franklin.

More:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=5489271