Fired Gun-Toting Pastor Refuses to Leave Alabama Church

A handgun-carrying pastor in Alabama was fired by church leaders from Friendly Missionary Baptist Church last year, but refuses to leave the church. Pastor Cedric Stringer replaced the leaders against carrying weapons in church with new group of deacons and trustees. 

“He told us can’t nobody fire him but God,” said opposing deacon Michael Alexander.

Both the fired church leaders and the current deacons along with Stringer, have hired lawyers and taken the case to court reports the Christian Post. 

“It’s primarily a matter of control of assets. There is a situation where a minister has ignored the majority rule and basically he attempted to replace the deacons and the trustees on his own by simply announcing these things,” said attorney for the fired church leaders, Chriss Doss.

Alexander said that the Birmingham police have been called to the church on four separate occasions, most recently for the pastor’s disorderly conduct. Jenifer Wallis, Stringer’s lawyer, said that the police calls were unnecessary, and it was the gun-opposers who caused the stir.

“That is an unfortunate effect of the plaintiffs’ claim stirring a disturbance. No one wants for a church to be engaged in a lawsuit,” Wallis said. 

Publication date: June 12, 2014