S.C. megachurch fires founder over alcohol abuse, 'posture toward marriage'

By Abe Hardesty
USA Today
July 11, 2016

http://goo.gl/DXvj9h

Perry Noble

ANDERSON, S.C. --- NewSpring Church, one of the fastest growing churches in South Carolina and the nation, removed its senior pastor and founder over alcohol abuse and a series of "unfortunate choices and decisions" on Sunday.

Perry Noble, who founded NewSpring Church, is "no longer qualified to serve as pastor" at the state's largest church, Executive Pastor Shane Duffey, said Sunday.

The church, which has a weekly attendance of 30,000, and raked in more than $64 million in 2015 alone, has been led by Noble since he unofficially began holding Wednesday Bible Study in his Anderson apartment in 1998. Within six weeks of its inception, the crowd had grown to 150.

Duffey said the termination came after Noble "had made unfortunate choices and decisions that have caused much concern" among board members, who had confronted Noble more than once in recent months about his alcohol use and his "posture toward marriage."

Noble, who in recent years has openly discussed bouts with depression, did not appear to be at the church Sunday morning. Duffey read a statement in which Noble expressed remorse and a plan to "immediately seek spiritual guidance."

Noble said he "will no longer be pastor on July 1," indicating his statement had been written at least 10 days earlier.

"I wish this were a joke, and part of a sermon illustration," Noble said in the statement regarding his termination, "but it is true."

The revelation came as the megachurch, which holds services in 17 cities in South Carolina, is in the final stage of two expansions.

In the statement, Noble said he "never claimed to be a perfect pastor and never claimed to be a perfect Christian" and confirmed that in the past year, he had "allowed myself to slide into an overuse of alcohol."

He also said the job had "created a strain" on his marriage.

In the statement, Noble said had recently "come to depend on alcohol instead of Jesus." He said there was no infidelity nor abuse in his marriage.

Noble also manages a personal blog/website (perrynoble.com) that he used to convey frequent messages about his personal life and Christian topics.

The blog has grown quiet in recent months. Noble made 51 posts in the first three months of 2016 but made only nine in April, six in May, and none in June or July.

Duffey said Noble's wife, Lucretia, was "100% behind this decision" to fire Noble.

Clayton King, a NewSpring member, will serve as interim senior pastor, Duffey said.

It was the second emotional jolt in nine months at NewSpring, which in November mourned the murder in Indianapolis of former member Amanda Blackburn.

Brad Cooper, the executive pastor of ministries, provided the primary message Sunday morning after Duffey had opened the service with the major news.

Cooper and Duffey are among four executive staff members of the church, along with Executive Pastor of Campuses Howard Frist and Executive Pastor of Operations Michael Millikin. In each of the 17 cities the church serves, it has a full-time pastor.

Facilities are expected to be complete in the next three months that would add campuses in Powdersville and Clemson.

NewSpring is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, but leaders of that organization have criticized Noble regarding the church's use of secular music. Noble's messages have also been controversial at times — including one last year in which he said the Ten Commandments were not commandments.