The retirement of Rev. Jeremiah Wright still stands, leaving Trinity United Church of Christ under the pastorate of Rev. Otis Moss III, contrary to a published report last week, Moss told parishioners Sunday.
“Don’t believe everything you hear, everything you read,” Moss said before the conclusion of the church’s 11 a.m. service, referring to a June 4 article by Time magazine that suggested that Wright was reluctant to give up his full duties as pastor, leaving Moss recognized as still as pastor or “senior pastor-elect.”
“According to sources within Trinity, Wright, 66, who began the process of retirement two years ago, is resisting fully relinquishing his duties as senior pastor, hanging onto power in the church%uFFFDOn church bulletins on June 1, Moss was identified simply as ‘pastor’ rather than ‘senior pastor,’ even as Wright assumed the title ‘pastor emeritus,’” the article stated.
The article also stated that sources said Moss was told May 27 during a meeting attended by Wright and other pastoral officials that, “Wright suggested the board declare Moss ‘senior pastor-elect’ because the younger cleric needed ‘supervision’%uFFFDeffectively ensuring Wright remains Trinity’s preacherin- chief,” leaving many Trinity members “baffled.”
Setting the record straight, Moss told parishioners, “On May 30, 2008, Trinity’s board of directors, in response to the enthusiastic request and recommendation of Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, and the pastoral relations committee, by unanimous vote, bestowed upon Rev. Otis Moss III the awesome responsibility and honor of being named senior pastor-elect.
This was contemplated by the leadership succession plan and adopted by the board of directors in 2005.” “The truth is now out,” a member said after the service, and declined to comment further. Parishioners were asked to not speak to the media regarding church matters.
Moss, 37, an ordained Baptist minister from Cleveland, Ohio, said the designation as senior pastor- elect is accurate because he must meet certain requirements of the United Church of Christ before he can be installed as head of the church. He expects to fulfill the UCC’s obligations this fall. In the interim, he has been assigned full pastoral and administrative management responsibilities set forth in the bylaws, Moss reiterated during his second service as lead pastor.
And speaking about the church’s bylaws, Trinity’s new leader said the title “senior pastor” is an informal one and is not reflected in the bylaws. The designation was bestowed upon Wright by the late Rev. Barbara Allen. The title was unofficially adopted by the church, and the board of directors will amend the bylaws at its July board meeting to include “senior pastor” as an official title.
Wright’s title is also expected to officially become “pastor emeritus” at that meeting, Moss said. Wright could not be reached for comment. Moss, the son of a well-known Cleveland pastor, and heir to the throne of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church there, was handpicked by Wright to succeed him at Trinity.
Trinity, the largest of the 5,700 UCC congregations, was under national and international microscopes during the presidential campaign. Wright, the beleaguered former pastor of Obama and his family, has been under fire for months after excerpts of a videotaped sermon delivered about seven years ago surfaced on the popular social Web site, YouTube, and was repeatedly aired on newscasts.
Obama initially denounced the pastor’s statements, but after Wright’s media appearances in Detroit for the NAACP and in Washington, D.C. in front of the National Press Club, the senator cut his ties with Wright. When the media frenzy’s dust settled around the church, political controversy paid another visit.
While a guest pastor on May 25, Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Catholic Church on the South Side made accusatory remarks from Trinity’s pulpit about Sen. Hillary Clinton D-N.Y. This time, Obama severed his ties with Trinity, a decision that he and his wife, Michelle, contemplated for a while, he said.
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