Let Mt. Zion Rejoice without Braxton…Vacate the Pulpit Now!!!

Recently five members of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Seattle exercised their rights under the church constitution calling for a special business meeting on June 30, 2005 for a vacate the pulpit vote via secret ballot at Mt. Zion. The five members stated they “…seek to unify the divided church family and prevent further damage to our spiritual growth, constitutional rights and financial resources.” Mt. Zion was a spiritual pillar of community strength in the community quest for freedom in economic, educational, social, civil and spiritual growth under the forty years of shepherd and stewardship of Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney. The sorry deteriorating state of conditions at Mt. Zion is inconceivable under the current Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Leslie David Braxton. If one could describe this as an example of a bad, terrible marriage, Mt. Zion and Dr. Braxton, that would be an understatement with very little hope of reconciling the spiritual structure of this divided dysfunctional church. A lot of information, both pro and con, has been presented in the media and from the pulpit of the church. Unfortunately, an awful lot of information has been withheld by church leadership and Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Leslie David Braxton. Many believe that had this information been fully disclosed to the congregation that, Braxton would not have been called to pastor Mt. Zion. An opinion many believe that the Mt. Zion congregation would have affirmed and embraced. The apparent moral, ethical value and conduct information surfaced in a confidential meeting between Rev. Braxton, his wife and the entire deacon board, according to Rev. Braxton’s testimony in King County Superior Court case number 00-2-20353-5 SEA and some deacons that attended that ill-advised, sworn to secrecy, confidential meeting full of alleged promises from the Senior Pastor. In criminal proceeding this activity of the ‘deacons and deaconesses’ would fall into the criminal classification of obstruction. One can not be certain if this was indeed criminal obstruction, however, in hindsight, with what has recently happened to Mt. Zion it was and is morally and spiritual destructive. For the first time in nearly a half century Mt. Zion’s leadership and Senior Pastor lost institutional control of the spiritual infrastructure and moral fabric of this community icon. That destructive path of the leadership and Senior Pastor are steering Mt. Zion into even deeper uncharted water — the courts — with the filing for a preliminary injunction in King County Superior Court of Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Seattle, Washington VS. Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Seattle, Washington on Monday, June 27, 2005. Interesting and brilliant legal strategy to say the least. Dr. Braxton came to Mt. Zion on the surface as a beacon of continued spiritual prosperity. He was considered to be the full package: a local young man doing good and coming back home, great educational skills, outstanding oratory skills, outstanding vocal skills, mentoring, counseling and spiritual transformation. Like a beacon, they sometimes leave a shadow, the credentials of a bright and shining beacon of the Rev. Dr. Leslie David Braxton, apparently, left an alleged shadow in Buffalo, N.Y. that, unfortunately, followed him to Mt. Zion. Mt. Zion was a debt free institution with fully paid real estate, and according to financial records nearly $1 million dollars in reserve in the bank and had annual revenues in excess of one million dollars. They also had senior housing, education programs and schools, huge membership with heavy tithing support, a credit union, a 20-plus year radio ministry and most of all an institution with tremendous credibility and respect throughout the state, uptown and downtown. All Dr. Braxton had to do was simply nurture and manage the resources placed in his lap, unfortunately he hasn’t. We all like the sometimes personal, sometimes charming Braxton, unfortunately, Mt. Zion is bigger than our likes or dislikes, and there are many, for one person-Braxton. We respect social spiritual bonds of some member supporter of Braxton, which apparently reminds one of the old in denial additive, “of a mother’s love for a bad child…” This is more than personal spiritual acceptance, mother love, tough love and even Jim Jonesism. This is about as the five spiritual brave members so eloquently stated in their vacate the pulpit notice, ” unify the divided church family and prevent further damage to our spiritual growth, constitution rights and financial resources.” We agree! Return Mt. Zion to the spiritual pillar of community strength in its’ quest for freedom in economic, educational, social, civil and spiritual growth. Enough is enough. It’s time for Mt. Zion to determine who will shepherd their flock. It’s time for Mt. Zion to rejoice, and many in the community and within the spiritual confines of Mt. Zion that Mt. Zion cannot rejoice and flourish under the current senior pastor.Let Mt. Zion rejoice without Senior Pastor Leslie David Braxton…Vacate Mt. Zion Baptist Church pulpit NOW!!!