Let Mt. Zion Rejoice Without Pastor Braxton…

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 vote to vacate the pulpit 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 shepherding and stewardship of Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney. The apparent deteriorating state of conditions at Mt. Zion under the current Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Leslie David Braxton is inconceivable. Describing this as an example of a bad, terrible marriage, Mt. Zion and Dr. Braxton, would be an understatement, with very little hope of reconciling the spiritual structure of this divided church. A lot of information, pros, cons, and rebuttals from concerned members of Mt. Zion and the pastoral/leadership of Mt. Zion, 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, Braxton would not have been called to pastor Mt. Zion. Furthermore, many believe the Mt. Zion congregation would have affirmed and embraced this opinion. 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 the meeting. That meeting, according to one attendee, was full of alleged promises from the pastor. In addition, it is alleged that attendees of the meeting were sworn to secrecy and confidentiality regarding the topics of discussion. In criminal proceedings 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 have apparently lost institutional control of the spiritual infrastructure and moral fabric of this community icon. That destructive path of the leadership and Senior Pastor is steering Mt. Zion into even deeper uncharted waters — 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. An interesting and brilliant legal strategy. 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. But a beacon sometimes leaves 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 with, according to financial records, nearly one 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, a 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 personable, sometimes charming Braxton. Unfortunately, Mt. Zion is bigger than our likes or dislikes — and there are many for one person, Braxton. We respect social and spiritual bonds of some member supporters of Braxton, which apparently reminds some of the old denial additive, “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 spiritually brave members stated in their vacate the pulpit notice, “unify[ing] the divided church family and prevent[ing] further damage to our spiritual growth, constitution rights and financial resources.” We agree with the five members that signed the vacate the pulpit notice. Return Mt. Zion and its quest for freedom in economic, educational, social, civil and spiritual growth to the spiritual pillar of community strength. Enough is enough. It’s time for Mt. Zion to rejoice, and many in the community and within the spiritual confines of Mt. Zion feel that Mt. Zion cannot rejoice and flourish under the current senior pastor. Let Mt. Zion rejoice without Senior Pastor Leslie David Braxton…