Doesn’t it get confusing as one candidate accuses the other of overlooking senior citizens? Then the other candidate says there is scant evidence the opponent cares anything at all about little, poor children.

The truth is that both of the candidates are probably fine people who have all kinds of concerns that propel them into public life.

It’s really a lot like these clergy who come into our churches. They are darn nice people — most of them — the kind of people who energize communities, fill places with compassion and give people a reason to live.

The problem is that they are always in front, always leading the charge, always talking about what God wants us to do. And sometimes there are people who get tired of the pastor.

So, instead of arranging a confab where irritating habits and obsessions can be talked through, a small group of leaders will begin organizing a campaign to oust the pastor. That’s when things get tough.

The pastor is broken for years afterward. And the congregation cannot move past all the hatred that has been generated during the vicious battles that take place as the poor preacher is being tossed out.

Of all the church fights I have witnessed over the years, the one in a little suburban church sticks in my memory. One evening, as the pastor rested at home, a solitary man came to the parsonage and sat down for a chat.

“We have decided,” the man said, “it just isn’t working out, and we want you to vacate the pulpit within two weeks.”

The pastor had a bunch of children and a wife, and vacating the pulpit and moving out of the church-owned home in two weeks would be nearly impossible.

So, in true nice-guy-pastor style he said, “When was this decided? Has the congregation (meaning all the members) been consulted?”

The pastor’s adversary smiled benevolently and said, “We felt it was best that you just moved out without any discussion in the congregation. We want you to resign and just move on.”

No specific complaints were ever registered, the pastor carried his sorrow with dignity, and the parsonage was empty in two weeks.

But the little church where this happened is still little. It has not distinguished itself with new leadership or mission. A new pastor did not come to the congregation and revitalize it with powerful ideas.

The youth program still falters. The same women make quilts in the basement Monday morning. The worshipping community dies off a little each year. And someday, that congregation will not be able to pay the salary of a full-time pastor.

It makes a person wonder what quarreling does to a community. Is it an effective evangelism tool to push out a pastor? Or is there some way to pull pastor and people together for effective ministry?

All of this — the politics in society and the church — might be altered a good deal in the next few years. But nothing of substance will change unless we learn how to harness our hostility.

Clark D. Morphew