Perry Noble on Accusations He Is 'Unqualified' to Start New Church: 'They Are Absolutely Correct'
Former NewSpring Church pastor Perry Noble responded to those who say he is "unqualified" to start a new church, by stating that they are "absolutely correct." But at the same time, he said he trusts that God still wants to use him to preach the Gospel.
"Back in July it was announced I have filed the paperwork to one day begin Second Chance Church. Since that time there have been those in the online world who have been quite consistent in communicating to me I am 'unqualified,'" Noble pointed out in a lengthy Facebook post on Tuesday.
"I've intentionally not responded to that accusation in particular until now...and to that accusation I say...Those who are calling me 'unqualified' are absolutely correct."
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Noble was removed last year as lead pastor of NewSpring due to alcohol addiction and other issues. The preacher has since underwent rehab and admitted he heavily thought about taking his own life.
He has been trying to rebuild his life and has been speaking at other churches and engaging in leadership projects. Late in October, however, he announced that his 17-year marriage to his wife, Lucretia, is coming to an end.
Accusations that he is not qualified to lead a new church have not only come online but also from NewSpring Teaching Pastor Clayton King, who back in July pointed to Timothy 3:1-5, Titus 1:5b-9 and James 3:1 as evidence for why Noble does not meet the biblical qualifications of a pastor.
Noble responded to the accusation at the time by stating that he "never felt qualified" at any time while he was leading NewSpring.
"We're all sinful, we all fall short of the glory of God. But I feel like their characterization of me being unqualified was a direct assault on other churches who have invited me in to speak which was an attack on my livelihood, which I also felt was pretty unfair," he said then.
In his latest post, Noble pointed to 1 Timothy 3 which lists the various qualifications for biblical leaders, including "to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money," among others.
Noble went through the qualifications and admitted that he has "dropped the ball" on a number of them, and shared personal stories of some such mistakes.
"Like I said before - I absolutely do not dispute the fact that, according to the letter of the law laid down by Paul in this passage...I am unqualified," he stated.
"AND...I am POSITIVE there are those on Facebook who will be more than happy to fill in the gaps of the things I left out that point even more so to the fact I am unqualified...O God to be as awesome one day as those who attack others on social medial!"
Noble positioned that he doesn't know anyone "batting 1,000" on all the qualities needed to be a good Christian leader, however, and reiterated that he has never felt qualified in his life.
"I am also UN-wavering in the fact people who fall down need a Second Chance, and I'm called to start a church not for perfect people, but for those who want to get back up!"
He added, "I am UN-willing to allow those who don't know my story to try to tell me what my future should look like."
"I am UN-able to give my life to anything other than the local church. I am UN-phased by those who want me to quit. I am UN-afraid of the future God has for me.
"And I think it is UN-real that God still wants to used a messed up, busted and unqualified guy like me to take the Gospel to as many people as possible."
