According to a statement from Mission Community Church, Gilbert, Arizona, their lead pastor, Mark Connelly, was asked to resign his position by the church’s Board of Servant Leaders. Connelly admitted to them on December 30 that he had been having extramarital affairs.
The statement continues that the church had offered counseling resources to Connelly and his family as well as to the other women involved in the affairs that are part of their congregation. It adds that the church requests that people give their former lead pastor and his family time to heal and respect their privacy.
According to Pastor Gary Sutliff, who has been named as interim lead pastor, Connelly was confronted about his extramarital activities and he admitted them freely. He was then asked to tender his resignation, which he promptly did.
In a video posted on the church’s website, mercy pastor for the church, Randy Thomas, said that he was very shocked when he heard the news of their lead pastor’s affairs. He added that at first he was really angry and felt betrayed by Connelly but after a while he felt only love and compassion for what he must be going through.
Thomas went on to say that he even tried to intellectualize on the problem at first. He shared “Intellectualizing is not going to work because we’re not dealing with a simple problem here. We are wrestling with the consequences of sin, and there is only one way to cope with the pain of sin, and that’s the cross.”
Connelly had been lead pastor of the church for the past eight years and it has now grown into one of the largest in Arizona with about 6,000 members. He has been married to his wife, Kay, for 27 years and they have two grown children, according to the website.
Sutliff joined the staff at the church in June 2012 and will take over as lead pastor until a final decision has been made by the congregation and the Board.
